The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-11-25
DEEDS OF BRAVE MEN.
How a Yankee CavaIryman Surrendered
to q Reb.
From the Philadelphia Times. -'.... ..-...

to a Reb.
From the Philadelphia Times. -'--...- ..-..-
Much has been written from vari-
GUS standpoints about the valor Of
| different soldiers in our late great war.
| In some minds the matter may yet be
an open question, but to my mind it
is somewhat like trying to find the
difference in two balls or two figures in
| the same mould. [ feel quite sure
| that the ultimate pitch in human cou-
rage was reached as fully by men on
one side as by those on the oppo-
site side in the trying struggle. When
there is conviction of right and de-
termination to carry or defend prin-
ciple or purpose, it makes no differ
ence what is the color of the coat or
what is the emblazonry on the flag.
| There is no zone, no section in our
country without it's breed of brave
men. I think the bravest soldiers III
the Federal army were in the cavalry,
cool, valiant men, who held their OWL.
| in the shock of charge and fought
to the finish when the weapons were
sabres-it takes man of mettle to do
that-and it was done by many OIL
| both sides during the progress Of the
war.
remember one Illinois cavalrymar
who was run upon and struck at BY
his antagonist in a hand-to-hand
charge. The blow was returned
promptly, but parried. Then began
struggle which it was seen was fast
| developing into life and death con-
test. The man in gray was the first
to raise voice, and somewhat in grim
humor he shouted out:
Surrender, Yankee!'
Surrender, hell" said the man in
blue. He repeated the words: "Sur-
render, hell The best man now takes
the field
No braver man ever died than the
Illinois cavalryman.
The bravest Confederate soldier l
ever knew, among all the thousands /
saw in the exhibition of sublime cour-
rage-was a youth named, in the brief
venacular of the camp, simply Jim
Todd. When We first went into Vir-
ginia for soldering we were sorely in
need of adequate firearms. The cav
airy especially wanted their Sharpe's
rifles. The history of this famous
weapon, the work it had done in Kan
sas in the conflict over slavery there,
and in thus precipitating the conflict
over secession, somehow or other stir
red the Southerner intensely for it's
possession. We yearned for that gun
as for no other weapon, offensive or
defensive. The cry of Mr.. Beecher
for the Sharpe's rifle found an echo in
the heart of every Confederate caval-
ryman, but for somewhat different
purpose. It was understood that the
Federal cavalry were all armed with the
weapon; and | think that nearly every
man in my command registered VOW
that come what would in the very first
fight the Yankee must be dispossessed
Of his gun for the benefit of the men
in gray, if nothing else could then be
done. Subsequent proceedings could
be depended upon for settling other
matters.
Indeed there was in the South at the
outbreak of the war school of fire
eaters" so-called, whose advice to
the Southern alarmists in 1861 en-
braced the rabid philosophy that, in
the poverty of their munition of war,
the Confederates should dash right
upon the enemy and take their guns
on the very field of battle. A distin-
guished Southern Governor, now dead,
publicly put forth this advice; the
only difference in expressing it was in
m ore mild form of words; for in the
"Gre-eater' counsel he told his
friends to supply themselves with
arms by simply marching upon the
Yankees and taking the guns right out
of their hands. "
And there were many men In the
South who believed honestly and full
ly in such plausible and easy perform
ances, and all for the simple reason
that they did not know properly the
people Of the North, just as many
honest people of the North now be-
lieve in falsehoods about their neigh
bors. Lying politicians are largely
responsible for that bloody war, and
they are also now largely instrumen-
tai in keeping the people of the two
sections, North and South, from un-
derstanding and loving one another as
they should.
The results of the first battle of
Manassas (or Bull Run) where thous-
ands of the demoralized Federal SOL
disrs threw away their guns and ran
from the field, was very encouraging
to the "fre-eaters. They saw, also,
afterwards that the Confederaoy WAS
largely supplied on several occasions
with guns taken at surrenders. But
Jim Todd did not intend to wait for
his Sharpe's rife in the slow process
of an after-the- battle surrender. He
intended to have his gun right in the
melee of the very first tussle, or just
as soon as he could lay his hand on
the Yankee that had the thing he
wanted-the Sharpe srife. q use the
word Yankee in these articles in
no opprobrious sense, for [ have been
called "Yankee" myself, and I felt
nc dishonor at the appellation.
Jim s opportunity came early in the
war. A few of our regiment on a
scouting expedition had accidentally
gotten behind a squadron or 30 of
Pennsylvania cavalry who had not the
slightest idea of hearing the "Rebel
yell in their rear-that day especial
| ly. Ia what was to them the unguard-
ed moment We were upon them with
that yell in all its unsophisticated
fury and intensity. At our first fire
some of the boys in blue, seeing what
they believed to be "the overpower-
ing number of the enemy" about them,
slrang from their horses and attempt
ed to escape to wood that lay off a
few hundred yards across the little
meadow, and away from the long lane
in which the fight first began.
Todd saw one of the dismounted
fugitiyes running with all his might
and main for that skirt of woods, the