The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-11-17

fellow dashed into their smoke, or
dcring them to cease firing, not know
ing whether they were friend or foe,
or but that the next shot would blow
him into kingdom conc l'ortu
natcly: it was our battery 1t was
'aid Church killed three men with his
sabre that day But this article is too
long. and the half has ilcycr set been
toll.
The enemy fourh, wcll sullcuiy
refining before orr general advance all
along the line, and crossed the Kappa
hammock We lost very heavily
AmonY other, Senator, then Colonel.
Butlcr one Of our most gallant "a
hrcur,, los. hi. leg Lieutenant Col
onel Frank Hampton, Senator lamp
ton ! brother, was killed in the gloyi-
ouS fight made by their regiment, the
Second South Carolina cavalry which
was badly cut up. An infantry col
oncl, who was on visit to the Fight
ing First North Carolina (Tar IIccls)
cavalry, and who went in with them
to sec if there was any fight in the
cavalry. wa also killed Our rcgi-
mcnt lost j I out Of 10. Ny company
had IL killed. 22 men out Of the u
who went in either killed or wounded,
captured or their horses killed. Rog-
crs company. from Burke County, the
| other company Of my squadron, was
also cut to pieces. Being but boy
at the time, remember but little save
what was impressed on me at the mo-
mcmt. Yet it does seem strange that
the charge that saved the field and
was the turning point of the greatest
cavalry battle Of the war has never
been written up, although acknowl-
cd at the time. We had no infantry.
and fought Slocum' corps of infantry
and all the Federal cavalry from day
light until dark-a charge that from
its results achieved as much as any
charge, as up to that time they were
crowding us in all directions, had
broken through our lines at Stevens
burg and captured General Stuart's
headquarters, near the center of the
semi circle Of our line of fight.
General Stuart had between $4,000
and $4,000 cavalry and horse artillery;
the enemy between 600 and 30, 900
cavalry, artillery and infantry. Hoods
division Of 10,0 900 muskcts at Culpcp-
per, G. H., was not called for, although
offered to General Stuart.
This engagement was caused by
reconnaissance by the enemy to un-
mask General Lees movements and
ascertain his whereabouts, which was
defeated and foiled by the cavalry, as
again at Upperville and again and
again, until the armies "butted up
against each other at Gettysburg,
caused by the absence Of our cavalry
who were off on raid for "Pennsyl-
vania buttermilk," our infantry said.
Gettysburg would never have been
fought had the cavalry been with
General Lee, for they would have kept
him posted as to the movements Of the
enemy, Do not think am writing
cavalry history. Yet few facts con-
cerning our commissariat and quarter
master departments as we'll as ordi-
nance are apropos.
First, we had to mount ourselves,
and if poor devil got his horse killed
or disabled, and was unable to buy or
capture one, he had to go afoot.
Second, do not believe that in
any year of the war had we regular
rations furnished us for three months
of the year Il know it would not aver
age that,) and it was weeks at time
that we did not see our wagon servants
or baggage. As for tents, we had
none" three soft fence rails luxury;
smooth rock for q pillow, god
send"
Third, we had inferior equipments
of all kinds miserable saddles that
ruined our horses backs rotten
leather for brides and straps 'tsin
sabres;" patched up firearms, indif-
fercnt ammunition, whenever we could
get any from Richmond, and all that
was any good was what we captured.
Fourth, our service on tho Sharps-
hnEs and Gettysburg oampaigns nota-
biy was nm almost daily aud often
nightly fight. and our poor horses did
not have the saddles of8 their backs
sometimes for over week at q time
as the enemy were all ABOUND us-and
with nothing to eat but green apples.
roasting ears, and what we could for
age for.
While against US were picked men
mounted on selected herses from Ken