The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1898-01-05


In Torchlighted Barge.
In the Savannah river, some eight or
ten miles above Augusta, was so or 60
years ago large and drcary sand bank,
known rs Goat island, covered with drift
ing and shifting dunes, tho home of the
crane, the kingtlsher and the heron. Ono
or tho most noted ducls that ever illustrate
cd tho code of honor took place on Cont is
land, sort of neutral ground, amenable
perhaps neither to the laws of Georgia nor
South Carolina. The principals and sec
Onus III this duel, save ono, were all Edge
Held men Of high descent and of the caya-
licr class, who believed in and practiced
tho code duello
Tho principals were two handsome and
brilliant young lawyers, Louis II. Wigfall,
aged % years, and Preston S. Brooks, aged
22. The casus belli in this famous duel
grow out of political strifcs and ambitions.
Wigfall's second was John Laurens Man
ming of Sumter county, S. G.. Brooks sec
ond was Pierce Mason Butler of Edgefield
All these four men became famous char
acters i'll tho history of thoir state-indccd
III the history of the south-as is album
dainty proved by the chronicles and cncy-
clopcdias that have been writton or amend
cd since.
In the very earliest hour of the dim,
gray dawn of fall morning of the year
lS41-to avoid notice and perhaps arrest
two close carriages are driven out of
Augusta. They leave the door of the lato
Thomas Barrett, who is himself an occu-
pant of ono Of tho carriages. These two
coaches convey Wigfall, Manning, Barrett,
physician and three colorcd men, scrv-
ants, to tho vicinity of Goat island
BrOOES and II1t1nr Wi fbo;,
and servants, come from tho Edgefleld
side, accompanied by tho late Major An
drew Hammond of Now Richmond
Tho duel took place ut $3.50 o'clock in
tho afternoon. The actors in the bloody
drama were taken from either shore to tho
island in one of tho long pole boats of that
day. Two shots were exchanged The re-
suit of tho second shot was tho woundinp
of Wigfall through both thighs and tho
whizZing of Il bullet into Brooks hip, tho
bullet ranging round into his back and
lodging there. Both men wcro painfully
and very seriously wounded. Both sank
conscious from loss of blood.
And now comes the dramatic and some
what weird part of my story Both
wounds having been temporarily dressed
both men were lifted tcndcrly into tho
pole boat and, lying almost side by side,
wcro rowcd down tho night 1nantlcd
stream to the city. In this boat with tho
wounded men were the seconds Mr.. Bar
rctt, Major Hammond, the physicians and
live negro men. Imagine this funcreal
barge, illuminated by lightwood torches,
sometimes flaring bright, sometimes burn
ing blue, as it glidcd down the broad, still
river i'll tho blackncss of darkness, bearing
ON its bosom two noble, brave and bleed
ir,,,,, rt.,l. L. Il
journey end might be called to stand be-
fore their God.
Arriving ut Augusta Louis Wigfall was
taken to tho residence of Mr.. Thomas Bar
rett, whose wife and mother in law, tho
late Mrs. Harriet Glasscock, wcro family
connections of his and there nurscd back
to health with tender care and mothcrly
watchfulncss. Preston Brooks was taken
TO Boards hotel, in Hamburg, whence
after II few days he was taken to his home
i'll Edgcficld.
Louis IT. Wigfall married brilliant
belle of Providence, and after living in
Edgcficld few years subsequent to his
duel removed to Marshall, Tex, which
state he very soon represented in the Unit
cd States senate, where he achieved n ma
tlonal reputation rs an orator and states
man. The war, OF course, found him de
votcdly and enthusiastically on the side of
his native south. He became II hero in the
memorable and initial siege OF Fort Sum
ter, brigadicr general in tho Confederate
army, senator from Texas i'll the Confcd-
crate congress and an intimate friend and
adviser of Jefferson Davis. He died in
Galveston some 10 or II years after the
close of tho war.
Preston 5. Brooks married II daughter
of Governor Means of South Carolina, and
continued to live in Edgchcld. lie became
so popular among the people OF Edgeficld
and tho ncighboring districts that thcy
sent him to represent them in congress-
Previous to this, however, he had led
Company ID of the Palmetto regiment
throughout tho Mexican war, and had
reached the highest rank as IL wise and
brave soldier While he was IL nlember of
the lower house of congress his cousin,
Judge Andrew Pickcns Butler was South
Cardinals senator
In the senate about this timc-it is mat
ter of national history-thc famous Massa-
chllsctts senator, Charles Summer, made n
speech rejecting upon Senator Butler,
who was man many years his senior
This insult to his venerable kinsmnn so
aroused the ire of the fiery Brooks that he
publicly caEcd Sumner in the senate cham
her. The matter became almost u national
issue and aroused in the northern mind
much of that hatred of tho south that led
to the war. Preston s. Brooks, in his third
term ms congressman, died III Washington
in 1857.
Pierce NJ. Butler became governor of
South Carolina, then United States com
missioner to the Indians, and subsequently,
the devoted and illustrious leader of tho
renowned Palmetto regiment in the Mex
lean war. He fell mt the head of his rcui-
mcnt, with n bullet through his brain, at
the memorable siege of Churubusco
John Laurcns Manning married an aunt
of the present General Wade Hampton lie
was mt tho time the wcalthicst and the
hanlSOmcSt nun In SnlIth Cnrnlinn LIZ