The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-02-09

ranks and they, too, jumped 'nto the
crater. It continued much the same.
AS the reinforcements Of the enemy
were brought up they wsuld be sub
ject to the same dangers and would
invariably jump into the crater until.
as I said before, IL 900 Federal troops
were in that crater, 100 feet long, 30
feet deep and 80 feet wide, with a
bank surrounding them Is feet high.
All organization was obliterated, their
officers had lost control Of them, and
they were as helpless as SO many cat
tie. Tn their position they could not
retire. They were hemmed in on three
sides by Elliott men and Haskell $
batteries and could not advance, while
ifthey attempted to retire they would
be moved down like wheat before the
scythe by the batteries on the right
and left. Therefore they preferred to
surrender.
I had the honor Of being the com
mander of company in the 18th S.
C. V. and was eficer of the day of my
regiment on the goth day Of July,
1864. The right Of my regiment rest
ed on the battery Branch 81 that was
blowed up and the whole right Wing
was erveloped, covered up with tim
bers, earth and debris. Those Of us
who were not struck by flying timbers
emerged from the debris and attacked
the enemy at once. Being officer Of
the day of my regiment l deemed it
my duty to assume the direction Of af-
fairs in my immediate neighborhood,
and if possible grasp the key of the
situation before it was too late.
The ar was so filled with smoke
and dust that we could not Gee ten
feet away, but / was satisfied the ene-
my were upon US. I ordered the men
to fire over the breastworks. | then,
with the assistance Of Adjutant Sims
and Lieutenant Anderson, gathered as
many men as could be spared from the
left of the regiment, and with them
occupied a line Of works running
around the rear Of the battery, now
the crater. The dust and smoke we're
still dense; in fact, we were cropping
in the dark. SuddeHly We came in
contact with about 2OO<of the enemy.
They ordered US to surrender. In re-
ply we gave them the contents OF our
rifles. They returned the fire and
now that the guns were aid empty a
hand to-hand fight ensued. Swords,
bayonets and the butts Of rifles were
freely used.
This lasted only for few moments,
however, for she'll thrown from our
mortar battery in our rear fell among
us, bursting with crash. 1t hurled
Confederates and Federals right and
left, killing aud wounding several,
and completely separating the contest
ing parties.
The Federals now dashed over into
tho crater, where they could fight
from cover, while We were unpro-
ted. We fell back to cross-ditch
that had been laid off aad prepared by
our engineers to fight from in case of
disaster. The fire from the crater was
very severe and we retired, walking
backward, fighting as We fell back, the
officers using their pistols, while the
msn used their rifles. Adjutant Sims
was mortally wounded and Lieutenant
Anderson and half the men with us
we're killed before We reached the
ditch. The balance of our regiment
had taken position in this ditch be-
fore we arrived under Capt. Bridges
We now received orders from Gen
Elliott, through A. A. G. Evans, to
hold and fight from the cross ditch,
and only to fire when the enemy
showed themselves. Then Gen. Ell
lott drew out the 26th S. c. Y. from
the left of the brigade and made di-
rect charge on the enemy in the crater
but Elliott was shot down and his
men were drawn back.
Col. Smith then made another at
tempt to charge the crater with the
Goth S. G. V, but Smith was wounded
and his brave men again driven back.
The enemy then hurled Ferrcro div
ision of drunken negroes against our
left, and they did succeed in driving
back our left near the crater. So that
the line or ditch we occupied was en-
6laded by their fire and we were COM
pclled to fall back to another cross
ditch 100 feet to our rear.
Seeing US fall back the negroes
charged US, yelling, "No quarter! Re
member Fort pillow" We gave them