The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1898-04-19
RECoLLECTIoNs OF THE
..... WAR.
An EScellont Paper Road Before tho James
ID. Nance Camp by MIR. Jno. A.
Chapman. .....

Some months, or perhaps years
ago, a committee on history was ap-
pointed by your commander, Of which
committee l was made member.
That committee, as far as I know,
has never yet made any report, nor
is it we'll prepared to make any now.
I can do CHS, however, in place of
any elaborate history of the company
or Of the regiment of which the most
of you were members during the war
between the States, l can give you a
brief sketch of my own personal ex-
perienoe during those eventful four
years which were 80 disastrous to
many Of us. It is not necessary at
this time to speak of the causes
which led to the act Of secession of
December Goth, 1860. 1t is enough
to note that those causes had existed
from the first and that the Union
had, IN fact, never been perfect.
The right to secede had always been
held as essential and inalienable by
all the original thirteen States that
formed the Union. New England
more than once had threatened to
leave, and declared that tho annexa-
ton of Texas was sufficient cause for
withdrawal. But New England was
never quite SO foolish as actually to
withdraw. I am inclined to think
that we, of this State, are always
little too hasty and inconsiderate in
our ways aud manner of dong
things. Speaking for myself, if
could have controlled tho action of
the State in 1860, we would not
have seceded-not that the State
did not have the right to secede, but
that it was not wise to assert that
right because war would surely fol-
low and our success in the event of
war was doubtful. I believed, how
ever, that by acting entirely on the
defensive and protracting the war for
ten years, that we could achieve our
independence-that success would
require ten years and rot less.
When I joined the Confederate
army, in winter quarters at Dalton,
Ca, February, 1864, my comrades
asked me how long the war would
last. "Well," l replied, "ten years."
They We're appalled, at the prospect.
"O." told them, "not ten years
from this time, but ten years from
the beginning" "But," I added,
you can end the war any time you
wish by surrender" eve can't do
that" they said. every WE'LL" I re-
Piled "you will have to fight it out
then and do the best you can."
My career as a soldier began in
September, 1868, and I was a soldier
of the Confederacy until the surren-
dor ut Appomattox in April, 1865, so
that the whole term of my service
was a little over Is months-fully as
much rs L wanted, but not half tho
time that some of you had.
The exigencies of the Confederacy
required the services of all who woro
able to bear arms, without regard to
age, and in the latter part of sum
,mer, 1868, levy was made Of those
who had heretofore been considered
as over age for military service. We
OF Newberry were enrolled in Com
pany e, commanded by Capt. George
IL. Chapman, in tho Second Regi-
ment, State Troops, commanded by
Col. William Fort, of Lexington. Our
regiment was attached to the com.
mand of Brigadier General Walker,
who, as Col. Walker, had so success
fully repulsed the enemy at Pocotali-
60 short time before, for which
gallant ropuIse he was promoted to
brigadier.
The bombardment Of Charleston
was in progress whilo we were in the
city waiting for transportation to
Pocotaligo Station on tho Charleston
and Savannah Railroad. The heavy
boom of the cannons was heard at
intervals day and night, and here
first l was brought into tho actual
presence of war, though l was not
conscious Of any danger to myself
personally.
Whom we arrived at Pocotaligc
Station we were marched about five