The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-01-11
United States Minister to ST. PETERS
burg, where he died.

limited States Minister to ST. Peters
burg, where he died.
OTHER NOTED STATESMAN.
Resides the names of those enumer-
ated, all of whom have undoubtedly
nlouphed deep burrows in their coun-
try's field, Others of secondary 1lnPoT,,
tance or less prominence, out wen
known to the student of history, VINO
have come from this district are Fran
els Wilkinson Pickens. who was UNI
ted States minister to Russia lIon
1850 to 1860, and who was conSplcu-
GUS as the war Governor or ooutil
Carolina. 1t was, Governor Plckens
who demanded of Major Anderson the
surrender of Fort Sumter and ornereu
the fire upon the Star of the West. a;
George McDuffie, who served IN the
House and Senate with CLAY, Weo-
ster and CalhOun-a man or great ar
pumentstive and oratorical ability
James Henry Hammond, United
States Senator from South Carolina,
who made q national reputation. as
"Mud.sill Hammond" for his REFER
|ence in the debate on the Kanses
question to the slaves or negroes as
the necessary "mnd-sills" of society
bthe Butlers. who have for three gen
erations served South Carolina In the
National House and Senate-MaJor
Gen, M. G.. Butler, in the recent
Snanjsh war, and now member OF
the Cuban commission, lives In Till
mans County; Major Gen. Joseph
Wheeler, horn within five miles OF
Augusta on the Georgia side. Two
of the Major Generals appointed from
civil life in the recent war sprung
from this productive soil.
James Longstreet, the Confederate
Lieutenant General, was born six
miles from Augusta, in the County OF
Tillman and Butler, and SIX miles
from the birthplace of Tillman, Will
liam Lowpdes Yancy, who was pow
|erful member of Congress in ante
bellum times, man Of singularly
great oratorical gifts and well replem-
Sered by the older part ofthe present
generation for bis speeches III Cooper
Union, Faneull Hall, and throughout
the North in the campaign OF 1850,
was born and reared near the homes OF
Stephens and Watson. Louis Treze-
want Wigfall, United States Senator
from Texas, and among the expelled
Senators in 1861, was born and reared
in the district, and he it was who, on
April Is, 1861. upon seeing the flag ,ol
Sumter descend, rode out to the fort
and made the final demand ofsurren.
der to Major Anderson.
J. LIN. Curry, United States minis
ter to Spain in lss4and at present the
director of the Peabody and Slater
educational funds, came from a Coun'
tty adjoining Watson's.
Hillary A. Herbert, recent Secretary
of the Navy, was born in this district,
at Lauren, s. c., the same town in
which President Andrew johnson con-
Quoted q tailor shop.
Eli Whitney, though Northern
born, lived for some years at Augusta
and here invented and perfected bis
cotton gin, the greatest achievement
| ever made for the agricultural and
commercial South.
| Peculiarly worthy of observation,
and fact that has not been widely
noted, is that Thomas E. Watson ana
Herschel V. Johnson. were from this
the same-district the two men who
| in 1906, and the other in 1860, in SINH
lar great convulsions of The Democratic
narty, received nominations for Vice
Presidency, and thereby, probably. in
| both instances defeated the darling
wishes of the Democratic party. 1t is
remarkable that the country should
have gone to exactly the same locality
to wit, q narrow strip of land IN East
erp Georgia, and undesignedly 80, fol
Vice Presidential candidates in these
two crises, and for the only two Vice
/ Presidential candidates that have beer
taken from the South since 1853
;, johnson lived within thirty miles o
/ the home of Watson. y .
BIRTH PLACE OF MULTIPLICATION AMI
- SECESSION. .....
| This little district has been from
the beginning of the Government tn
birthplace of the ''isms" from th
South it is the New England of th
South in this respect. Here "Nullifi
cation'' and Secession" had thei
birth. Here was the cradle of tn
r Confederacy, between these two ridge
of mighty hills that from the water
shed of the Savannah, and as the Con
federacy was born and rocked here, S
il came here to die, and received her
it's sepulchere. This happened in
peculiar way, with double coinc
I 1Ssesca sssscsas 81 s. . remarkable power; The firs
secession meetillh ooutn Natoiin @
was held at Ahkes nea, one one ~ mVus t.,
of Armistead IEAH ot1 tSat " im Sa
e3lundred yafds q Sss snssssio snss da
Grove. .,naaSs ~ bstn ! 1ss !. ss sssstT y
birthplace bIt S Of Calh6taa,R nine g 5 s. :
the last meeting Of thsssc 'as2sss.s.ss ssssssss
Cabinet was held at Abbevtae, sin ISs:ss
house of Armistead Burt, withthstght
of the Grove of Secession. Od&Ehe'
evacuation of Richmond and the re-
treat of President Davis and his Cabi-
net, the retreat brought the party
through Abbeville. So this became
unwittiDgly the circuitous route OF the
long gray fox, who returned to the
brush from which he started, to die.
FINISH OF THE CONEEDFRACY.
President. Davis, accompanied by
Mr.. Benjamin, Secretary of State |;
Mr.. Breckinridge, Secretary of War;
Mr.. Mallory, Secretary of the Navy,
and Mr.. Reagan, Secretary Of the
Treasury, (see President Davis's
book,) arrived at Abbevifle on the re-
treat on May 8, 1865. That night q
meeting of the Cabinet was held in
the house of Mr.. Burt. The next
morning the party proceeded toward
Washington, Ga, the home of
Tnnnhs