The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1900-04-19
HAWTHORNE S. G.. \

your request IOf WTlte-up VI tHc hh
ers' Bridge Memorial Association, would
say as was in conspicuous position in
it's incipiency, being its first president,
think it would be better for some one
else to write it up, but am perfectly will
ling fcr them to use any information that
may be gained from what will say, and
to be quoted as saying it.
- In the first place, you are due the entire
credit of proposing to form the Associa-
ton. | remember spending the night
with you in the early part OF 1879 at your
home near the battlefield; in your con-
versation that night you proposed the
subject and we then planned how to
carry it out. We both went to work and
got enough young men interested to or
ganize. We organized with thirteen
members. If the minutes have been prop
erly kept they ought to show this. AS
near as I can remember the following
composed the original thirteen: }. b.
Kearse, Dr. H. w. kearse, ]. o. kearse,
J. L. Kearse, Jr., w. G. kearse, j. F.
Kearse, Jr., H. w. Chitty, E. NJ. Hyrne,
j. S. Breland, J. G. Breland, L. j. Bre-
land, and myself. The other man can
not recall, perhaps J. j. Brabham or }. ).
Kearse.
We wanted to elect you president, as
you deserved to be, but you modestly de-
clined. We elected you vice-president
anyway. Cot. F. H. CAN'T was the first
orator of the Association. Soon after
forming the Association j. F. kearse, Sr.,
John F. Breland, and several others join
ed US and helped to dig up the bones and
RENTER them. Mr.. Symonds says we
started with 800 in the treasury; we
really started without one cent, but all
gave what we could and appointed com
mittees in different sections to solicit
funds; in that way We got up enough to
buy the modest stone that now. stands
guard over the remains of the loyal Con
federate dead that are buried at Rivers
Bridge l was deputized to select the
stone.
- Capt. Jenny was gallant Confederate
soldier and / would not say.a word to de-
tract from his merit, but he was not the
leader in forming the Association, not
even member of it at its organization,
but afterwards joined US, and he and his
wife assisted in the good work, my recol-
lection being that his wife was on the So
Letting committee with a number OF other
good ladies who loved the "lost cause
Mr.. Symonds says all that were killed
in the fight at Rivers Bridge were Geor-
gians. He is mistaken in this, as you
know, for Lieut.. J. p. Roland (Noland y
belonged to the Srd Arkansas cavalry,
We who were in that section know
the history of his death and burials:
I put this in the plural, as he was buried
three times. He was killed near the
church that stood near where the monu-
ment now stands, was strapped to his
horse by his comrades after he was killed
and taken to my grandmothers, Mrs.
Mcmillan, near Buford's Bridge, and bur
led near her house in fiat place, the
burial taking place at night. The soldiers
could not see where to bury him. Grand
mother was given the name, rank, and
regiment of the dead soldier by his COM
rades, with the request that she have a
board with the name, ETC., cut on 1t put
over the grave. This was done by Mr.
Joseph Dickinson, Bambergs treasurer.
After Sherman's army passed, it being a
very wet time, water stood in the little
fiat Rhere the soldier was buried. Under
the lead of NJ. Henry C. Dickinson, sew
eral of US took up the body and moved it
under hickory tree by the roadside,
where it remained till removed to the
present resting place by the monument.
A Mr.. Woods was also killed very near
where the monument now stands, and
buried there. No doubt you remember
that his grave was the closest to where
they now rest, of all that we moved. My
recollection is that he was Carofmtaa-
DR.. N. F. Kirkland, Sr., can tell you posi-
lively, as 1 think they both belonged
to the 3rd South Carolina cavalry. Any
way DR.. Kirkland was the surgeon who
attended him when he was shot. The
man was shot just above the knee, the
bone being bored through with a minnie
ball Dr. K. put sponge in the wound
to check the flow of blood when we took
up the bones twelve years later this
sponge was still in the broken bone in a
state of almost perfect preservation.
There was also, think, Lieut.. Moore,
an artilleryman, killed while standing
by one of the guns, in the breastworks,
that do not think was Georgian. He
was shot through the skull and was bur
led right where he fell Some old gentle
man that saw him buried showed US the
spot. We had no trouble finding the
bones. We did have trouble trying to
find the bones of four others that were
buried nearer Ritter's mill. Some one
pointed out the spot, but we failed to find
them. We also dug into some other
graves by the roadside, but found from
the belt buckles and buttons that had U.
S. on them they were Union soldiers, and
we re-buried them.
The most of the bones we got near
your Uncle Perry Kearse's house-which
was used as a hospital-and there good
MANY poor fellows gave up the ghost.
From this house several desperately
wounded men were taken by the kind
ladies of the neighborhood and nursed
into life. Your mother and sister, Mrs.
Platts, Mrs. w. E. Sease, Mrs. j. w. Jen-
nv, with others, took thistask upon them
selves and faithfully performed it, as
those wounded Georgians can testify to-
day, if they are living. Cousin Betsy
Kearse and her daughters that are dead,
and Cousin Martha kearse all did a noble
part by these wounded Georgians who
fought so nobly to defend the cause of
the Confederacy.
| trust you VIII excuse me 1Of not VIII
ing up this history for publication, for
the reason gave you ut the beginning;
besides have not written anything for
the newspapers in ten or twelve years.
The Georgians did nobly on that occa-
sion. and we are all delighted to give
them credit for what they did, but there
were some other soldiers there that also
bore their part and they ought to have
proper credit for it.
r. G.. BRABHAM.
1t will be seen from the above that DR..
Brabham's letter covers the whole ground
up to its first meeting. At the unvelling
of the monument Coils. Robert Aldrich
L. W. Youmans, w. H. Duncan, and an
other speaker whom | cannot recall, adj
dressed the Association. The meeting
was largely attended, being represented
bv the patriotic people from several coun-
ties. The ladies, who have always taken