The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-04-18

Fatalities Which Met the Colon. Guard
Of the First South Carolina Reg
i1ncnt at Gaincs' Mill
Coiumbin Stotr.
To the E,iifor Of Mc state.


House in Columbia, found myself
recently standing before the handsome
mural tablet, placed by the loyal
hearts and loving hands Of the ladies
Of the Wade Hampton chapter Of the
Daughters of the Confcdcracy "To
she Dead of Grcggs First REGIMENT,
5. {. v, collar guard Il, Gaines Mill,
June 27, 1852 As looked 1T the
names inscribed thereon Taylor,
llaync, linckncy and Cotchett was
carried back in memory to that fatcfu
day. | remembered others whose
names might well be there; | rc.ncln-
bcrcd ten others. besides these four.
who composed the original colorgna.d.
The name of one, at lcast--Color Ser
geant W. W. Gregg, Of Co. Il, Marion
County should yet be added to those
SO lovingly remembered. cannot
now recall the names Of all the others
Of that gallant band of II who had
been chosen, two to bear aloft the two
banners Of the regiment, II others
to form around those banners
guard that only death itself coild
break.
They were II bright, young South
Carolina boys, any Que Of whom would
have, as some did laid down his life
before he would have allowed either
Of those banners to trail IN the
dust or fall into the hands, of the hated
foe
Much has been written and SPOKEN
ABOUT tho color guard Of the First
Rcgiw."9cnt having been all shot down
at@. the battle Of Gaines Mill We
find it recorded in some of the hsto-
rics. Many do not know that the
First Regiment had two stands Of col
ors, and carried them both into action
that day. The blue silk flag, the State
flag that is now in safe custody in the
State Capitol, was the one carried by
Color Sergeant J. II. Taylor, of the
Richland Rifles, Columbia. The 9TH
er the Confederate "Stars and Bars
the nat onal flag &c the Confederate
States, was, at that period of the war,
carried at the head of each regiment
as it's national flag This was the flag
carried by Color Sergeant w. w.
Gregg, Of Co. r, Marion, kinsman
of Gen. Maxey Gregg. A few days be-
fore this battle Sergt. Gregg was sent
to hospital sick. The adjutant of
the regiment informed the writer of
this article .hs: he was the senior or
ranking corporal Of the IL on the COL
or guard. Accordingly, it was my lot
to carry the flag into action at Gaines
Mill. My recolleotions Of our posi-
tions in line of battle that day was as
follows: Taylor and myself in the
front rank, in the cen.rc Of she guard,
being on Taylor left; Pinckney aud
another, do not now recall, on his
right; Shubrick Hayne and Howard
on my left, six others covering us, as
their Ale leaders, and the remaining
one, perhaps, on the sergeant's line
in the rear. Sergt. Gregg being away,
broke the seventh fle, and left us the
supposed unlucky IS.
Col. J. F. J. Caldwell very graph
cally describes this battle in his
History Of Brigade" In speaking
Of the part Of the battle in which the
First Regiment suffered so much, he
says: Suddenly q volley from the.
whole Federal line buFst upan us."
** "It seemed to sweep the earth.
In the First Regiment the entire color |
guard was shot down, and Col. Ham
mond himself bore the colors for
time. Both Regiments, the First and
the Twelfth, attempted 20 advance, tho
Twelfth pushing out into the open
space, but still the raking fire Of the
enemy, drove them back in consider
able disorder.
My recollection of this part Of the
battle is that Orr's Rife Regiment had
previously charged and captured a
battery on strongly intrenched hill
on our right; but, having no support,
they were driven back, as was also 90.
G.. Of the First Regiment, which was
deployed as skirmishers on the left of
the Rifles. The First and Twelfth
Regiment were then advanced to the
front, one to the left, through dense
thicket Of small trees, nearly to the
edge Of an open field. There we were
ordered to lie down, under terrible
enfilading artillery fire from the bat
terry on the hill to the right. This
position proved to be death trap. 1t
gee ehcr. 300 ya.de f-cm tie cree. &C
= R.a.A N.a>al.-H.