The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1901-12-25

line Of retreat. The alternatives pre-
sented to me were my surrender and
the loss Of my men and probably of
the battery, on the one hand, and on
attack on this opposing force. /
chose the latter. trusting to the supe-
riority OF my horse to be able to force
my way through the enemy and to
escape. Drawing my revolver and
calling upon my men to charge, I rode
straight toward the enemy. My men
who, as [ have said, were practically
unarmcd, failed to follow me and
scattered about, AID in moment I
was alone, within twenty feet Of four
OF the enemy, the rest of them having
probably scattered in pursuit of my
men. l then discovered that these
four men had been brought to stand.
still in their movement towards NE
by ditch, which their horses could
not cross. l halted and we began
shooting at each other across the
ditch, firing three shots without any
result, my aim having been affected
by the restiveness Of my horse and
the condition of my arm.
at this moment my horse sudden
ly fell with me, but quickly got up.
In the fall, however, my forehead, be-
ing unprotected, was struck by the
heavy revolver and 1 was in measure
dazed by the blow. Rapidly recover
ing myself and finding my horse stand
ing perfectly still I half-cocked my
pistol and revolved the cylinder to
ascertain how many shots I had left
and counted three. I thereupon took
deliberate aim aud fred at one of the
party. My second shot was at the
captain in command, who Immediately
dropped his reins and clasped his
horses neck and the whole party, TO
my intense relief, rode away at full
run. just then / noticed q fifth
trooper, who was little away on the
left flank of the above group Of four,
aiming his carbine at me. forgetting
that my horse had been wounded 1
touched him with the spur, when he
cleared the ditch with me and I dash
ed up to and against the trooper, who
all the while kept his carbino at his
shoulder directed towards me and
made no sign of surrender. Having
but one shot left I was careful not to
fire it until I was touching my adver-
sary, when I shot him in the mouth.
the powder burning his face and the
bullet coming out at the back of his
head and he fell dead backward from
his horse. It appeared afterward that
his carbine was empty and that he had
probably feared to exchange it for his
loaded revolver or his sabre or been
too frighter sd to do SO.
"The danger in my front had thus
been removed and, looking around, I
saw about sixty yards in my rear some
OF my men, who were calling to me. I
galloped to them, when one Of them said
to me: Colonel, we have these two
men prisoners, but they won't give up
their arms I thereupon raised my
self ia my stirrups and was sbout to
bring my empty pistol down on the
head Of one Of the prisoners, when he
quickly unclasped his belt, with pistol
and sabre, and handed it to me. r
was in the act Of buokling his belt
over my own when my horse, without
warning, dropped dead under me; 80
quickly, indeed, that I did not with
draw my feet from the stirrups. He
did not give quiver and on examin-
ing him I found that he must have
been shot through the heart before
jumping the ditch.
II lost no time in mounting the
horse Of one Of the prisoners and in
conceaiing the whole party in Q cane
brake close by. I learned afterwards
that both Of the men whom + had shot
at across the ditch died; one at Green
vile, Mississippi, and the other one
on the hospital ship going up the Mis-.
sisaippi River. i
II cannot close this story without
mentioning the remarkable feat of my
battery. Abandoned by the cavalry,
which should have supported them,
these gallant fellows fought their way
for six miles through the open country
along Deer Creek, having that stream
as protection on their left flank and
ferry to front and right and to rear by
prolonge, in suoh fashion that they
not only repulsed every attempt Of the
enemy's cavalry to captare them, but
recaptured, first, their oaissons and
then their baggage wapona. which had