The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1901-06-28
Camp Experiences.
BY DIR. a. T.. FAINT.

coinmoud consisted of four cnmp,nie.
of the Holcolnh legion cavalry
named in honor Of Mrs. P,ckens, wife
of Governor Pickens, whose maider
name was Holcomb. A After orr ar.
rival VIC were immediately assigned
to the pcninsular and upon this ter
ritory WAS Tough, the ">even day
battles around Richmond The
lines If ba tie were easily traced or
to be distinctly seen by the distruc-
'ion of Vegetation, wearing apparel,
consisting of fragments ~of caps.
pants, jackets, shoes, etc , cartaihge
boxes, belts, broken guns and sabcrs.
About all and the most impressive
was the d ,ad. Many of the enemy
were never buried. those thai were
it was done very imperfectly. They
were placed in heaps, in shallow pits,
with just sufficient dirt to hide them
De I'd horses were to be seen in every
direction. The atmosphere was per-
fectly saturated with the disagreeable
odnr. Our rations and drnkin 4.
water seemed to be impregnated with
the same. Ga NJ ,lvern Hill count
ed twenty-seven dead artillery horses
in one place, where Gen. Jenkin $
troops charged a Federal battery of
twenty-five guus. The General or
dered his men TO shoot the horses t.
prevent the enemy from moving the
guns. This charge was a gallant
and bloody affair, as some of the read.
ers VII hear witness to the fact. To
look over the battlefield of Frazer's
farm in. the direction of the forest
and buildings. by the missiles of war,
| cannot see how it was possible f,r
any of our soldiers to escape. You
could distinctly sce every line of as
sault by the dead Felerals. Our
dead as IL general thing had been
moved or more deccntly buried. Piles
upon piles Of human skeletons marked
the iu"s of battles. 1t WAS com.
mon thing u hear thc crushing Of
human bones as they caue in con-
tact With our wagon wheels and feet
of our ffoiscs.
1t was our duty to picket and re-
connoiter this entire territory, reach.
ing from the james to the Panunkey
river, which made our duties labor
ious and continuous. The enemy
became 80 demoralized from their
recent defeat tha- three or four of us
could put 10 fight full company.
AL we had to do was 70 charge, ac-
companied with the "Rebel yell
and they were g'ne, but they soon
became more tame. In course of
time they found out that we were
weak in numbers, consequently they
annoyed us no little. They took
great delight in coming out from
their headquarters - Williamsburg
and forktown-with 4 large free
and drive in our plckets which gen
orally consisted of two non commits.
stoned officers and six privatcs. This
ciused us to resort to every expedi
ent known in war. To retalIiate we
sometimes stretched telegraph wire
across the road. just high enJugh to
dismount the rider aud pass the
horse beneath, as VIC had use for
the latter but no use for the former
unless he was what we called IA tame
Yank," one that was dead; after get.
ting the trap set some one or two of
us would ride out towards them, wave
our hats, taunt them with words.
thereby prompt them to charge,
sometimes we were success -ful in dis.
mounting and manning some of them,
when we were successful you ought
to have heard us cheer aud t4uot
them. At other times we would
place friction shells in the road, cover
them up SO as to hide them, 90 soon
as the enemy would get over them
the cord attached was jerked and the
shell exploded. These did not prove
Obstructive but very demoralizing.
Imagine yourself riding along the
highway over these shells and you
may be the more able to form an idea
of how you would feel. These shells,
two or more, were attached to long
string at one end and the other to IA
soldier seated some distance from the
road, whose duty was to jerk the
string when the enemy came in prox-
unity thereto. This duty required
man of nerve and | might say one
of some general information. For
this reason several of theso ahslIs