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

To the Editor Of the News IA Cou
rier: | lately asked my old end an,
schoolmate. Gen. Samuel Fergu
son, "a charlestonian, aksraduatc O.
West Point and gallanlT Confederate
soldier,) whether he bd ever had
hand-to-hend fight vBh the enemy
during the civil war, ,NIc had been a
lieutenant colonel dd brigadler gen
eral of cavalry andaad served princi-
pally with indegndent commands,
which were mobw and, therefore, ex-
posed to except Bnal chances of skir-
mishes and cq@bats at close quarters,
and my qWtion was intended to
elicit infora ALTON on the frequency of
such cvcnwin our war. Cen, Fergu-
son thcHtold me the story which is
narrateNelow. urged him to pub
lish it ,Hbut he declined to do SO, on
the Vounds that he did not care to
speaWabout himself and that the ad-
venture itself was 80 extraordinary as
toAx crcdulity. Eventually, on my
yessing representation that in the
interest of history the memory Of such
$an incident should not be allowed to
perish, he gave me permission to do
what thought best in the matter.
and now use that permission to make
public very remarkable combat.
Gen. Ferguson's story was as fol-
lows:
"Only on one occasion during tho
war was l engaged in any affair which
can be called hand to hand fight and
IL came about in this way:
Towards the close of winter af.
'crnoon in November, 1862, I was rid
ing along country road in Missis-
sippi, when my horse was stopped by
q worm fence built directly across the
road, the riders cf which were heavy
logs. I dismounted, hitohed my
horse and tried to throw over the rider
OF the panel which barred my way, but
the result was tina. the whole fence
fell, carrying me with it. On rising
to my feet / was suffering intense pain
and found my right arm broken. My
first object was to get to my horse,
who was on tie other side Of the fence.
After following the course Of tho
fence for twenty yards / found a panel
down, went through it, mounted my
horse and pursued my way.
Finding it impossible to get ade.
quate surgical treatment where was
soon after went to Charleston and
consulted the distinguished surgeon,
DR.. Chopin, in regard to my injured
arm. AS soon as he looked ut it he
said: You have had q remarkable
accident, an anterior dislocation of
the radius, which does not occur NJ ore
than once in Eve hundred dislocations>
OF the fore arm This contribution
OF mine to the higher surgery kept me
from duty for three months and, when
at the end Of that period 1 was dis.
charged by the surgeon, my right arm
was SO stiff that it could not be bent
at the elbow. The bearing of this ao-
cident upon my adventure will be OBJ.
vious later on.
I'm February, 1862 reported for
duty in Mississippi, and was put by
Gen. Pemberton in command of q
force Of about ninety irregular cavalry
and battery Of six guns mad. up Of
detachments from three batteries and
commanded by Lieut.. Woods, of Bled-
soe's Missouri battery. The cavalry
men had no sabres, some had shot |
guns, some pistols, some wore entirely |
unarmed, and all were unframed and !
undisciplined. My orders were with
this. force to harass tie Federal gun /
boat transports on the Mississippi
River. My operations quickly caused
the landing at Greenville, Mississippi,
of Federal force, consisting Of 1900
infantry, 250 cavalry and battery of
artillery, all under Gen. Burbage, for
the purpose Of capturing OF driving off
my force. The latter object was easily
accomplished; my cavalry was attack
ed, scattered and pursued over the
level country, and my battery was left
to make perilous retreat by road
following the right bank Of Deer
Creek, which protected in manner its
left flank. A curious episode Of that
days history was that I saw in the
distance my wife's father, mounted on
her favorite white horse, captured and
taken to the rear by the enemy, with
o.t being able to protect him.
''Alarmed by the exposed position
Of the battery, I left it and rode rap