The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1902-04-13
Recollections of Gen. Hampton.

Said a South Carolinian yesterday:
1.-THE first recollection l have of Gen.
eral Hampton takes me back to an old
field on the suburbs of Columbia where
the cavalry company he commanded was
riding the tournament. That was before
the war. There was a target to be fired
at, a head on a post to be cut off and a
suspended ring to be taken on the point
Of the saber, all in line, about 100 yards
apart, the work to be done at full charge,
man by man. The troopers were all young
men of means, splendidly mounted.
Captain Hampton was the best horse
man there, as he was everywhere. No
man that l ever saw ride sat a horse
with such superb presence as Hampton. 1
was told by a Confederate officer that
he was riding with Hampton over the
red hills of South Carolina when they
met General Wheeler on the road. Hamp-
ton had then never seen Wheeler, but he
had been promoted to be lieutenant gen.
eral over him in order to take command
of all the cavalry then playing around
Sherman. The generals met and it was
Hampton's part to break the news to
Wheeler, as the government had no op-
portunity. Wheeler's reply was entirely
characteristic. He said: Certainly, gen.
eral. I am happy to serve under you. In
a short time Hampton and Wheeler rode
side by side, leading the right charge
upon Kilpatricks headquarters in North
Carolina, from which the Northern gem
eral escaped dishabille.
Hampton was a born athlete In a
Mississippi swamp he met his father and
a companion, much annoyed that the
fiat was on the far side of the bayou and
they were thus forced to turn back. oh,
come with me- said young Wade; L will
put you over He took off his clothes
swan the bayou, brought the fiat back
and carried the gentlemen across. He had
many hand-to-hand encounters during
the war and left more than one antag-
onist hors de combat.
HE was the gentlest of all his noble
race He had splendid private library
in his house, about a mile north of Co.
lumbia, which was ruthlessly burned by
Sherman. His grand father, the original
General Wade Hampton, of the revolu-
tionary war. left Wade number two
father of the recently dead, about all of
his great fortune. There We're several
daughters, Mrs. John S. Preston, Mrs
Manning, wife of the Governor and an
other. When the will, bequeathing all
to him, was placed in his hand, Wade
number two deliberately put it in the
fire. His sisters thus became co-heirs.
when Lieutenant General Hampton
canvassed the state for Governor, in 1876
he was escorted from county to county
like a king The people would go out to
meet him miles up the road. When he
came to speak in my county, long pro-
cession escorted him to the place. Little
girls in white strewed flowers along the
walk to the stand before him and the
walk was carpeted. In 1878 the mule he
was riding in deer chase near Columbia,
ran under a limb, pulled him off and
thus his leg was broken He was out
of sight of all the company. In order to
attract attention, he began to fire his
gun. but he did not fire wildly. He took
aim with every shot at a mark on a
tree in good range. The wound came
near killing him and in his peril, of days,
MANY churches in South Carolina were
open to prayer services for his recovery.
II could go on and tell a thousand in
cidents of the life of one of the best
rounded characters of all history man
without fear and without blemish, a type
of man in his noblest sphere"