The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1902-05-15
FROM A FEDERAL SOLDIER.
CHAMPION, THE PEERLESS"
A Splendid Tribute From a
Nnrfllern EIifnr InfnrnSti,n1r


Personal "Reminiscences.
Col. A. X. cClure in Philadelph
Record.
The recent death of Wade Hampton
of South Carolina, removes one of til
notable characters of the last hal
century.
In the fierce sectional discussion
which were prccipitated for some year
before the civil war Hampton took II
part. While he loved the South an
had all the pride of It's noblest blood
he was not an agitatUr, and carncstl
and sincerely deplored secesslons an'
civil war. He was reared IN the schoo
that knew only obedience to the GOV
erelgnty of the State. The PRIDE o
the South Caroinian had taught hin
that his was the noblest and grandest
Of all tho Common wealths--an empire
by courtesy called State. The Soy
ereignty of the State had been taught
in his mothers lap, in every school he
entered, from overy pulpit from which
he heard "A minister of the Gospel, and
the great statesmen, such as Calhoun
McDutlie and Ilayne, had advocated ii
sincerely and ably. He saw the i'm
posing walls and pillars of the Colum-
bia capitol slowly growing up year
after year TO be completed III the great
est splendor as the future capitol of
the Southern Republic, if the sectional
issue should ever lead to dismember-
ment of the Union, and he little
dreamed that this magnificent struc-
ture would within his lifetime be
hastily and rudely completed for il
meeting in which ms own slaves would
be his lawmakers but even when tins
bitter humiliation came to him he had
the courage to bow to the inevitable,
and only one year after the war had
ended he pleaded the cause of the ne
gro, saying: AS slave he was faith
full TO us ; as a free man let us treat
him as a friend; debl with him frankly,
justly and kindly" Had the Southern
men generally shared the broad and
sensible views of Hampton the prob
lem of reconstruction would have been
all easy one, and the South would
have been spared, unspeakable suffer
ing ard sorrow.
HIS WAR RECORD.
When the war came it is needless TO
say that Hampton was one of the first
to offer his services, and he volunteer
ed as private, but before the company
he had joined had been organized he
was appealed TO by many hundreds to
accept the command Of a special bri-
gade, composed rf infantry, cavalry
and artillery, and to be known as the
Hampton Legion" He commanded
the Legion at Bull Run, the first battle
of the war, and there, as in all the sub
sequent battles in which it was engag-
ed, it bore distinguished part. In
the battle of Seven Pines, OH the Pen
insula, HamptOn's command lost near
ly half it's members in killed, wounded
and missing, and Hampton was se-
verely wounded. After the Peninsula
campaign Hampton was promoted and
assigned TO brigade of cavalry under
Stuart, and in nearly every important
raid made by the Confederate cavalry
with Lees army during the war Hamp-
ton had al important part. He was
regarded as one OF the best cavalry
officers for detached service, and was
second in command with Stuart when
the most audacious RAID of the war was
made through Mercersburg and Cham.
bLl uloAilN NISSlCIldA
soon after the battle of Antictam. At
the battle of Gettysburg Hampton re-
ceivcd three wounds, and the majority
of the officers of his command were
either killed or wounded. Perhaps the
most important special service he rem
dcred as cavalry commander was
when he checked Sheridan at Trevil-
lian's Station, in 1864, and broke up
Hunters campaign IN the valley by
preventing the junction of Sheridan
and Hunter at Lynchburg. He was
made lieutenant general and comman-
der of Lees cavalry in August, and he
made Il number of successful raids,
capturing many prisoners and at one
time some twenty-four hundred beef
cattle from the Union army. In one
of these raids his soa, a gallant officer
under him, was killed in action.
THE BURNING OF COLUMBIA.
When Johnston organized his army
in North Carolina to oppose the ad.
vance of Sherman northward from
South Carolina Hampton was assigned
to that army to command the cavalry
He was in possession of his home city
of Columbia, the capital Of the State
when Sherman advanced upon it, an(
re.reated northward as Sherman's g army
entered. Before retiring he had liret
a considerable amount of cotton tina
was stored III the outskirts of the cit,
and this gave some color of plausibilit,
to the charge that he was responsible
for the burning of Columbia. A some
what heated controversy occurred hc
tween Hampton and Sherman after tn
war as TO who was responsible for tn
destruction of tho beautiful capital Q
the Palmetto State, but the weight @
testimony certainly acquitted IIamI
ton. He surrendered with Johnston
army to Sherman in North CaroIin
and returned to hi. home with the hon
of gathering up some remnant of h
broken fortune. From tho day tht
the war ended no expression Of bite
ness or resentment ever came frOl
Wade IIampt N. On the contrary, /
not only earnestly urged the resLor
ton of peace and fratcrnal brothc
hood, ;2uL was one of the few men
the South who appreciated the fact tn