The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1902-01-28
SKET BIS OF ARMY LIFT.
Interesting Incidents OF the CiNi war re
lated by N Con. Fed" 4 Member OF
Third :. &. Regiment.

!
and McClellan's divisions of Long
streets corps were transferred from
Virginia to Georgia. The Sd S. e..
regiment was placed On tn cars at
Richmond for Petersburg. | was
ordered by Col. Nance to get a guard
of two men and keep the rear car
vacant, except Gen. Law and staff
were to have few seats. Before
6 train started, as Gen. Law went
on another train, let one half of the
car fill up with our boys. Some la
dies also went in on car. The Sur
geon of the 7th regiment insisted on
going in our car. I told him he
could not 90. He insisted l should
let him talk with Col Nance. This l
refused to do. He threatened to run
over me. l had my guard to bring
their bayonets to his breast and he
retreated. At Petersburg | came
near getting seriously hurt When
we left the train l had forgotten my
rations. | went back to get them
and the train started rapidly towards
Richmond. l took flying leap and
got badly bunged up, but had no
bones broken. We took another
train for Wilmington. Here we
spent several hours. saw the two
large cannon that had just come
through the blockade and were
shipped to Charleston. They were
known as den. Ribley's pocket
pieces. They we're the largest can
non had ever seen. Lying flat Oh
the ground they reached above my
waist. We left Wilmington about
one o'clock p. m. We certainly had
a slow train. We ran that evening
and night and the next day and ar
rived at Sumter just before sun set.
The good people of sumter gave us &
royal welcome. The whole town
tlrned out and gave us magnlti-
cent supper, and we had nice time
indeed. l rode on top Of the cars
from Petersburg to Georgia. Ia fact
l SLEPT at night on the cars. We
left Sumter in the night and reached
Kingsville after sun up the next
morning. We waited a while for
rations to be sent us from Columbia,
aud as none came we took the cars
for Augusta via Branchville. News
of our coming had reached Orange
burg and the people rushed to the
railroad with baskets of rations. l
was Oh top of the car, and as the
train slowed up to stop I started to
get down the side of the car, when
the engine started the train off rap
idly, and the people tried to throw
baskets of ratiOns on the train. \
mile or two below Orangebnrg the
train was stopped and the engine
was surrounded by angry soldiers
and it was by hard begging that the
engineer got off with whole bones.
But he promised not to pass another
place without stopping. We got
something to eat at nearI y every
station, and at Blackvllle we got
square meal.
Col NaDce issued orders for the
train to pass through Aiken without
stopping, and of course we let the
engineer off as he had orders to run
through. We passed the night in
Augusta and n,the morning took the
train for Atlanta. Before leaving
Augusta we went to the engineer and
asked him if he would stop the train.
He said he was soldier detailed to
run the train, so we knew we were
all right. We got something to eat
at all the stations, but at the 80 mile
station we were treated to rs fine r
dinner as soldier ever got. a few
miles above there was another grand
spread. The tram was being slowed
up when Col. Nance waived for the
train to 60 ahead As we had played
sweep stake game on the ratlons,
and as our train was being followed
by the Mississippi boys. Col. Nance
thought it right to let them have a
dinner. Wew were fed at Union Point.
We reached Covington in the night
and most of the boys were asleep
This scribe and two others Of our
company dropped off to see if there