Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1902-05-21
Nd IT FOLLOW NIGHT THE DAY. THOU oANsT 81
wAhHALlA. SOUTH oARoLIHA.l MAY 81 1902.
WAR RECORD Or D. m. RUSSELL.
Some War Reminlsae OF the Great Strug
gle Between the North and South.

gie beW6en me N0rth and South.
We are indebted to Mr.. John r.
Zachary, who lives near Townville,
in Oconee county. for the following
war papers concerning DIR. ID. M
Russell and the part he played in the
bloody and never to be forgotten
war between the States. DR.. Russell
is still living at Cedartown, Polk
County, Ca, enjoying green old
age. Before and after the war he
praoticeo medicine in and around
Townyille, and married daughter
of the late Morgan Harbin, deceased,
by whom he has several sons and
daughters living in his adopted State.
DR.. Russell is the youngest brother
of Col. Thomas III. Russell, a gentle
man well known in Anderson county,
and uncle of Mr.. d. H. Russell, the
present able editor of the Anderson
Daily Mail. The company, of which
DIR. Russell was one of its brave and
gallant officers, was made up princi.
pally of Oconee men, of whom it
may be truthfully said there were no
better and truer soldiers in the Con-
federate army. We feel sure these
papers will be read with a great deal
Of interest by the readers of The
Courier
In February, 1861, I volunteered
for the defence of the State of South
Carolina, my term of enlistment be-
ing twelve months. / assisted +. w.
Fitzpatrick in organizing company
known as the "Calhoun Mountain
eers." The company, of which
was member, elected the lamented
Fitzpatrick their Captain. That COM
pany was assigned to the Fourth
South Carolina Regiment, whose
Colonel was j. B. E. Sloan.
April 18th, 1861, we received
orders to report for duty with three
days rations and two blankets. We
boarded the train at Pendleton the
next morning, expecting to 90 to
Charleston, but as Fort Sumter had
surrendered, we were stopped in Co.
lumbia.
In May following, the Confederate
Government having been fully organ
lied, we transferred our allegiance
from the State to the Confederate
States. Soon thereafter we were
ordered to Richmond, Va; from
there to Leesburg on the Potomac
River, and from there we were
rushed down to the plains of Ma
nassas, where we received our first
"baptism of blood"
In the winter of 1862, our term of
enlistment having expired, all but a
very few of our company re-volun-
teered for three years of the war.
All who re-volunteered of the Fourth
and Fifth South Carolina Regiments
were put together and formed into q
regiment known thereafter as the
"Palmetto Sharpshooters." Micah
Jenkins was elected Colonel of the
regiment, Whit Fitzpatrick, Captain,
N. w. Harbin, First Lieutenant, my.
self Second Lieutenant, and r. L.
Lewis, Third Lieutenant of our COM
pany.
was in the following big battles
First Manassas, Williamsburg, Seven
Pines, Gaines Mill and Frazier's
Farm, besides quite number of
skirmishes. In the last named battle
| was hit three times-twice on the
head and once through the left ankle
The balls that hit me on the head
tore my little old Confederate cap
into shreds the ball that went
through my ankle tore up both my
shoes; ball knocked my sword out
of my hand and broke off the point.
! lay all night and until late in the
evening of the next day near the
battle field without any shelter.
When l at last was carried to the
hospital in Richmond l was as wet
as "drowned rat" as muddy as q
hog, as bloody as butchered beef,
and all the belongings 1 had was a
shirt and one pair of pants. You
can imagine what sort of a looking
"critter" / was.
During my service in the army
never reported sick, never missed
a roll call, picket duty or a fight
until / was wounded.
While lying up in Richmond
nursing my wounds l received my
commission as Captain from the Con.
federate War Department. That
commission read: "For gallant and
meritorious service on the battle
field" Approved by Gen. Long
street.
As soon as recovered sufficiently
from my wounds to travel, l was
piyen q aixtv dava f,rlouo,b A. a. =