The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1902-06-25
WAR STORIES.
A Boy i'll Butternut Gray and His First
Service Tsecounted.
atlanta Journal.

uIer ana other lrreverent and de-
predatory remarks calculated, as
thought. to lower me in the esteem of
my newly acquired comrades.
My friend Jerry and the other
hentuckians came to my relief, how
ever, and consolcd me and told me
not to mind the boys, assuring me
that as soon as could get suit of
Confederate gray would be fine
soldier
Our wagons were parked exactly
where the power house of the Consol-
idated Street railway now stands, nd
we went into camp in that beautiful
grove on the river bank, now the Cen
tral City park. My father happened
to be out of the city, but his brother
in-law, the late DR.. Dudley w. Ham
mond, hearing Of my unexpected pres
ence with the troops, and aware that
my father had secured my discharge
from military service, came to the
camp and endeavored to induce me to
leave. declined, my officers would
not interfere and the good man went
away much disappointed
was now equipped with new rife
and my mule with new saddle and a
bride. That afternoon the other
regiments Of the brigade came in. A
strong force of Union cavalry was
then threatening East Macon. We
were mounted and crossed the Ocmul-
gee on pontoon bridge, passed
through the culvert under the Central
railroad and went into line very near
the present locality of Anderson
brickyard
A few random shells from federal
batteries fell among US, and while the
sound was terrifying, aa It did not
seem to disturb the older soldiers
around me, soon assumed an air of
Indifference myself. 1t is, however,
true that while the FIRE Of infantry is
much more deadly, in my judgment it
is not so demoralizing as the 6endish
scream of the shell and the ierocious
and murderous sound of it's explos-
ion.
The night came on. One could
hear the cracking rife fire of the
skirmishers out toward Walnut creek.
Presently the hoarse command of
Fall in!' rang through our bivouao.
We formed column of fours' dis
mounted, and marched up the hill and
out toward Cross Keys. When we
reached the summit of the hill be-
yond Cutter Green I remember look
inr back across the city, and on the
hill Of what is now South Macon,
then nothing but open fields, I could
see what scomed ten thousand camp
fires. I said to o Kentuckian who
stood near me the rsnk. that Hood 8
army must have reached Macon. TAX
ing good look, and calling my atten-
tion TO the fact that the spaces be.
tween the fires were all of the same
length, he said
"Thoae are not camp fires. They
are built there By our people to fool
the Yankees and make them think we
have got large force in Macon, when
in fact we have got only a few cavalry
and the militia"
We soon marched back across the
river, and that night l slept with the
lieutenant commanding my company,
now Captain John T. Gaines, of Cres-
ent Hill, Ky. How true it is that
the "bravcst are the tenderest, the
loving are the daring This noble
kentuckian shared his blankets with
me and treated me, an inexperienced,
forlorn lad as was, without any
knowledge of the dangers and hard
ships of the months to come, as if I
had been his own brother.
In freezing nights Of the terrible
/ winner Of 1868 when my tour of
picket duty came, it was Captain
Gaines as we called him, who gave
me heedtul instructions, and as would
mount to ride to my post, with
horseshoe nail would pin his own
blanket around my neck. At the
time of which l write this brave Off
Ger had record Of cool! heroic cour-
age in many deadly, pitched battles,
unsurpassed by that Of any member of
the great army who followed Napoleon
from the banks cf the Seine to the
towers Of the Kremlin.
1t rained heavily that night, and be-
fore day next morning. drcnched to
the skin as we were with the cold
November rain, We mounted and re-
crossed the river and joined the col
umn with which Wheeler attempted
| 70 k,,~ ho 1oct -