The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1903-05-13

Statcsburg, and as several Of my
friends seemed to be interested, !
will give sketch Of the days just
after the war, far worse in many ways
than the days Of the war were.
When we got homo from the places
Of refuge we sought to get out Of
reach Of the raiders, VIC found that a
soldier had been killed near the cor
ncr Of the yard and had been buried
by his comrades in the edge Of the
woods few PAGES from where he fell.
They put up a rude board at his head
with his name and number Of rcgi-
mcnt on it; it read: 81. A. York,
Eleventh Georgia cavalry" Since
then the woods have been cleared up
and house built about hundred
yards from The road. So all Of these
years that Georgia soldier has slept
just in front Of this dwelling. A
hcadstone with his name and regiment
on it have been put up and fence
built around his grave. Strangers
passing by must think this queer
place to have grave, but on dccora-
tion day the ladies remember this gal
liant Georgia soldier, who laid down
his life the very last days Of Tie war,
in defence Of what he thought was
right and sleeps so far away from his
homc and kindred.
He was not the first Georgia SOL
dir by great many to die on South
Carolina soil in defence Of what South
e rolina and Georgia were together
A.Ntiug for, and if tho occusion ever
demands it, he won't be the last.
Several horses had also been killed in
the road, one of them at the gate,
just in front Of the house. For some
days after the enemy left The neigh
borhood was full Of disbanded Confed-
crate soldiers, most of them from
Georgia and Kentucky, strangers to
the people, and it certainly speaks
volumes for their high characters that
there was not single case Of violenr Q
or insult heard Of. 1t is hard to be-
lieve that there are any other soldiers
in the world, suddenly relieved of all
military discipline, of which the same
can be said.
Provisions of all kinds were most
plentiful, and everybody was glad to
let Confederate soldiers have whatever
they wanted. AS there were not
rooms enough in the house to give
them beds, I have seen the dining
room floor covered with sleeping SOL
diers. The country OF that time was
full of squirrels, and for cveral days
guns were popping and bullets whist
ling from the soldiers trying to kill
squirrels, and it was miraculous that
no one was hurt. I saw trees and the
sides Of houses struck near where
was standing, and others had the same
experience. It was almost like boiug
in skirmish, but no one was hit,
and 1 don't think that many squirrels
were, either; but there was one old
fellow, that had his tail shot clear off
by a soldier, that stayed in the yard
for a long time afterwards. He was 80
cunning that he could not be killed or
caught. Soon after these soldiers left
those who were natives comm menoed
coming home from Appomattox and
elsewhere. Some were missing who
reached home months afterwards from
northern prisons. I never can forget
the deep depression that onveloped
every one at thought of Lees surren-
der and the cnding.of the brave strug-
gle that had been made for indepen-
dencN.
People didn't know what to do or to
expect, but they just lived mechani-
cally from day to day, wondering
what the next day would bring forth.
But they commenced right off trying
to bring order out Of chaos, and set 80
work,to have she crops that were just
beginning to, grow plowed and hoed.
'This was hard to do, as General Pot
ter'hod carried off all Of the negroes
that'h he could get hold Of. He doubt
less hoped to starve the women and
children by carrying Il all the labor
ers and. burning >ne mills and gin
houses, and thereby cenauer;ng the
men who had fought SO long and un-
conquerably for their rights. Plan
tations OF one or two hundred negroes
had eight or ten left after General
Potter had gone, and some of those
would run away to join their families
that had been carried off. It became
quite q common thing to go out in the
and find that one or more