The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1903-05-13
JUDGE ALLEN BARKSDALE
WRITES OF GETTYSBURG.
Experiences of the Briars Retreating between
Parallel Lines of Federal Troops--Col.
Nance's Regard for His Men.

Kershaw, (our own--our beloved)
Barksdale, Semmes, Wofford, You
remember how we fought that day.
John Fairbairn was kill.d that even
ing, q suppurating wound on him,
which = D had received at Fredericks-
burg. Before the sun went down on
those bloody hills, Semmes and Barks-
dale had found out what there is tower
the river".
; READY TO GO IN.
The next day il you remember we
were ready to go in. You remember
that Col. Blan dof the 7th came limp
ing by US and told US that certain sig
nails were to be given-that all the can
non on Lees lines would open-that
under cover Of this cannrnade Pickett's 8
Division would advance and when that
Division had reached certain point
that our Division would go in. The
signals were given, Pickett advanced,
no passed the given point still we had
no orders--to this day know not why.
Probably it was not pr,vate's bust.
ness to know. Late that afternoon
we marched back to the ridge from
which we had charged the enemy on
the End.
My memory is at fault. L cannot say
positively whether we left the ridge on
the night OF the 3~d or 4th. but be-
lleve twas the 4tb. Capt. Todd was
nrt ,,, \ h,l f,,Nt
the wound he received at Fredericks-
burg, or if he was with us he was act
ing as field officer. remember that
John Watts commanded the "Brlars"
at Gettysburg-that Ben Lanford was
with the Company and that Hugh
ley was on Gen Kershaw's sta fl at that
battle or he was at gmentsl head
quarters
AT dark Of the night our division re-
treated from the ridge-the 4th as re-
collect 1t, the "Briars' were ordered
to "fall in" and we were marched cut
some 400 yards or more beyond the
stone fence behind which our regiment
was "boldiug the fort" Those Of you
who were in ranks that night will re-
member how Lonesome 1T Sas away out
there behind nothing but the weeds
which had gown there that year and
under nothing but the stars. Then too
there was that stone wall in fcont OF us
100 TO $50 yards, aud as the Yankees
had been behind that during the after
noon, this wall did not tend to euliven
the lones meness.
AS SKIRMISHERs.
We were deployed as skirmishers,
only the space between the men was
greater than the rules said it should BE-.
Capt, Watts arranged that each third
man was to watch so long, then the
next be walked, and so on through the
night. BE was to watch one third
the night, Be-"'Lanford one-third and
| was ~ watch one-third. l was not a
commissioned officer, was orderly SER
geant and was only put to watch like
Watts and Lanford because officers
were scarce. After making these ar
rangements Watts and Lanford took a
notion that we must go further forward
and take charge OF the stone fence. +
was called up and given message to
Col. j. d. Nance, who had come with
us that day. You remember he was
seriously wounded at fredericksburg.
My instrr ctiops were to go to Col.
Nance to tell how close we were to
that terri BILE fence, that there was
nothing co cover us where W. were,
that the weeds would not evon hide us
and if he would cause detail of about
25 or 80 men to be made from the other
companies and let me carry them back
with me to Capt. Watts he would
at once attack the Yankees benin the
stone fence-~though he thought they
had retired; but ws woul take that
fence at all hazards and the next day