The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1903-09-02


tudc Of the Southerners towards us
Immediately after the war we must
not shut our eyes against the facts,
especially when these facts are re-
cited by one Of our own soldiers,
who saw the actions about which he
writes.
Ritchie describes the destruction of
Columbia, the Capital of South Caro-
lima, with unusual glee. There was
considerable rivalry among the various
army corps to see which one should
first apply the torch "to the halls of
chivalry and obliterate the precious
volumes that contained the glorious
doctrines Of State rights by throwing
them in the mud" The gallant John
A. Logan, with the 18th army corps,
was the first to reach the river, to lay
his pontoons, to cross the stream and
enter the city. "Ard on the evening
of February %, 1868, as we were wait
ing for the construction Of our bridge,
writes Ritchic, Brig. Gen. Robinson
announced TO us that Columbia was
ours and as wc cast our eyes in that
direction the heavens were illuminated
as bright as day; the halls Of the great
Calhoun were in flames and the Union
prisoners released"
The army did not delay here; it
marched as rapidly as the enemy
would permit it north into North
Carolina. Here orde were issued
by Gen. Slocum, commanding the left
wing of the army that the men were
to be more lenient toward tho peo-
pie, as this State did not willingly
secede, but was forced into revolt by
her sister State" But Richie says
he saw little difference; with the ex-
ception of the burning Of private
dwellings, which was not carried on to
the extent it had been in South Caro-.
lima. In the foraging there was little
difference, except that there was more
to be got in this State tharsein the
kingdom Of the nulifers.
In this State, Gen. Johnston with
reinforcements from Charleston, Will
mington and some other garrisons,
attacked Shermans forces at Aiken
Run and at Bentonvillc. Johnston's
purpose now was to retard the progress
OF Sherman s army as much as pcs
sible until Lee could escape from
Grant and effect q union Of the two
Confederate armies. These armies,
1t was planned, would then defeat
Sherman and turn upon Grant.
From the middle of March to the
middle of April, 1865, the 18th New
Jersey regiment saw some very hard
service. On the 10th of March John
ston began skirmishing with the oaval-
~ and finally got Gen. Kilpatrick,
at Aiken Run, in mix from which
he could not extricate himself"
Ritchie's brigade was ordered to his
support. Although they had marched
ell day in the rain through the pine
forests Of North Carolina and had
just laid their weary bodies on their
tent floors to rest, in ten minutes after
the orders were received they were on
the road to go to the aid of '.Littie
kil," as Gen. Fitzpatrick was called.
"The roads were so bad" writes
Ritchie, "thatit took US four hours
to march, or. rather, swim FIVE miles"
The next morning the cavalry was
driven back by Johnston and "the
fight fell on the infantry, as it always
does" Ritohie declares. Ritchie's
division, too, began to retreat; after.
yard it was reinforced by several
divisions and was at last able. to drive
Johnston's forces out of their strong
position. The Union forces followed
Johnston, skirmishing with his rear
guard. Ritchie was on the skir.
mish line on this occasion and had
his canteen shot through while it
hung at his side. He says: II was in
the advance about twenty yards,
which gave the enemy flank shot at
me. They fred FIVE shots at me de.
liberately, the fifth shot passing
through my canteen edgewise. There
was some very close shooting in this
swamp, and we attribute it to the
fact that there were many hunters in
Johnston's army, picked up in differ
ent parts of the State without regard
to age. At one time I saw an old
ray-haired man lying cold in death,
grasping his rife, which was of pat
tern known as squirrel gum"
Johnston attacked the Union forces
againsat ;Bentonville with great fury,
the fsts sofa losing cause. The 14ih