The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1903-05-29
MAJOR j. M. CROSSON.
Announcement Of His 5sth Marriage An
nlvcrSary Calls Forth an Interest,"
ing Letter.


berry. He WAS at one time editor of
the paper to which The Herald aud
News is successor, and spent good
portion Of bis life in Newberry. The
article from the Houston Chronicle,
publishing un interesting letter writ
ten Major Crosson upon the an
nouncement OF the fifty fifth anni-
versary Of his marriage, follows:
"rhe Chronicle of some days ago
announced that on April 80 M"ior
and Mrs, j. Nj. Crosson Of No. 81 ;
Milan street would celebrate the
fifty fifth anniversary of their mar
riage. '@
"Ths announcement brought forth
the following letter, which will be
found full Of historical interest. 1t is
also rich in sentiment, and it's peru
sal will doubtless strike respon-
sive chord among tho old soldiers in
general:
"Longview, Texas, April s.
| Major j. Nj. Crosson-Dear Old
Comrade: | have Just found your
address in the Houston Chronicle
and hasten to salute you once more
in pnssing. | am glad to know you
still live, and that You are about to
celebrate the fifty fifth anniversary
of your marriage. Accept my hearty
handshake and congratulations for
that occasion, which | hope will be
ono OF much pleasure to you, and
also the good woman who has borne
with you and your ways for IS
years.
"As soon as | read of you / began
the old campaign of four years over
again. | have fought over our bat
ties again-laying, wounded, in tho
hospital see you at the battle of
Franklin, where we lost the gallant
and noble Reilly; | sec you leading
the charge, with your old white hat
rolled up and carried in the hand in
lieu Of sabor; ! SEQ the retreat
across the narrow causeway--th
only escape for our artillery and
baggage; | leave the strip of woods
the very last living man, and before
! have, | send Il courier U WAS aid to
Colonel Reilly that duy) to Lieuten-
ant Smith, who had run his gunboat
up almost opposite us. | send
courier to him with orders to shell
that strip Of woods furiously until
tie advancing enemy is near him.
and then to blow up his boat. Al
of which he did, and kept Bainbri,.go
from pressing through that strip of
woods and charging our rear, until
we were in position to receive him
later in the day. ought to have
had captains commission for that
strategic move, but | got nothing.
"And then how we did annoy Old
Banks. At last we lost Green, tie
idol of the army, on west side Of the
river. Finally Mansfield. Don't you
, remember the two days picket work,
, and skirmshes, to bring on this tightq
And what we dil for Banks that day
} was n plenty, as we demolished his
r fifth army corps. Aud at terrible
4 cost Of bravo Louisiunians. General
. Mouten and his mon were moved
( down in plain view Of us, but never
faltered. Brave, noble men. Then
Y at Pleasant Hill. Oh. the roar OF
n musketry and how our own brave
boys caught it that day. Forty years
z have almost gone since that time,
t but cannot forget it,
O Excuse my rehearsal of these
q things, and know that am now q
l. good reconstructed citizen of the
grandest, the noblest and the most
favored country Oh earth tho United
t. States OF America.
t. "Write me when you can. l have
q the old morning report OF Company
Il yot; made out on brown paper, the
o best we could do then. / sometimes
got II ont and call the roll, but not
many of the boys could answer now.
o The few that are left are scattered
d here and there all over the State. |
v met Tip and John Maury and Har-
:, vey not long since. They all live in
= Trinity. L meet others occasionally
" in my travels.