The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1904-06-15
"reminiscences.
BV Progress.

The year lS4o ls Bno"n as lue oiJ
year. A fair crop Of wheat was har-
vested, but ali o';.er crop we're almost
a complete fai'u,e. Little rain 1e'l
from April t. A.%a~', osreIy enough
to wet man 10 his eulrt sleeves
do not think upland corn averaged
more than half a bushel per acre.
There being no railroads the people
had to haul their coru from North
Carolina and Tennessee. It was the
dry year that taught the people the
value of swamp lands, and the owners
of low lands brought them into cul-
tivasion as rapidly as possible and
such lands were eagerly sought for
at greatly advanced prices. For
quite awhile these low'ardsproduced
heavy crops of corn, but In course OF
time these lands became less profit
able by washing away and the
streams filling up with sand, so that
for many years farmers prefer level
uplsnds to The common bottom lands.
To 1852 we had q big fresbet and IN
1879 another Sine streams were
higher st the first freshet, others, the
last. These freshets we're known as
the August fresbets. Nothing like
them eioce then to the 6.h OF Jure
last, when the Pacolets and Lswson's
Fork sur passed them in volume and
destruction of lives and property.
The most important event Of the last
fifty years was the secession OF the
S,uthern States from the Uaion, that
terminated in the civil war, of which
we have plenty Of history. I will
only refer to little home experience
at the beginning of that unhappy
event. After the first call for volun-
teers and q1i!e nu mber of our best
blood had gone into service there
came another call. The day was set
for sll whose blood tingled with a
spark Of patriotism to meet at b.
mars old field, the muster ground OF
the Thirty Sixth Regiments. Speak
ers were there to advocate the justice
of our cause and appeal to the pa
triotism of the boys of the old Iron
District. a long line was formed
and all who would volunteer were
asked to step three PAGES to the front.
Enough stepped forward to make a
large company, which was afterwards
known ss Co. 81" of the Holcombe
Legion, S. G V. After drilling and
practicing for actual service for some
time We were ordered to report to
Col. P. F. Stevens, commander OF
the Holcombe Legion at Charleston,
now comes the trying ordeal. Why
had I volunteered? I had scarcely
anything, but a wife and little chill
dren but ] had loved my country and
had some patriotism and yet had a
wife ard four little children almost
entirely dependent upon my labor
for living. To say "good by, with
prospect of never meeting them
again, was like tearing out the heart
while living. SINE soldiers say to
charge battery was the most trying
thing; others, to charge line Of
infantry; yet others will say to be
going into battle and be constantly
meeting the litter bearers bringing
out the wounded and dying; but [
say the most trying experience Of
warfare with me was when I had to
say good by to weeping mother
and loving companion and little
children all clinging to me as if they
could not let me 60 and had TO tear
away from their loving embrace.
When I remember how little blood [
shed for the lost cause, I feel [
hardly deserve the name of q soldier
a5 all.