Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-09-16
#iseetlaneo1as 8eaaing.
THIRD BATTLE OF MANASSAS.
Captain w. B.. Smith Tells of His Trip
With tho Jasper Light Infantry.
Correspondence Of the Yorkvills Enquirer.

CLOVER, September 13.-I am just
back from Manassas. where I spent
nearly q week witnessing the man.
suvers of the troops in the big sham
battle on ground that became famil-
lar to me years ego in work Of the
same character but Of a rather more
serious nature. The visit has been
most delightful one, not only on ac-
count Of the fresh reminder of the
soul stirring events Of years ago; but
on account Of the many pleasant in
cidents Of this particular occasion.
I was the guest Of my old company,
the Jasper Light Infantry, Of which
am an honorary member. The boys
invited me to 60 along, and 1t was
great pleasure to accept their Invita-
| ton, because I knew how sincerely
they meant 1t, and what good time
they would give rne.
We left Charlotte for Manassas at
II o'clock Saturday night, but as 1t was
the first night out there was but little
sleeping on the train. Most Of the
boys did not want to sleep and the
others couldn't-not under a shower
bath. I was sprinkled little myself
once or twice as I was about to doze
| off. The boys, you know, were duty
bound to treat me as one OF their
number, and had they failed to do 80
would have felt like I was being
| slighted.
| During Saturday night we had our
first rations OF hard tack, ETC., and
some Of the boys thought they were
pretty tough; but I only told them how
glad some us would have been to get
as good on another occasion that l
mentioned to them. We got some cof-
fee at Lynchburg at about o'clock
Sunday morning and at o'clock Sun
day afternoon We arrived at our rail-
road station at Manassas, about one
and half miles from camp. We had
to put up our tents In the dark, and
I was assigned ito quarters with Capt
Moore, and Laeutenants Hart and
Moore.
Next day, Monday, struck up with
an old comrade, who had also been to
Manassas during the sixties. This
was Veteran McDavid Of Greenville,
formerly of the Second South Caro-
lima, Jenkins's brigade. Unable to keep
up with the regiment in its marches,
Veteran McDavid and at once be-
came chums and during the greater
part of our stay on the battlefield we
had a time Of our own.
Following along behind our regt-
ment, we fell In with the Fourteenth
New York. The officers Of this regi-
nent identified US by our crosses, and
when they told their men who we were
they commenced cheering as II they
had made a great capture. They
formed in lines on each side OF the
road. Captains came running up to
US and grasped our hands with much
enthusiasm. Then they insisted that
we 60 through their camps with them,
and there was nothing for us to do
but take off our hats and follow. The
men cheered US necessarily and the
officers had US to go into their tents.
They honored us In every way they
could think Of and they thought OF
many ways We had to sit for pict-
ures many times; but 1t was a real
pleasure to accommodate such clever
fellows.
When we left the New York boys,
Mr.. McDavid and I hired hack for
81 an hour 10 take ride over the bat
tlefields Of First and Second Manassas.
We went to the famous Henry
house, around which the fighting was
so fierce at both battles. From there
we went to the "Stone bridge" about
a mile and a half away and from
thence over the Warrenton Pike to
Groveton. Here We saw the hand
some monument that was erected by
the U. D. C's and which is enclosed
with an iron fence. At this point we
dismissed our team and continued our
explorations on foot. We wanted to
find the place where we had fought IN
the Second battle: but the face Of the
country Is so changed that We had a
lot of difficulty.
Having been walking all day I was
about played out, and told Mr.. Media
vid so. l laid down in the woods but
he kept up the search. He found
what he was looking for in less than
hundred yards. A tablet In the edge
of the woods tells where the Firth
New York went into the fight with 462
men and lost 1876 killed, 208 wounded
and missing, total of 351, and all
inside Of 7 minutes. This was on Au-
gust 30, 1862 Mr.. McDavid called me,
and we continued together. Both Of!
US remembered the charge that had
cleaned out the New York zouaves.
because we had seen 1t. We then had
no difficulty in finding the ground we
| had been over, and I traced the very
| lines that were followed by my COM
pany.> I also found the place where
| tied up the arm Of the late w. B. Will
liams, and kept him from bleeding TO
death.
During Tuesday Major Hemphill Of
the News and Courier and Hon. Sim
mons Of Charleston, came into ou1
camp, and when I told them Of what
| I had found, they insisted on us going
back to the place with them. Mr..
Hemphill told me that he was In the
charge that cleaned out the Fifth New
York.
I was getting pretty tired now and
was content to stick close to camp.
was there Wednesday evening when
the men came back from their long
march under Gen. Bell against Gen.
Grant. They had travelled about 40
miles in two days and were footsore
and tired; but still quite cheerful.
They left again next morning at 9
o'clock to meet the Brown army on
their march to Washington.
Early Friday morning Sergeant
Keller and I struck out to try to see
something Of the battle then in pro-
gress. We could hear the firing. 1t
upon bushels of empty shells. and af-
ter penetrating a pine thicket which
Keller thought was a mile through.
we came in sight of the fighting. 1t
was a grand sight, the long lines of
infantry firing. and the thunder of ar
tillery with the knowledge that nobody
was being hurt.
II seems that General Bells Brown
army got the better Of General Grants
Blue army Bell fianked Grant, after
severe fighting at Bull Run. and at
o'clock Friday morning reported that
the way to Washington was clear.
This ended the third battle of Bull
Run, and I am free to confess that l
enjoyed 1t rather more than either OF
| the others.
From the firing lines Keller and
returned to the Henry House and
found the yard full of pretty young
ladies' We were tired and this was
real nice place to rest. 1t was not
long until the ladies began to make
friends. On a tree in the yard is
tablet stating that Wade Hampton
was wounded here" One Of the young