The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1905-09-27


oY thesssorm trying bard to extricate
myself from the vicinity of danger,
realized at once that this was a raid
upon the G. s. A. commissary. and as
no known commissioned officer was at
hand TO give orders, this soldier boy,
recalling the old negro saying, "Foot
carry the body," lit out from among
the missiles of the hand fusillade and
took shelter behind large column in
front of hotel near by.
From this point Of view l watched
wagons going by in every direction
and at break neck speed. Suddenly
sharp fight between the comm;ssary
guard and the raiders took place.
Shotguns, revolvers and rocks were
brought into service, and bullets and
other missiles flew in all directions,
aud friend and foe were indistinguish-
able in the melee that followed. II
is needless TO say that I kept my
bomb-proof position behind the big
column, and could only yell with more
or less amusement at the confused
situation Of the participants: "Hur-
rah for our side!' though l could not
for the life Of me tell which side was
"our side" until the odor of broiling
ham was waited to my appreciative
nostrils from somewhere about the ho-
tel; and the source of this appetizing
odor proved, upon investigation, to
come from the the back yard of the
hostelry.
Making my way there, found q
very liberal and jolly crowd of home
bound Confederate soldiers who were
enjoying spendid feast by camp
FIRE. At my approach these old COM
rades, though personal strangers,
gave me a most hearty welcome and
invited me to come up and help my
self; and it has not been written that
I refused this invitation.
Trains that were then running had
no schedule, and there was no mea MS
Of knowing when to expect one. They
were made up Of broken. down coach
es, box cars aud fat cars; and these
trains we're invariably loaded down
with belated soldiers, who were hang
ing on and clinging to each other like
the individuals of a swarm Of bees
suspended from the branch OF an ap-
pie tree. Soldiers were going both
ways, and they were allowed to ride
on these trains as long as they could
stick on. 80, by taking advantage of
these privileges, when opportunity
presented itself, and by walking.
crossing streams on pontoon bridges,
wadipg and swimming other water
courses, and making my way over
long gaps Of torn up railroad track. I
finally covered the distance, by hard
struggle, from Chester, 8. c., to New
beru, N. c., having come by way of
Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh.
At Newbern I found myself in q
veritable hotbed of smallpox, then q
great epidemic. I boarded Yankee
military train bound for Wilmington
N. c., from which place it was my in
tention to 80 up the Cape Fear River
at Fayetteville. But, alas, the old
grey uniform, though faded and sadly
out of repair, at once spotted the
rebel soldier boy 70 the oondpctor---a
Federal csptain--as subject for the
greatest possible levy that the passen.
gers purse would stand.
But the 80 bhaniez Reb, "a these.
train guards found it amusing 10 call
me, showed at once . adeter1mn iration
neither to pay nor to get OF Of the
train. And now came most stren-.
uous game of hide-and d.seek, tag or.
touch and 60, for q long distance dow,n,
that railroad, Fore and aft Of the
train I lodged, getting of ON one.
side and back on at the opposite side,
leaving the train at one end 90 climb
aboard again st the other, until the
conductor g 4 aa noyanse reached the
stage Of evaporation. HeS finally
called a number: Of others to his aid !,
and their combined forces served to
overcome me, aud / was al last liter,
ally thrown from tha train when
~. 2
within about eighty-iye miles Of
Fayetteville, the place Of my destina-i
zion, aud whore { hoped % find my
poor, wounded brother. ;5.S;sf:' 5isSS.
] The six days rations, which hid
constituted thes stare Of my hayeraaok,
were now about exhausted shut the isixz 4
dollars aud aftesp cents fin isilvars,5
which had been stitehsd into the
bands ofmy clothing. was still intact.
With that unfaltering reaoldsion,
which fintla.$ita h1ace IN IN & sshras u -, b