The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1905-05-17
WAR STORIES.
How >sSqure Lamb Refused to Give up his
Flag.

"aiheu out IN front or the II,C, so
that the flag could be seen from all
parts of it. Eyins thinking perhaps
that the general had an idea that he
was going to waver, walked along with
kcrshaw and pleaded with him to
please give him the flag, and just
point out TO him where to go, and as.
suring him that he would go there or
die. Gen. kershaw kindly gave it back
to him and pointing to large green
pine at the top Of the hill said DO
you see that pine? Yes, said
Evin+. tGo directly to it,, aud he
went.
At the time Of TIE correspondence
between comradc Jennings and my.
self referred to. we agreed that some
thing explanatory should be published
about this apparent, but in no sense a
real conflict. But as most Of us have
done with regard t" the priceless
treasure of cur glorious history | went
along. and neglected Il. Again last
May while 1T the State Democratic
convention in talking the matter over,
myself and MIR. Jennings, we agreed
that something ought to be published
and again resolved to write, and yet
may never have been sufficiently i'm
pressed with the necessity for it had
it not been that last autumn, by acci-
dent, learned that at the last annual
session of the State organization Of
the IT, ID. &. some lady unwittingly,
OF coursc-disputcd or challenged the
Chickamauga flag story, so far as it
connected Sergeant Lamb with it.
then once more resolved that would
publish something that would, or at
least should, set the matter at rest.
Another thing that made me hesitate
was natural aversion to rushing into
print. But | am satisfied that it
should be explained for fear that after
all living witnesses are gone. and that
will not be long, some of the younger
generation might be mislcd to believe
that some survivor might have been
vain enough to fall into the cgregious
error of trying to appropriate to his
command honors that justly belonged
to another. Fortunately for all CON
cerncd, for the living and for The dead
there is glory enough for all. If the
old Third regiment was wanting in
glory, the Third battalion could we'll
spare some of her laurels with plenty
left. This history of one is the his
tory of the other. they fought and
marched and bivouacked side by side,
shoulder to shoulder, from Sharps-
burg to Fredericksburg, Chancellors-
vile, Gettysburg, Chickamauga,
Knoxville, the Wilderness; Spottsyl-
vania, Cold Harbor, Fishers Hill and
on to the end at Greensboro.
Briefly the explanation is, ths. on
that famous field, tho bloodiest in
percentage of losses Of the war, there
were two flag incidents between brave
old Kershaw of the First South Caro-.
lima brigade and two Of his no less
brave color bearers, Eyins of the
Third battalion and Lamb of the
Third regiment, brought about by The
effort of kershaw to change the direc-
ton of his march and under FIRE and
while every part of tbs brigade was
pushing to the front in that famous
assault on Snodgrass Hill, as before
said the bloodiest Of the war of the
sixties, not excepting the railroad
cut slaughter at Second Manassas or
the bloody lane at Sharpsburg, the
stone wall, Marye Hill at Fredericks
burg or the third day at Getty sburg.
| write solely in tho interest of
keeping the record straight and for
the truth of history, and trust that
have made it sufficiently plain to re-
move doubts OF misapprehensions as
to these occurrences, and in writing
hope that have not left ground for
Impression that any one in either
command was tagging at Chickamauga,
or that there was call for personal ex-
ample by Gen. Kershaw; far from it,
for l have always said that, although
1t was but little more than two
months after the great reverse at Get
tysburg, never saw our boys in bet
ter spirits, never saw them 60 into
battle in better shape. Both Lamb
and Evins were stricken down badly
wounded in this battle.
The Third regiment never had its
fiag captured in battle. The old flag
was spirited away from Greensboro at
the time of the surrender, the 26th of