The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1908-09-01
GEN HIRAM CRIMSON CRANBERRY

Auer the disastrous battle OF Nash
vile, in December, 1864, | was toiling
along behind the main Confederate
army but ahead of the rear guard,
when l came upon two or three men
at little fire cooking something
much, however. / was tired sick,
weak and cold. So l stopped a few
minutes and We had some CONVERSE
ton. l did not then, nor do l now,
know whether they had any names or
not; l presume they did. In those
days 1t was the man that counted
whether he had a name or not. The
name was his, but the man belonged to
the country.
soon learned that they belonged
to Granberry's old regiment, and / be-
came interested at once. For Gran
bury's father and my mother were
brother and sister. During the CONVEX
sation they related the following Incl
dent concerning General Granbury:
Sometime during the great campaign
of maneuvers and fighting between
Gems. Johnston and Sherman (perhaps
the ablest Federal commander), the
Confederates abandoned a certain high
precipitous HILL as of no Importance,
which was promptly occupied by the
enemy. Subsequent maneuvers rem
dered it e&pedient, if not imperative,
that the Confederates possess it again.
So an order was issued to retake it.
and sent down through the proper
channel, until finally the task was as
signed to Gen. Granbury and his Tex
ans. He was allowed to use his own
discretion as to time and method of
attack, so it was taken.
About dark he called his men
around him, and addressed them sub
stantially as follows: Men, | have
the order to re-take that hill, and
We must do it. Texans don't fail.
expect many of us will be killed, but
the hill must be retaken. Go back now
and sleep all you can. l will call you
when l want you. And when aroused
follow me in silence-as silent as cats.
Rest all you can till call you"
The men dispersed and General
Granbury, alone went and examined
the hill in person and selected the
place of attack. Near day break he
aroused the men, and again command
ing perfect silence, placed himself at
their head. Like Indians they ad-
vanced, and so perfectly were his or
ders obeyed. that the Federal picket
was seized before he could raise the
alarm. The hill was climbed. and the
first intimation of an attack on the
part of the Federals, was the Confed-
crate bullets tearing through their
tents. 1t was a complete surprise and
a magnificent stampede. The hill was
held by the captors until they were re-
lieved by other troops in the early
morning. When the rolls were called |
not a single man was missing One or
two had slight wounds. The Federal |
loss was greater, but the narrators
did not state what it was.
Several years ago l was present at |
a meeting of Confederate Veterans in |
Columbia, Marion County. Miss. Sew
eral comrades were telling of war in
cidents and l related the foregoing
story, supposing | was the only man
present who knew anything about it, |
When sat down. a grizzled veteran
in the back part of the house arose and |
said; 81 know that story is true for
was there and helped to capture that |
hill"
| never learned who he was. but ! |
was glad to have the Texans story
confirmd by another eyewitness.
Gen Granbury was the second son
of Rev. n. R. Granbury, one of the
founders of the Mississippi Baptist |
state convention. He was raised in
Kinds and Madison Counties in this
state and graduated at Oakland Col
lege, near Rodney. Miss, about 1851.
He studied law, and obtained license
to practice signed by Judge Sharkey,
and without ever attempting a single
case in this state, went to Texas and
soon built up a lucrative practice. He
was probably in his thirty-third year
when he was killed at Franklin, Tenn,
November &c. 1864.
In person Gen. Granbury was about
six feet high, straight and sturdily
built. His forehead was high and per.
pendicular, hair curly and black as
coal. He was impulsive, quick. ener-
getic yet cautious, and was an elo-
nnPnt Sneakar IIo ,,orcnnno.I a.. L..