The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-02-07
Laurensvilic Herald.

a subscriber and reader of your pas,er for more than half . century, handed me a copy of The Herald bearing date of November s7. 1908, containing an article written by you. Recoiiections of Abbevile Fifty Years Ago" pr. ehent, knowing that I was born srd reared at Abbeville. felt sure that | would enjoy reading the article. and %
 did Now. at his request. am writ ing an article for publication in your valuable paper with the hope that it may Interest some of your readers. es- pecially those of Abbeville who were ny companions and my schoolmates In the days of '.Auld Lang Syne." and who ike myself. have survived the greatest conflict of modern times.
 I was born at Ahbeville c. H. on the 14th of October. 1Sse. and am now in my 7srd year. Tn the days of my boy hood was personally acquainted wiAh every individual mentioned in your article. and with many other prominent citizens who possibly had crossed the river" before you went to Abbeville to reside. My father. James s. Wilson, was c prSminent merchant of that lit- tie village from 1890 to 1St7. a period of seventeen years. A portion of that time he had no partner in business. but Afterwards formed a .co-partnership with Augustus Lomax, land did busi- ness under the firm name of Wilson and Lomax. During the year of isf7 my father disposed of his mercantile interest and residence property and removed with his family to the old plantation about one mile east of the town. on the road leading from Abbe- ville- to Greenwood Here he died on the 27th of July, ls47, in the 4sth year ot his age, leaving wife<an five ch1ldren.
 Major James Alston was one of the early settlers of Abbeville. His fine residence was just across the street from my fathers store, on lot at the northwest corner of the square. He was an officer and was wounded in the war of 1872. He died at an ad- vanced age at his home in Abbeville, and was buried at Upper Long Cane. sfrs. Alston survived her husband many years. and died at the home of her daughter. Mrs. Colonel Henry c. Cabell, of Richmond, Va, at the age of 101 years. Mrs. Alston's maiden name was Catharine Middleton, sister oe my grandmother Hamilton. and therefore my grand-aunt These Ham, iItons and Middletons were direct de- scendants of Major Andrew Hamilton and Captain John Middleton of Revo- lutionary fame.
 Among the business men of old Ab- beville. not mentioned in your article. were Charles Dendy, John Mcllwaine, Freediand 6 co., D. R. Sondiey. Hiram Lawson. Enright and Starr, Wardlaw and Dendy. Thomas Jackson, Christian and Deal, and Samuel Branch. The latter three were engaged in the car- rage and wagon. business. samuel Branch, brother of pr. Isaac Branch, was killed in his workshop by Jesse Adams, a very large man; Branch was using a screw driver at the time. and after an altercation of angry words, Adams wrenched the tool from Branch and thrust 1t into his body. killing him on the spot.
 General sam McGowan, Colonel Ten nant .Lomax and Colonel Samuel Shields Hamilton. my mothers broth CT, boarded at my fathers home, in Abbeville, when I was a small boy. They were all young lawyers at that time, and afterwards each of them be- came famous in hia profession. Gen eral McGowan, as you know, survived the war, but Colonel Lomax, my cous- In. and Colonel Hamilton. my uncle, were killed in battle while leading their respective commands-Lomax- at Seven Pines, Va, and Hamilton In the far West, his command being in Gen. eral Prlce's army
 Rev. James Moore and his wife were the first to organize a Methodist con gregation at Abbevilte.
 pr. Parker, father of William Hem ry Parker, James 8. Wilson and a few others organized an Eplscopal congre- gation.
 Kingamore and James shillito were the pioneer tailors of the little village. Later on Courtright, an excellent tail- or, showed the goose" for many years at Abbeville.
 In my youthful days I witnessed three duels fought by Abbevilie men 3n the Geo gia side of the Savannah river. to wit: General s. McGowan and Colonel John Cunningham; Ben Lane Posey and Dr. Warren Lomax. all citi- gems of AbbeSille village; and Burton and Partlow, hers-In-law, residing near old Cambridge. None of these duels were bIoodless. MeGowan and Lomax were both wounded and Burton was killed.
 Now. I could write q volume con- cerning AbbeVllIe people of rye olden time" and relate many amusing inci- dents, but I fear this commpnicatioD is already too long; so if you will par don me, I shall close with a brief sketch of my own career.
 left Abbeville when I was about IS years of age. for Yazoo City, Miss. where I resided for three or four years, then moved to Alabama. During the late war I commanded a company in the 18th Alabama Regiment. and sol- diered in the Army of Northern Vir- ginia, under Lee and Stonewall Jack son. After the battle of Gettysburg Longstreet's corps, to which our regi- ment then belonged, was transferred to Georgia to reinforce General Bragg at Chicamauga. At that time, BrIga- dier General E. M. Law, a graduate of the Citadel at Charleston, was com rnanding our brigade Of JAfabanaians After the battle of Chicamauga and several minor engagements around Chattanooga and Knoxvill& while loading my company In an assault on the enemy's works at that place I was severely wounded, with the loss of a leg; was captured and finally sent to Johnson's Island prison. on Lake Erie where for several months I subsisted principally on rats, that were very nu- merous on that island When I was exchanged and returned to Richmond soon procured an artificial limb and am now wearing out my third one, within the space of forty-three years
 Shortly after the surrender, start ed to my home in Alabama, but stopped at my old home to spend a few days with friends and relatives. When I reached Abbeville, I found a regiment of negro troops commanded by a white skinned officer in charge of the dear old town. I had tarried there but a few days when the McGnl affair hap pened. Things looked squally. I ap- prehended trouble if I remained, as I did not hesitate to express my opinion publicly about the negro troops aud their "white-skinned" officer. So. after oaA d