The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-10-20

| iiieii, VI io W l.. liSy report dTrlN-
ing in town about dark, three miles.
! From the best information obtain
able the Federals lost 13 killed and
| 26 wounded. 1 will give names of
Conferedates killed and wounded.
| Killed-Lieutenant Mcqueen, of
Palmetto battery South Carolina VOL
unteers; Lieutenant Pamperay, of
Louisiana battalion; Privates John
Thomson, Twentieth South Caro-
lima, reputed a wealthy Australian; j.
II. Long, Twentieth South Carolina;
| G. n. Harbin, Company H, reserves;
w. Reeder, Company A, seige train.
! Wounded-William Baker, First
South Carolina infantry; G. c. Fahin,
Company E, Twenty-second Georgia
battalion; a. Davis, Twentieth South
Carolina militia; Charles Mccoy,
Twentieth South Carolina militia;
captured II. D. Lincoln, Twentieth
South Carolina militia, captured;
Wootten, Twentieth South Carolina
militia, captured.
| Colonel Lee reports his command
was so nearly surrounded they escap-
ed singly, and it was impossible to
collect to participate in any subse-
quent engagement fought in county
The fight on the 18th, at Boykin mill,
was fought with other troops gather
ed up for the emergency. Now in or
der to complete my report 1 will have
to account for myself. James Dar-
gan, a gallant good fellow of my bat
terry, and myself came off the field to-
gether and reported that night to his
home. We were cut off from our
command and homes being in ene-
my's lines. but not captured. The
next day I lonely wended my way
| homeward nine miles, contemplating
what to do. I had determined not
| to be captured and had selected my
mount, but only in thought. We had
raised fine young mare. Victoria,
fleet and pretty. My good mother in
! formed me on arrival the citizens
| around had collected some 60 head of
horses and mules and were in hiding
fve miles away in a dense cane
swamp four miles wide, and any at
tempt to find them would be in vain.
almost shed tears. All this stock
was betrayed by negro and the Fed
erals carried them off. However,
| they left one Of the carriage horses,
which / accepted as only chance. Re-
membering my brother-in-law. M. c.
Sanders. of the Hampton legion. was
at home also on furlough. some is
miles above, l made for him, as
wanted company. and when I arrived
he was also gone and doing what we
had done at Sumter. hunting up all
| the men and boys to make a stand at
| Boykin mill. When I found him he
was acting courier to General Elliott.
l was without arms, my gun in the
enemy's hands. 1 now no longer an
artilleryman. but cavalryman. 1 re-
ported for duty. They had job for
me without much ceremony. He
| wanted some one we'll acquainted
with the country around Middleton
| depot, near my home, where so many
trains were pushed from General
| Sherman, who had marched up the
western side of Wateree river, and
| General Potter was marching down the
the eastern bank of the same river to
catch this rich harvest of trains. The
Instructions given the officer in
charge, Major Bell, am pretty GER
tain. I was to pilot this command to
Wateree Junction and Middleton de-
| pot to destroy these trains. They
were loaded with army and naval
stores OF every conceivable thing i'm
aginable and worth thousands of dol
lars. We destroyed much that was
needed. and there found much SUPER
ior ammunition and guns than were
used in Dingle mill fight. These trains
were run over four mile trestle and
past Wateree Junction up to Middle
ton depot and beyond. The ,ask was
an .mpossibility with many times the
men to perform this task. 1t was par
TALLY done. The boys were dead
STUCK on those hogheads of sugar,
many being thrown down into the
swamp. They filled some sacks with
sugar before leaving, for soldiers
sometimes eat When they can get it.
out they had not calculated wisely. A
drenching rain came up suddenly.
Ihe boys were as sticky as a tar plas-
ter. The command was now return
ing up the old stage road to rejoin