The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1909-09-02
Red SHIRT REUNION A GREAT OCCASION.
Continued from second pase.l

space in front of their houses and
waved handkerchiefs and cheered
US, Not Il negro did We See.
"Haying shown how little terri
fed We were to thus beard the lion
in his deu, We proceeded in column
of twos to Coker spring, where We
consumed IN hour or more in wash
ing the dirt off our faces and oat of
our eyes ant ears, and watering
our horses.
"At that time there was stationed
at Aiken company of United States
regulars. These were camped on the
bluff overhauging Coker Spring.
The strange and unique appearance
of this new uniform and the men
in it caused all of the soldiers to
line up on the bluff and watch us
with great curiosity and interest.
When all our men had finished
washing, and we were again in our
places everything having been done
in military style, one man holding
three horses with linked brides
while the other three washed at the
horse trough Col Butler gave the
command. 'Fours left, left dress.o
This threw US into. line facing the
bluff, where the Yankees were
gathered some sixty yards away and
about forty feet above us. Then
the order was given: 'Three cheers
for the boys in blue and if there
was ever rebel yell it must have
leaped from the throats of those
determined and desperate men. AS
sool as the cheers were given the
the command followed: sFours left,
left by twos. March,! and we started
off back up tie hill brlskly to-
wards the town.
."Almost as if by magic the
Yankee soldiers, who were all in
uniform, received the order from
some one: Fall in, right dress!' AS
they were already in line it took
them only two or :hree seconds to
get in military formation and,
without counting off, the order was
given: 'Three cheers for the men in
whlte,' The answering call Of the
Northern white man to the Southern
white man was as hearty and
vigorous as our own defiance had
been.
81 will say in passing, that, while
some of these same men marched
sixteen miles to Rouse's bridge to
stop the Ellenton riot some weeks
later and were held along with a
large number of other troops in |
the disturbed region-one whole
regiment being sent to Edge6eld
court house in October-none of
the soldiers ever displayed any
other than the most friendly and
kindly feeling and they had no
stomach whatever for the dirty work
they had been sent into the State to
do. They obeyed orders, which is
the duty of a soldier, but they
never showed any feeling other than
good will and sympathy for our
people. But while the Sweetwater
Sabre club and It's successors in
Meriwether township, the Demo
cratic Fighting Club, came in con-
tact with the troops on several oc-
casions afterwards, they were never
permitted to cheer US again.
"The rioters in their bloody shirts
returned to their quarters. In this
parade the shirts were worn as
blouses over the pants with pistol
belts outside. Some of the men
wore them home, and one young man,
John Crawford, l think, caused
his sisters to become dreadfullY |
frightened because they thought he
was wounded. ] carried the flag to
my home, and l have regretted that
it was destroyed by fire when my
residence was burned some three
wears later.