The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-10-20
.IWELL SHOT.
Inc Battle OF Dingie's NEIL South Car
Olina-The Last Days of the Con-
federacy.

"~AAii5 SSCheS III tHe SlXtleS. Inc
pens that could give the subject jus-
tice are hushed in death. Silent lips
| are closed stricken in death in heat
| OF battle. In these closing chapters.
1t were vain task for less skillful pen
| to add one word to the brilliant rec
| ord of these veterans on this occasion.
Lest the story should never be told, l
make the effort. The names of diff
| ferent commanders, of troops hurried
| ly collected for this emergency, make
1t impossible to be accurate, as to
| names, but with an account of this
| hght, sent me by a cOmrade, are so
| incomplete, shall endeavor with my
notes and two letters so courteously
extended to me by the second in COM
mand of one of the six regiments who
| were fighting us, and very correct as
| to dotes and detail, 1 believe another
unwritten chapter of the Confederacy
can be added.
few veterans had boarded a north
bound train to rejoin our respective
| commands in Virginia to the redez-
vous at Sumter. When we re- ned
the city 1t was in a frenzy of excite
ment. People were hurrying to and
| fro discussing the situation, for Gen.
| eral Potter's raid had left George
town, s. c., on the morning of the
5th of April, and was heading direct
ly for Sumter and Camden. Every
man was an enrolling officer, and a
| uniformed man was at premium.
The hospitals were stripped Of conva-
| lescents, sick and wounded soldiers at
home on honorable furloughs.
The stores. were cleared of old men
| and boys. and every man was handed
| a sorry musket, with inferior ammu-
rition. The veterans were also busy
equipping two pieces Of artillery,
which was a great factor in checking
| the enemy. We also had ammunition
not suited to the caliber OF the guns.
These pieces were commanded and
manned by Lieutenant w. A. Nc
Queen and Lieutenant Pamperay, of
New Orleans. and about twenty-six
veterans Of the armies in the field.
After completing our equipment we
marched down to Dingle's Mill dam,
three miles from Sumter. a fine place
to dispute the passage Of the enemy.
No martial strains of music to cheer
| US on to such an unequal contest. The
| enemy broke camp on the night of
| the Sth at Q o'clock to reach the dam
before our arrival. When they came
up about Q O'Clock on the 9th we made
known our presence by few we'll
| directed shots from our guns, and dis
puted their passage with all the ener-
gy in our composition.
Colonel Lee, of the Twentieth mill
| tia, placed Lieutenant McGregor, of
the Twentieth militia, 80 men; de-
tachment of the Forty-fourth South
Carolina, 20 men.
Sergeant Durham Is men.
Captain ThOmson's militia 65 men.
Lieutenant Pamperay, veterans, 13
men.
Lieutenant Mcqueen, Palmetto bat
terry 13 men. making a total of 156
men.
But fate was against us, for early
in the fight Lieutenant Pamperay's
gun became choked with shot, so
as to make it dangerous to discharge,
which left one gun and militia to do
the fighting. The officers in charge
showed what sort Of stuff they were
made of. These veterans had learned
to handle cannon almost as horse -pis-
tolls in historic Virginia. This scene
witnessed on that hallowed day is one
OF the saddest in my army life, which
1 cannot dispel. Larger and victori-
Gus armies may have gone into bat
tie with victorious shouts upon their
hPo, cul tuiS IlllIc UdnO n3Q the
shock Of battle the best they knew
how. Both lieutenants were stricken
down nobly beside their guns. Lieut.
enant of Palmetto battery, Mcqueen,
was suffering from a wound received
in Virginia when killed here in almost
sight of his home.
These fiery young soldiers with life
expectation lay cold in death. The de-
structive weapons Of war had changed
this scene into mourning, and when
the smoke drift Of battle had cleared
away, and the last shot broke the
stiffness Of the evening air, the silent
stars Kept watch ove- their lifeless
bodies. l was serving ammunition for
the gun in action and casting around