The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-10-06
The STRUGGLE OF '76.
Address Delivered at Red Shirt Reunion at
Anderson, August 18th, by Senator B. R.
TiIIman.
Continued.
Continued.
The Leaders in 1876.

HAMPTON or GARY, is entitled u LII HlOS elSuil w 'HotN
demption of the state in 1876. l, who am entirely familiar
with all of the principal events which led up to that strug-
gle and was a modest actor in some OF its most stirring
scenes. desire to put on record my estimate of the work OF
these three men. They were all cavalry leaders IN the
Army of Northern Virginia, Hampton, a lieutenant general
Butler, a major general, and Gary, a ~brlgadler general.
The two last had been captains in the famous Hampton
Legion and all three went to the front together. They
have all crossed the river and are sleeping with Jackson and
Lee. Hampton, shortly after the war went to Mississippi
to look after his large planting interests in the 4azoo
Delta. He returned to South Carolina in 1876 at the earn
est solicitation of the other two men.
Butler and Gary resumed the practice of law at Edge
field while both of them had large farming interests. l
met Gen. Hampton only two or three times casually. l
was on the most friendly terms with Gen. Butler until l
entered the race against him for the senate IN 1894. lie
insulted me grossly and wantonly in that campaign and we
never spoke again, though after my earnest effort to have
Mckinley appoint him a general in the volunteer army in
the Sp~anish-American war he made advances which | did
not feel willing to accept.
With Gen. Gary l was intimate and was one OF his
trusted lieutenants in the red shirt campaign in Edgefeld in
1876.
I express it as my deliberate judgment after a careful
consideration of all of the facts as l know them that But
ler's work at Hamburg was more far-reaching in its con-
sequences and valuable in its results than any act OF either
of the other two men. The qualities possessed by all three
of them, differing in many respects, were all essential to
the final success Of the white mans cause in that supreme
crisis. HamPtonis calm determination, his Poise, his
moderation, his good judgment in dealing with the per-
picking conditions produced by the dual government which
existed between the assembling of the legislature in Novem-
Der and the withdrawal of the troops in March, were alb
solutely necessary to the success we achieved. He blum
dered egresiously in urging the policy of persuasion and OF
convincing the negroes by argument to vote with u.s. he
always maintained that sixteen thousand negroes voted for
him in 1876, but every active worker in the cause knew
that in this he was woefully mistaken.
Gary preached the only effective doctrine for the
times, that lone ounce of fear was worth a pound of per-
suasion," and was prepared and did ride rough shod over
the negroes and their carpet bag leaders, while his daring
ref, sal on the day of the election to obey Gen. Rugeris
order to have the whites vacate the court house at Edge
field really gave US the victory. His exhortation to the white
men was to 'put the ballots in the boxes, l will see that they
are counted" He organized the red shirt regiment which
on the 18th of August Captured the Chamberlain meeting
in Edgeield and gave the negroes to understand that the
white men were resolved to take possession of our own
again and drive out the thieves and scoundrels whom they
had been following.
Butler in 1874 had led the forces at the Second Ned
Tenant riot which struck such terror into the hearts of
the two companies of militamen that by night movements
and devious paths through the swamps and pine thickets
they had marched to Edgefeld and delivered up their rifles
to Laurens Cain.
Butler, Gary and George Tillman had to my personal
knowledge agreed on the policy of terrorizing the negroes
at the first opportunity by letting them provoke trouble
and then having the whites demonstrate their superiority by
killing as many of them as was j%ustiiable.
Buffers opportunity came at Hamburg and when he,
as I have narrated, took upon himself the responsibility Of
ordering Dock Adams militia company to surrender its
arms and then organized and ordered the attack on the
armory, his daring spirit led him to do that which put his
own neck in jeopardy while it thrilled and burned in the
souls of the white men of South Carolina as nothing else
could have done.
The spirit of 1875, which made Moultrie, against the
advice Of Gen. Lee, man his palmetto log fort and destroy
Sir Peter Parker's fleet, pulsated in the bosom of every
brave Carolinian, when they learned that a body of seven
ty-ive poorly armed whites had dared to attack a legally
organized militia company, capture its armory, and then
put to death some of it's members. If there had been no
Hamburg riot, it is extremely doubtful whether there would
have been any s%traightout campaign in 1876. tits equally
doubtful whether there would have been a 18th of August.
If Gary had been at Hamburg instead of leaving the scene
as soon as the armory was captured, as did Gen. Butler,
he would probably have directed events to the very close
and safeguarded from a legal point of view the lives Of
those who had done the bloody work. AS it was every
thing ran by haphazard after the negroes evacuaed the