The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1909-11-11
DUELLISTS OF WAR TIMES.
Yankee and Confederate Meet for
First Time Since War.


Richmond. Va. November T.
Standing in the lobby of hotel dur
ins, the visit to Richmond of the
Pennsvivaniars who attended the un-
yelling Of monument at Cold Har-
bor, several days ago. was Captain
E.. D. Christian, a we'll known Con-
federate veteran of the Forty-hrst
Virginia regiment, who was enter
tanning a number of the visiting Fed
eral veterans with an account OF a
duel he had in 1852 with Pennsyl-
vanian near what is known as The
Cowpens," now the Mechanicsvllle
Pike.
"In some way" said Captain Chris
tian, I'VE were coming through a field
cut apart by a long line of rail fence.
AS we approached the fence we saw
coming towards us line of blue
coated soldiers. Before I knew it l
was face to face with a Yankee who
was sending balls at me, but luckily
aiming wrong. l loaded my musket
time and again and we had it there
face to face Presently the Yankee
mounted the fence to get better
whack at me for was as bad a shot
as he in the excitement of that duel.
Well, gentlemen, down came the rail
fence and down came the Yankee,
sprawling on the ground. He man
aged to get up as my old musket
banged away, but the ball never
touched him.
"Wait moment" interrupted one
80 fa11 tho
rest of the story" All eyes turned
toward the military form of Captain
w. H. Rauch, a Philadelphian, who
was the center of the listeners to
Captain Christians story.
"Well," continued Captain Rauch,
''the Yankee just took to his heels
at that and you after him. You fired
as long as he was in sight and he ran
as long as his legs would hold him
up. The only reason he did not ty
was because he was a man and not a
bird
That's about right said the Con-
federate and then the two men faced
each other with eyes glued on the
faces that had seen the changes of
nearly half century.
"Hell, man." Captain Rauch
cried, finally breaking the intense
stiffness, ''are you the Johnny Reb
that had that duel with me and came
near making me a prisoner or put
ting me out for good?"
tIf you are the man who jumped
on that fence and fell, and then got
up and ran while Confederate SOL
der sent bullets after you to help
move, | guess we have met before
eff any other man had been in my
place and had not put up good
rum" replied Captain Rauch, che
would have been fool. Why that
old thing you were handling looked
as big as a cannon and sounded like
two or three of them
Following this the veterans shook
hands and Captain Rauch took Cap
tain Christian in tow to introduce
him to his wife. Then Captain and
Mrs. Rauch had to get into Captain
Christians automobile and the end
was that Mrs. Christian got a tele-
phone call to have dinner ready for
two extras. The party spent the
evening in the handsome home of
Captain Christian, who had to prom
ise a visit to the Rauch home in
Philadelphia.
Before leaving Richmond Captain
Rauch declared that he would not
have missed meeting Captain Chris
tan for all his worldly possessions.
81 have never forgotten that REBEL"
said he, "and see him now in my
minds eyes with his big old-time
musket plugging away at me as
though were of no more good to the
world than any ordinary animal. -
illustrated Record.