Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1910-07-22
THE NOBLE JENKINS BRIGADE.
Interesting Facts Given by Son of
the Famous Commanders.

| tiiS itiIiouS
| --~------
The following interesting letter,
| in which are rccounttd some i'm
portant facts regarding the famous
Jenkins Brigade, is particularly ap-
| prOpriatc as part OF this edition
| OF Tho Courier, which is given over
| largely to matters pertaining to the
late war, and particularly to those
who hailed from Oconee and par
| tlcipatcd i'm the four years Of that
bloody struggle:
Letter from Mr.. Jenkins.
CoiImbia. S. c., July s, 1910
r. 7. Jaynes, Esq, Walhalla, S. c.
Dear Sir Your Letter OF July 18th to
my brother, Major Micah j. Jcn-
kinS, has been turned over TO me TO
| reply. You certainly will have a
| glorious theme in rccounting the
deeds OF that noble communications
kinss Brigadc--a great many Of
your neighborhood having been
members Of the finest body Of men
that South Carolina even sent to
! battle.
Gen. Micah Jenkins was killed at
the head OF his brigade while they
were making flank attack on
| Grants army, in the second days
! fight in the Battle OF the Wilderness,
May 9th, 1864. lie was first buried
At Summcrvillc, S. G., but his re-
mains were removed TO Magnolia
| cemetery, Charleston, and in 1881,
! Il handsome monument was erected
! 10 his memory "By the Association
OF Citadel Graduates and other Com
radcs and Friends"
Many of your ncighborhood were
! members Of Jenkins'S Palmetto
! SharpshooterS, which was the first
| body Of troops that ever went to
! battle. AT the battle of Seven Pines,
! 100 strong, with the 9th Regi-
mcnt. 500 strong, they routed Gen.
| Couch's division Of 1000. captured
three cntrcnchcd camps, three pieces
! OF artillery, more prisoners than
| they had men, defeated five lines Of
fresh troops, and spent the night in
! the tents Of the l0lh Massachusetts
! Regiment, a mile and a half in ad-
/ vance OF the rest Of the army.
Cen. Jenkins wrote TO his wife Of
! this fight:
"With two regiments | whipped
! Cen. Couch's division. driving thcm
! two miles, and accomplished Il more
! brilliant feat than the charge at
/ BalnkIava. My regiment have acted
.
iaiicring, but ever at my word press
! ing on. till night, after six hours
( steady iighting. ended our labors for
/ tn" day. | have never heard Of such
/ fi%hting. Out OF eleven color bear
"rS only brought back one. In
I IN" two color companies | carried
in eighty men, and had forty killed
( and wounded"
OF this battle, in his report. Gen.
&. w. smith. who succeeded to the
command Of the army when Gen. J.
. T.. johnson was wounded. says:
'Thc battlefield fighting done by
the two regiments under the com
mnnd OF Col. Micah Jenkins has
never been cNcclled in the annals Of
history, and don't believe has ever
been c4uallcd."
At Gaines Mil occurred a ''duel"
between the Palmetto SharpshoOtcrs
and the 10th Michigan Regiment.
Just after Sundown the two rcpi-
mcniS came out OF the woods. al
most side by side. Placing his men
at ;hc "Rcady," Col. Jenkins step
ped III front Of his men and ha ed
the approachinS body OF men with
wv hat regiment is that?" Rrcciv-
ing no reply, Col. Jenkins said: "Ir
you don't SHOW your colors | will
fire on Won. Immrdiotciv w,c
heard the command. halt : Roc
OgniZing the Western bropun CnI
Jenkins gave the order ;n "L,irc ),
Being only some siX,v or seventy
Yards apart, the 18th Michigan were
cut down like grain by moving
machine, and, with the exception Of
some five or six, who ran off in the
darkness, the entire regiment Of
more than 900 mon were killed.
wounded or captured. But pro,i
and glorious as the couduct or thn.n
heroes was at Seven Pines ana
Gaines Mill thcv in,mn,curobI,. r,,,,