Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-06

were freed by Jasper. the guns of the
former guards were put into their
vannah the men who had been the
prisoners marched their former guards
to the American camp at Jurysyille-
1t reads like romance, but II is not
The spring is known today as Jasper
spring.
I'D and down through Georgia he
roamed, battling with loyalist or Briton,
fighting the good fight as best he knew.
until what seemed to all to be the great
occasion arose when In October. 1s1?.
French and Americans combined TO wrest
Savannah from the British. For two
years the city had been in possession or
the enemy, and now French feet. act
ing in conjunction with Gen. Lincoln
force, had the British bottled up. The ar
rival of the French fleet had been sur
prise to the British, who were III prepared
for serious attack. Had Count d'Estaing.
who commanded the French, more skill IN
warfare and less in letter writing he could
have forced the British to surrender. But
he wasted most valuable time. he wrote
pompous and grandiloquent manifestos
to Gen. Provost, which the British general
read carefully. digested at his leisure ana
did not answer until the last minute, ana
then in spirit to bring another COM
munication from the count.
OF course the count wrote again. for he
dearly loved to use his pen and tell OF
his achievements and predict what he
was going to do when he started the
works once more. but while the count
wrote the British general worked. Where
as the defenses of Savannah had only
twenty or thirty guns when the French
fleet arrived. they had 100 or more when
Count d'Estaing thought ii time to quit
writing and begin fighting. The CITY.
from one that would have fallen before
we'll directed attack, had been trans
formed into one that gave every advan-
tage to the defenders.
The assault was made October and the
main storming party was directed against
a redoubt on Spring Hill. This storming
party was commanded by d'Estaing I'm
person. assisted by Gen. LINCOLN Fog
and darkness permitted the allies to get
close to the redoubt before they were dis
covered, but as daylight dawned they
were subjected to a frightful fire. Their
ranks were decimated and the whole force
thrown into confusion.
Twice the allies reached the parapet and
planted their standards there One of the
banners was the Lily of France; the
other was the blue and crescent nag OF
Independence which Mrs. Elliott had
given to Moultrie's regiment three days
after the battle OF Charleston, and which
Moultrie and all his men had sworn to
defend to the end. The French standard
had been raised by one of d'Estaing's
aids. and as he raised 1T he fell. pierced
by a musket ball. The nag of the I'd
Lieuts Hume and Bush. They. too. fell
mortally wounded. The banner dropped
and fell, and Lieut. Gray, who next took
1t upon himself to. raise 1t, met like
fate.
Few officers Of the Carolina regiment
were left. The attack had failed, but the
banner of blue with the liberty crescent
was not to trail in the dust. When Gray
fell, Jasper. who had been sorely wound
ed early in the action struggled through
the ditch, up the parapet and replaced the
flag where it had been planted by Lieut..
Bush To touch that flag seemed to
mean death that day, for no sooner had
Jasper set it on the parapet than he re-
ceived a second and this time fatal
wound.
Suffering the most agonizing pain from
this second wound. Jasper held his ban
ner steady for a time, and then, really
ing that II would fall into the enemys
hands if it remained there. he summoned
all his waning strength and carried the
flag back to his company
II have got my furlough. he murnlured
as he was carried dying from the field.
The banner he died in saving was CAP
tured later in Charleston, when that city
surrendered to the British, and now Is
British Museum.
Sergeant he was in his first battle and
sergeant he was in his last. Like Latotf.
greater honor was shown to him than TO
many a general officer. In The city OF
Savannah there is a noble monument per-
petuating his deeds. He is shown with
the banner held a-high. There Is a Jasper
square named in his honor, and there is
4 Jasper county to testify to the states
regard.
But South Carolina, the land OF his
birth. the state under whose flag he
fought and saving whose colors he died.
has done little in remembrance of her
gallant though humble son. Maybe some
day she will. Maybe some day the Sec
ond Carolina will take leaf out Of the
book Of Napoleon. Maybe at the muster
roll of the regiment the name of Jasper
will be called and the Oldest sergeant In
the service will step forward and answer,
Dead on the Field of Honor"
Copyright, 1910. by Richard spiilans.D