Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1910-08-31

Of battle renewed. Men Just
across the works would, in places,
thrust over their pieces and dis
charge them in their faces. Some
times they would have to give way
to the left. but they always rallied
and fought at the nearest footing.
The firing was astoniShingly accu-
rate all along the line. No man
could raise his shoulders above the
works without danger Of immediate
death.
Lieut.. Col. Hunt and Lieut.. j.
w. Carlisle, Of the Thirteenth Rcgi-
ment, and others had interviews
with Federals during the ncgotia-
tions for surrender.
1--WE lay five or six deep, closing
constantly 10 the right, and thus
losing all distinct organization.
Every now and then a regular vol
ley would be hurled at us from what
we supposed was a fresh line Of
| 'cdcrals
"A hickory tree about eight in
| ches in diameter was shot in two and
| fell in our lines before night. and an
| oak eighteen inches in diameter was
also cut down with rifle balls and
| fell about ten clock at night,
wounding some Of our men. The
stump OF it is in the Smithsonian
Institution, Washington, ID. c.
|
dcrcd in whisper, which was
passed along the line, to retire
slowly and noisclessly from the
works. We did SO after a stubborn
resistance Of eighteen hours. y
second line OF works had been
! thrown up 500 yards in our rear,
and in this, as We passed over. We
found troops OF Longstrcct's corps
r.,,., for the enemy"
have thus drawn largely from
Capt. Caldwells history, as wit
ne IS Of the terrible character Of the
battle, and will add to it official re-
cral authorities. | will add to
Capt. Caldwclls account a dcscrip-
tion Of one Of the terrible assaults
on our lines:
Major Nathan Church. Of 2Gth
Michigan Volunteers. who led this
assault in his official report, Cree
ords OF the Rebellion, No. 36, Series
|, Part !. Page 372D reports:
| hn t.1y ~
works on the right neatly to tho
Angle. we were ordered to that
point and creDt along on the out
side Of the works until our line
length Of the regiment, our right
resting near the point whore the
large oak tree was cut down by mus
ket balls. We fought for half an
hour over the breast works, losing
a large number in killed and wound
ed, when they made signs OF sur
rendering, waving handkerchiefs on
their rammcrS." (This is the cpl
sode of the mutual supposed surrcn-
der already related.)
eve ceased firing, and called to
them to come in, when the whole
line for 20 or so yards rose up and
started TO come in, when the same
moment a fresh line Of support came
mp to them on the other side, and,
giving cheer, rushed for the
works, when most Of them turned,
and jumped into the cntrcnchmcnts
again.
Gen. Gordon, in his "reminiscences
in most emphatic language, pages
2S3 to 2S6, claims to have fought
this terrific battle in this Bloody
Angle. From this report, and the
note appended, it would appear to
be the same battle fought by us. 1T
described the fighting all day and
all night. but makes no reference to
the hickory and oak trees cut down
with rifle balls, nor to the incident
Of the supposed surrender Gen.
Gordon must have got his mind con-
fused with some Of his other brave
fighting. lie makes no such claim
in his official report in 1864. in Vol
umc 36, pages 1916 TO 1919. I was
not aware Of his claim until seeing
his book after his death. take
pride and pleasure in saying that
Cen. Gordon's exalted character, IN
war and in peace, as soldier
statesman and Christian, places hin
far above the charge Of knowingly
depriving aMOther command OF hon