The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1911-07-13
Tracy r. Rore's War Record


cember 9Th, 1S43.
(From Marion Memorial Edition)
His education was such as the
times then afforded, his principal
teacher having been his brother-in-
law, the late lamented Col. Thos.
e. Stackhouse, than whom Marion
county has never had a better cit
izen, a more enterprising planter
nor more patriotic soldier and
Christian gentleman. The subject
Of this sketch, while yet in his
try's call to arms and connected
himself to Co e." Captain j. H.
Stafford, in April, 1862, which com
pany was organized in that month
and year at Stafford's Bridge in
what is now known as Dillon coun-
ty. The first of May, ensuing, the
Company repaired to Lightwood
Knot Springs, on the Charlotte and
Columbia railroad, six miles above
the latter city, and after some
weeks at this rendezvous, or Camp
of instruction and after the Com
pany had been attaches to Hagood's
1st South Carolina Infantry, the
command was ordered to the Half
Moon Battery in the suburbs of
Charleston city. Afterwards the
regiment was stationed for a time
on the Citadel Green where all the
discipline OF the regular army was
enforced.
From the Citadel the regiment
was ordered to James Island to a
point in the rear and not far dis
tant from Secessionville, a position
very much coveted by the enemy
because of it's strategical import
ance. The regiment did not have
long to wait for it's baptismal ser
vice, for before dawn on the mem
orable morning of June 16, 1862, an
branches of the service were in mo-
tion, Infantry, Calvary and Artil-
lery, all converging to one point
Secessionsville, the key to the City
of the Sea.
In October of this year (1S62) he
was transferred to Company "L,"
Capt. e. T. Stackhouse of the Sth
South Carolina Regiment, then at
Rapahannock, Va, but because of
i'll health was soon thereafter dis
charged from service.
After remaining at home about
six months recuperating his health,
he rejoined the same company. This
was in June, 1868, just before the
second campaign into Maryland
and Pennsylvania, which eliminated
in the battle of Gettysburg, July 8,
1868, in which he was engaged and
in which the Sth Regiment suffer-
ed more severely than in other of
the many battles in which it was
engaged, having lost about one-fifth
of its number, and over one-half of
Its number wounded. Notwithstand-
ing this severe loss, the Regiment
was not halted, but drove the enc
my from the celebrated Peach
Orchard" and followed them with
the Regiments of the BEIgade to
Round Top" where they took shell
ter. After this he went with the
army back to Virginia. where it re-
llaiheo untl! Longstreet's corps was
senI 10 Iopn Bragg in Georgia. He
mas wlSsI the Regiment during the
sGaaiiinlg}ffs.gn through Georgia and East
=, q inessee. The only regular bat
an g in which the regiment was en-
utys, led during this campaign were
Chicamauga and Knoxville. Having
been detailed on guard duty he did
not participate in the battle of
Chicamauga, in which the Sth Reg
iment again suffered severely. The
and trying in many respects that
our command had to endure during
the entire war. The marching and
picket duty kept us all the winter
in the intensely cold climate of
East Tennessee, was a severe test
of a soldiers endurance and fortf-
tude. Having spent the winter in
East Tennessee, and remaining for
a time near Bristol, in May, Long
street was called to rejoin Lees
army and by forced march reach
ed the Wilderness" sunrise on
May 9Th, 1864. just in time to save
Hills corps from complete route
and the capture by the enemy of
Lees wagon train and artillery.
AS soon as it could be brought
into line of battle under a severe
fire, the entire corps was quickly
engaged in the fierce battle Of the
''Wilderness" and not checked by
the onrushing hosts of Grant, but
drove them from the field in utter
defeat.
Kershaw's brigade, of which the
9Th Regiment was part, first arriV-
ing on the field, bore the brunt of
the battle, and suffered severely.
Grants failure here caused his left
flank movement towards Spottsyl-
vania where he was first met by
Kershaw's brigade after a forced
march on May 9Th, the 9Th Regi-
ment being in the lead and first to
strike the enemy and drove them
back half a mile before being check
ed by superior numbers. The
fighting here was fierce and kept
up for several days by attacks and
counter attacks from the 8th to
the 21st of May, the enemy having
about 10000 troops, while Lees
army was composed of $4,000 or
less. Grant again failing In his eff
m -
moved to his left down to Cold
Harbor where from June 1st to 4th
a series of the fiercest battles of
the war were fought. The 9Th