The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1913-02-14

SonPahy Bot oroers 70 go as close II
their forts as we could get and dii
pits and open fire on them next
morning as soon as we could see.
About daybreak we saw them look
ing over our way and it at once got
up stir among them to see some
banks of fresh dirt on a hill in front
of them. But it was a little too
foggy just then to see how to shoot
well and we waited awhile and let
them get little careless and then we
let fly at them and followed to them,
Rats to your hole" We kept up a
constant fire for an hour or more
doing them up pretty badly, but they
were giving us shot and shell all the
time, but we fired on them so fast
they could not do much but tear up
the ground behind us. We had some
fine marksmen that were directing
their fire all the time at the cannon
eers, one of the best things to do
when fighting artillery. Now in about
an hour or more they had enough of
his and 1 soon saw line of men
long enough to lap around our short
line three or four times. I saw at
once our situation. 1t was level
ground for one-half mile back and
no protection except a few stumps
about one hundred yards behind us,
and l knew we were going to have to
get back from there. or be flanked
and captured. 1 was on the left and
Captain Lyle on the right. I called
to him and told him they were pre-
parlng to flank me. He said, Hold
as long as you can and let's fall back
to the stumps and we will give them
hell" About that time they began
on US with long heavy line of skir-
mishers. We gave them a few shots
and fell back to the stumps and then
we had it right for while. but we
finally whipped them back, but if it
had not been for the stumps for US
to get behind it might have been diff
ferent. But we lost few good men,
don't remember the number, but we
hurt the enemy great deal more
than they did us. The ground was
level and open and we could see what
we were doing. The next day we
went back to the camp on the Nota-
way river and everything quieted
down for good long while.
About this time there was a great
deal of smallpox about and we were
vaccinated and 1 had bad arm
caused by blood poison. 1t was sew
eral months before was fit for duty
again. suffered a great deal ana
1T looked as if I would lose my arm
at one time, but pulled through.
was getting to be pretty tough by
this time. BY this sickness I got
out Of some severe fighting or prob
ably I would not be here now.
If my memory serves ME right the
next campaign was in Tennessee,
from Chattanooga to Knoxville.
which began in November, 1868. "
Longstreet's corps went out to re-
inforce Bragg near Chattanooga. We
were stationed very near the Lookout
Mountain. Will there went on the
top of the mountain and could see
part of several states, so said. It
was the best view l have seen any,
where. 1 looked all day from Point
Lookout, as it was called, until late
in the evening (on Sunday), and it
was good dark when l got to camp.
almost broken down. / was so weak
in my knees from stepping down so
much that l could hardly walk when
l got down off the mountain. 1 will
never forget that and my experience
is that it is not so tiresome to climb
mountain as it is to walk down.
The Yankees here took great delight
In throwing or firing shells over
among us and it was not a very de-
sirable or pleasant camp A live man,
or one that can hear reasonably well,
can't sleep well in such a noise as a
shell makes when it eXplodes and
scatters its fragments around about.
One evening it was raining a little
and there was large old log stable
near us, and several of us had gone
in there to cook. We were tired and
hungry. Our wagons had been cut
off by high water a day or two and
we were out of rations and misera-
bly, hungry. Our fires from cooking
made a big smoke, and they knew
pretty well what was going on among
US and they began shelling us, but
their shots were going high up and
beyond us. John was down on the
ground upon his knees making I'M