The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1913-02-21

done by one ball or shell. / sent
them back to the hospital and while
the men were gone back with them
was standing leaning against tree
when a shall went through the top
of it and moved away for fear a
limb would fall on me. 1 got about
eight or ten feet away from the tree
when shot struck the tree just
about where my shoulders had been
and piece of bark gave me a hard
the back and some pieces striking me
on the neck and side of the face
bloodied me good deal, but did not
hurt me enough to disable me. l left
the tree about fifty yards and saw
several badly wounded negroes, who
were in the Northrn army. That was
my first sight of black soldier. L
could not help but feel sorry for
them. They were pitiful sight and
disgrace to the Yankees in fighting
the ignorant creatures against us. By
this time things were beginning to
look blue to us, but that did not dis
courage us. We fought them with
that same determined spirit that we
began with and they knew it would
take all the bounty jumpers of
Eurape to help them starve us out
and force us to lay down our guns.
Well, my next remembrance was
around Petersburg. l don't think we
ever did any hard fighting there, but
close sharpshooting every day while
in the breastworks. The two lines
of works were so close to each other
that it was dangerous thing to let
your head show over the works. Many
lost their lives on both sides by
shooting at each other over the top
of the breastworks. 1t was a very
disagreeable place. We could not
cook anything without getting grit
and dirt knocked into it by the bull
let's hitting the embankment l eat
enough dirt there to do me the rest of
my life. Now here General Grant
had large army closing around us
little at time. Ours was not more
than 10000 men. We drew away
from Petersburg about the End or
3rd of April, 1865. l did not know
until night that we were going to
give up both Richmond and Peters
burg. We left Petersburg at dark
and marched all night and next day
the same, going on and never stop
ping but a few minutes at a time,
with but a few mouthfuls of bread
to aat opd II uoS coop oooa Colo,a al
Coward told me to take two men
from each company and venture out
far enough to get something to eat.
The Yankees were on both sides of |
us and it was risky thing to do, but
we were obliged to have something
to eat.---f went as far as I could go
without being captured, and got all
we could carry, remember we'll
what it was, 400 pounds of flour and
32 pieces of meat. When I got back
with it the men soon divided it out
and began cooking the last rations
issued by to the Confederate soldiers.
So have the honor of being in COM
mand of the last foragers for provis-
ions of the 5th South Carolina regi-
ment.
In day or two after this we sur
rendered at AppomatoX court house,
Virginia, on the 9th of April, 1865.
The Yankees were very kind to us
and divided their rations with us,
which was not much, but it was the
best they could do at the time, as it
was scarce with them.
Now many of us were in a sad
plight, nearly 600 miles from home
with shoes worn out, feet badly blis-
tered, dirty and ragged, and no way
to get home only by walking and
begging. So when we got our pa
roles we started for Our homes and
in about fifteen days l got home in
bad shape with my feet. found
out when got home my brother Tom
had been dead about four weeks. He
belonged to the Bay army, and died
from erysipelas. Soon after we got
home the Northern people became a
little tyranical toward the South.
After the hostilities ceased and we
were at home they established troops
in all our towns and allowed the
cowardly thieves and robbers to come
down from the North, and allowed
the ignorant negroes to vote and elect
the scallawags into all offices, and op-
pressed the people by taxation until
it was beginning to be unbearable,
and we began to make it hot for
them to stay down in Dixie. They
crambed their carpet bags full and
left