Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1915-07-14
AVisit to Five Battlefields.

A Visit to Five Battlefields.
While at the Reunion at Rich
mond / took in the battlefield OF
Seven Pines, which is about nine
miles from the city. Savage Sta
ton is five miles. This battle was
fought Sunday, June 29, 1862,
Malvern Hill was fought June 80.
In this battle Longstreet lost forty
per cent. of his command in less
than three hours. The historic
Pines" still stand there as silent
of the bloody conflict.
The breast-works have all been lev.
Ieled down, and waving corn and
golden grain is growing where so
many brave fellows fought and fell,
3enrlchlng the soilwith their blood.
Il was wounded in this battle, and
my brother was wounded at NAL
vefn Hill.
The battle of Fredericksburg,
Fifty miles from Richmond, was
Fought on December l3, 1862, called
Winter q fight ( \ made q flying
Trip to this battlefield. Kershaw's g
Brigade fought on Myrus's Heights.
Cobb's Legion was below us some
hundred feet behind a rock wall.
From this wall, or first battle line
to the edge of the town, was an
open space of about three hundred
yards-not a tree, stump or fence.
Through this open the Federals
made charge after charge for ten
hours to take the wall and capture
Myrus's Heights. The last desper-
ate charge was made at sunset.
Fourteen hundred Federals were
left dead on four acres of ground.
But now the town has been built
out to the rock wall. The Myrus
house and the everlasting Heights,
that shook with the roar of the con-
fict and heard the dying groans,
still stands, and the beautiful Rap
pahannock still flows by the little
city; but / could see the battle, and
could hear the commands and the
shouts of the men, the bursting
shells and the whistling bullets, and
the clank of the swords and the dy-
ing groans. as / did the day this
battle was fought. Everything
passed in panoramic view, and l
have never felt so over awed on a
battlefield before. I could see the
boys in gray, with locks as black as
the ravens wing. Sad indeed to
think almost every one has passed
to the great beyond. Those few
that are left the snow that never
melts have fallen on their heads.
From Fredericksburg we wheeled
to the field of Charlottesville, where
Gen. Jackson received the bullet
that ended his life. l remember
we'll the old inn, the Chancellor
house. 1t has been changed. This
is in the edge of the Wilderness-in
fact nearly all of this battlefield was
a waste, wilderness-at least l
thought so as we were fighting by
day and by night.
From this point we drove down
the old plank road to the Wilder
ness, where on the 5th and 9Th of
May, 1864, one of the bloodiest and
most stubbornly contested battles OF
the war was fought. Though still
a thick tangle, could tell where
Longstreet's corps went into battle
by the iron tablets; and l located
the position that my brigade (Ker.
shaw's) by these same pointers. ]
believe I went within ten feet OF
where my brother Wesley, my
captain, J. w. Kemp, and james
Quattlebaum were killed, and Lieu
tenant J. G. Williams and myself
were wounded. Williams through
both thighs and through the right
hip. We lay on the field nine
hours. Was taken up after dark