The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1915-08-05
SC.IN THE REVOLUTION.
Admirable Portrayal of Her Fart In
the Struggle for Liberty.

The following address was deliver
ed by Col. Rion Mckissick, at Green
wood, July 3rd:
Let me confess to you my vast sur
prise in beholding such a splendid
celebration of the national holiday,
and so fine an outpouring of the
citizens of Greenwood, city and
county. 1t is no small surprise to
me, for expected to see here a mere
handful of people. Half century
ago and a little more the glorious
Fourth was observed as gladly and as
generally in the South as it was IN
all other sections of the union, but
after the War Between the States
the feeling of nationalism in the
South had almost died out and not
until recent years did this section
of the republic begin again to cele-
brate this day. This, | understand,
is the first time that the Fourth has
been celebrated in Greenwood and |
hope that every year hereafter this
occasion may be repeated. Let me
congratulate you upon the success
of this event. 1t is the best arrang-
ed and best attended Fourth of July
observance that I have seen in many
years. 1t does you high credit, it re-
fleets honor upon your civic pride
and your love of country.
From sea to sea, throughout the
republic, the one hundred and thir-
ty-ninth anniversary of the independ-
ence of the American people will be
observed today and Monday in thou
sands of places by millions of peo-
pie. In many instances, the ringing
of great liberty bells, the thunder of
cannon, imposing professionals, the
acclaim of mighty multitudes and all
the pomp and pageantry Of studied
patriotism will commemorate the day
we celebrate but in few places will
these ceremonials be held in a
neighborhood more historic than that
in which we today are. For not far
from us and known of all of us is the
sacred soil of Ninety-Six, the scene
of the first bloodshed Of the Revolu-
ton in South Carolina, that of the
siege from the 10Th to the 2lst day
of November. 1775, the stronghold
of the British and the Tories for the
greater part of the Revolution, the
point from which they laid desolate
the beautiful and rich surrounding
domain, the impregnable fortress
against whose star points was waged
one of the most dramatic sieges OF the
entire war, a siege which, from a
military point Of view, constituted
one of the worst mistakes OF our
American general, Nathaniel Greene,
in whose honor a. monument is being
unveiled this day upon the battle
field of Guilford court house by our
sister State of North Carolina.
AS South Carolinians we Justly
glory in our States splendid history,
but how much do we really know
about it? What facts do we possess
about its achievement in the war of
the revolution? To what extent do
we look into our States past as a
mirror of the present? 1t is because
of a belief that the average man has
small knowledge of the historical po-
sition of South Carolina that l VEN
ture on this day to direct briefly your
attention to certain phases of our
history, and l shall be frank to say
that what knowledge I have is de-
rived from a recent research into the
records of our yesterdays.
A world war. the most stupendous
in the annals of man, is daily arrest
ing our attention. but when We read
of the atrocities committed in that
! immense conflict do We recall that
as hideous babarities were visited up
on our people by the British and the
Tories in our fight for freedom? Fiji
ty years ago even the memories of
Z Bloody Bill" Cunningham. Bloody
Tarleton and Bloody" Bates were
held in the deepest personal hatred
by the sons and grandsons of South
Carolina patriots. A few incidents
in the Revolutionary war in this
State may suffice to indicate that his
tory is but repeating itself in the
war fields across the seas.
There was Wyley. who was turned
over by the Tory leader. Browne. to
the Indians. They ripped him open
with knives in Brownies presence and
then tortured him 10 death. There
was Rannal McKoy. seventeen-year
old boy, captured as prisoner OF war
by the same Browne and put into a
pen of fence rails three feet high
covered with fence rails. He was
L..ooa ,,n,;1 poorlv 6oa6 Then