Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1915-09-01
,me "reminiscences of Col
Ebert Bland.
Some

l.. JltSU d lew uoys dSos inv y" y
Young friends whom l had never
met before, Mr.. Wallace Tompkins
and his wife, grandchildren Of Col.
Elbert Bland, one of Edgefeld's
noble sons. And was truly glad to
meet them, for there was no man l
had higher regard for than Col.
Bland. He was what l would call
an ideal soldier and leader of
men in battle. He knew NO fear: be
was masterful in tactics and a cy-
clone in battle. He was veteran OF
two wars and helped to lead Gen.
Winfield Scott into the city OF
Mexico in l946 and he stood at the
ford at Bull Run July 81. 1851 and
helped TO keep this same Gen. Scott
out of Richmond. 1t was after this
battle that President Lincoln asked
Scott why it was that he was taken
to the city of Mexico in six months
with 5000 men and you can't take
Richmond with 100000 men in
twelve months. 1t was easy for Gen.
Scott to answer, "Sir the very men
that led me into the city OF Mexico
are the men that are keeping me out
of the city OF Richmond" Col.
Bland was strictly a military man,
and a fine disciplinarian. He was
perfectly devoted to his men and
his men looked upon him as the
"Wild Hun" 1t has been thought by
a few that Col. Bland was foolishly
brave, but I never thought 80. l
was quite young then, but whenever
my regiment went into battle, If l
could see Gen. Kershaw and Col.
Bland, no matter how close the call
or how hot the contest, / counted
on victory; and that was the
opinion of the regiment and brl..
gade. Col. Band had unbounded
confidence in his men. He well knew
that they would follow him to the
death. He called the 7th regiment
his hell cats. (" And all the while
the battle was on, his command
would be, Aim low men and shoot
'em in the stomach and make them
die hard" After Fort Sumter was
taken the 7thasonths Garolisa sess;
ment was organized. Col. Bland
raised a company at Edgefeld of
6ue looking body Of soldiers as |
ever saw, company "A" Edgefeld
rifles. This company he commanded
for twelve months. At the expira-
ton of the twelve months the army
re.organized and Dwight Aiken was
elected Col. and Capt. Bland lieu
tenant colonel. Col. Aiken was shot
through the lungs at the battle of
,Antietam Maryland, on the 18th of
September 1862. In June 1852 All
ken returned to the regiment and
commanded it until after the Get
tysburg fight and on account of the
nature of his old wound, he was not
able for active field service and he
was assigned to a post of dnty at
Macon, Ga., but never resigned his
command as Col. of the 7th regi-
ment, hence that blocked LieutCol.
Bland's promotion, He should have
been a brigadier general. He COM
manded our brigade for quite a
while. While. Col. Aiken was a
fine officer. rigid in discipline and
brave to a falt, at the same time he
should have gotten out of the way
of Col. Blaads promotion. Col.
Bland was very popular with the
army officers as well as with the
private soldier. Gen. Longstreet
compllmented him highly in his
history from Manassas to Apo
mattox. He says Col. Rland's COM
mand was always on time and ready
for action whenever the order was
given" He had the ear of tiger
and the eye of an eagle and was
as straight and slender as the noun
tain pine. He had a very high re.
gard for brave soldier, one who
was ready to face duty and danger
when it was necessary. Col. Bland
was killed Sunday morning, Septem'
Der 20, 1868, while leading his regi
ment in a charge on the enemy, at
the battle of Chickamsuga, and ]
will say in this connection that he
was the first and only field officer
that was ever killed while leading
his command in a charge from
Edgefeld county. He had no patience
whatever with man that would
show the white feather in time Of
danger. l heard him give fellow
one of the most scathing lecture:
once for sneaking out of battle. Wha
he said to him was enough. We hac
a man in our regiment belonged
to COMPANY *" who everybody