The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-05-18
The Deserters of 1863-65
By ALICE BETHEA SMITH

During the late civil war, some portions of eastern South Carolina was afflicted with an evil as real if not as deadly as the scourge of the ancient Egyptians namely, band of marauders, called de- serters who kept the countryside in d state of terror by their frequent acts of iawlessness. The name 'deserters was a misnomer, and was given to them because one or two had joined the Con- federate army, but deserted before they had smeled powder. They numbered 1t or 20, and either from indifference or cowardice skulked at home all during an isolated section of the county, remote from the large plantations and owned their small farms which were cultivated by their women folks. Their lands were flat and poor, mostly surrounded by swamps. They were of that class of people whom the southern darky denomi- mates as poor white trash"
 These men eluding the conscript of- ficers by hiding in the woods, would band together and under cover of darkness rob, plunder and even commit murder, if need be, to carry out their nefarious designs.
 
 every able-bodied man was away fighting for his country, this band of deserters often came out in the open. even going to the plantations boldly helping them- selves from the well-filled barns and smokehouses, terrorizing the women and children; While the negroes employ ed about the house would flee to the woods and hide themselves, for the word de serter" was bugaboo to these unlet- tered blacks, timid at best.
 This state of affairs continued until a prominent planter was shot dead from ambush in broad daylight, as he was walking along the public highway. He had openly and fearlessly denounced the high handed measures of these outlaws, and this was their revenge
 This last act aroused a feeling of in- dignation all over the county, and meet ings were held in various sections for the purpose of organizing force to hunt down these desperadoes. As all the men but those too old to carry arms were away fighting for their country there were only a few elderly men left to protect the women and children. Volun- teers were called for and six men, well along in years, offered thei@ services for this precarious work
 In the meantime the deseeters, keeping themselves posted on the doIngs of the citizens, fled to a great sWap.p or bay which covered many miles pf territory and was almost impenetrabe. Here they camped far in it's depths, surrounded by the tangle of thick undergrowth. over- shadowed by the tall cypress with it's festoons of gray moss. They made them selves as comfortable as possible, know ing the impossbility of surprise or cap ture.
 The volunteers men from different J11 ts of the county, met on the outskirts ot this great bay, and leaTing their horses outside in care of an attendant, undertook the difficult and dangerous business or foot, armed with loaded shotguns
 These short-sighted rnen were wholly at a disadvantage for the cEemy not only outnumbered them but were young, alert and at home in the wild woods.
 They picked their way cautiously through the tangle of underbrush, push ing aside the vines they stepped from tussoc1 to tussock. often to their shoe teps n water. They had gone some dis taiIce with difficulty through this marshS sround when they came to a higher level where it was dry and less o5structed Here they stopped and looked around