The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1916-09-01
Renaissance
VII.

Cupy Soic 1SIdHu Was the expiration.
of our first years enlistment and the
re-enlistment for three
years, or the duration of the war.
This occurred on the 18th day of
April '62. On this day the first reg
iment was disbanded, but every COM
pany Immediately re-enlisted and was
mustered into the Confederate States
Army for period of three years, or
the war. The men however could
each choose the company he pre-
ferred to join and quite number ex-
ercised this privilege and by it three
OF four men from other companies
came into the Edisto Rifles. / do not
recall that the Edistos lost a single
man to go to any other company, but
two of our men-Thomas X. Legarie
and Medicis Rickenbaker-did not re-
enlist on the island but went home
and each organized company and
became captain of it. The companies
raised by them united with the Sec
ond regiment of heavy artillery which
was then short two companies. This
regiment was manning the forts and
battries on James Island, S. C. Not
only were men permitted to re-enlist
in any company they might select,
but companies when reorganized
could unite with any incomplete regi-
nient they preferred and exercising
this right the Edisto Rifles joined the
Eutaw battalion and so did four other
companies. Three other companies
which had been organized and unas-
signed also united with us making
the regimental number of ten COM
panies then required, thus changing
the designation from Eutaw battalion
to "Eutaw, or 25th Regt., S. C. ", C.
S. A." Of this regiment Maj. c. III.
Simonton was promoted to colonel,
Capt. John G. Presley to lieutenant
colonel and Capt. John V. Glover, of
the Edisto Rifles, was promoted to
major. This created a vacancy in our
company and James F. Izlar rose to
captain, Samuel N. Kennedy to first
lieutenant, Samuel Dibble to second
and George Elliott was elected third.
He was first, Or orderly sergeant and
his election raised all of the nom
commissioned officers one point and
in this upward move Ben P. Izlar rose
up to orderly.
Meantime the construction of forts
and batteries had been steadily going
on across James Island from Seces-
sionville to the Stone river and being
now practically completed and can
mons mounted and munitions supplied,
preparations were made to evacuate
and abandon Coles Island and move
the troops from these to James ISL
and back behind the line of fortified
tions which were manned by the Sec
ond Regiment of heavy artillery. The
old First regiment had rapidly filled
up the vacancies made by the COM
panies which joined the Eutaw regi-
ment and Col. Hagood still command
ed it. It had preceded US to James
Island. Everything of any real value
had been quietly removed from Coles
Island and on the 18th of April '62 it
was evacuated, the troops marching
over two smaller islands which lie
between it and James, crossing the
intervening creeks on temporary
bridges. Vidette outposts were sta
toned on these small islands but no
one was left on Coles. The blockad-
ing war vessel found out that we had
left and swept slowly up into the bay
and began Smelling the island we had
left and getting no reply she moved
cautiously in nearer until her screech-
ing shells came tearing through the
trees aboxe our heads as we marched.
They were spherical, fuse shells and
some of them exploded above us and
sent their shattered fragments flying
in every direction, crashing through
the boughs of the trees and striking
the ground in patter of thuds all
about us. This was our first exper.
fence of being in real danger in the
war, and although the sensation pro-
duced by bursting shells and the fly
ing of deadly fragments above and
around US was new and exciting, we
marched on regularly and in good
order, without break or disallign-
ment. No one was hurt and we were
soon out of range of the war vessels
shells. When we reached James ISL
and we went into camp back of the
line of Notifications at a good, sani-
tary place which had been previous
ly selected and marked out for US.
Not far away from the camp was a
pretty church building where the
Presbyterian congregation among the
inhabitants of the island worshiped
in peace times, and until things be-
gan to get hot and bloody, we attend
ed religious services in it every Sun
day. At that time the Rev. Andrew
F. Dixon, Presbyterian minister,
was chaplain of our regiment. Rev.
Dixon was a good man, cultured and
preached good sermons, and was
without doubt the best reader that l
have ever heard read aloud, not only
up to those days, but up TO this day.
On one Sunday morning while we
were in the church and the chaplain