The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1921-03-17
LAST SHOT OF THE CIVIL WAR,
Mr.. C. T. Martin Gives Some Inter
IS . esting History.

Mr.. Editor: The articles in the
last several issues of The Progress
and Sentinel, the first from Mrs. Van
diver, of Anderson, and one from
Mr.. M. j. Wislborn, of Pickens, de-
scribing what they term as the "last
shot of the Civil War;" have been
read by me with much interest.
While l was not citizen of this
state at that time, having come to
Pickens from Russell county, Ala,
in December, 1873, and having since
resided the greater portion of the
time in Pickens county, yet l have it
from good authority that small en-
gagement in which several shots were
fired, took place at Turner's Hill in
this (Pickens) county on the Easley
Bridge road between where the city
of Easley now is located and the city
of Greenville several days after the
engagement of which they speak,
took place.
The engagement at Turner's Hill
which ocucrred after the first of May,
1868, was between some ten or
twelve eX-Confederate soldiers and
a squad of Federal cavalry. The
The Fcderals were enroute to Green
vile from toward Anderson and had
drove of horses and mules which
they had taken from the farmers
along the way. The small band of
eN-Confcdcrate soldiers from the
Slabtown section who through one of
their scouts were informed of their
number and the dcpredations they
were committing, resolved to try and
overtake and kill or capture and re-
take the horses and mules they had
taken from the citizens. Having
heard the direction the Yankees were
going, the Rebels guessed that they
were enroute to Greenville and that
they would cross the Saluda river
either at Easley's or the bent bridge.
SO after getting in front of the Yam
KEGS they picked Turner's Hill, at
the junction Of the roads leading
from Anderson and old Pickensvi]le.
as good place to make the attack.
The Rebs left their horses i'm the
woods earby and hid behind a rail
fence where they could command the
road from Anderson. When the
AahN approached they were fred
upon One Yank was killed and sew
cral cthers wounded. The squad
was thrown into confusion and scat
tered in all directions, leaving num-
Der of horses and mules which the
Rebs captured and later returned to
their owners.
A few days afterward the Yanks
returned to the vicinity and burned
several farm houses, one belonging
to Mr.. Turner and one to Mr.. Hugh
Ellison. The soldier who was killed
was buried near where he fell by
citizens of the community and later
his father from some one of the
western states came and had his BODY
disinterred and shipped to his home
AT least one of the Confederate SOL
d'ers who was in the engagement is
yet alive, the others are all dead.
! have not the exact date Of this
battle, but know it was after the 1st
of May, as the same party of Yanks
killed Mr.. Matthew Ellison on Nav
1st as they were going toward An
derson, and it was few days later
as they were returning to Greenville
that this engagement occurred.
1t is said that these wandering
bands from the garrisons in Green
vile and Anderson were piloted by
one Frank Blakely, notorious char
acter from this county. Blakely was
later killed, as Mr.. Welborn states.
by vigilence committee, headed by
the late Col. r. e. Bowen. He was
shot after he had shot and killed
young man by the name Of Archer
and had wounded Mr.. j. A. Higgins.
Blakely's body was buried at Poplar
Springs, just north Of Ariail noun
tain.
I got this information from several
of the participants in the above de-
scribed affair.
c.. T.. Martin.