Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1921-04-20
The Ninth of April Fifty-six
Years Ago.

Years Ago.
Today, fifty-six years past on the
9Th of April, 1865, General R. E. Lee
surrendered his army at Appomattox
Court House, Virginia. This day will
will be remembered by me as long as
life lasts.
On the fifth of April, our command
left Richmond with the Yankees fol-
lowing close behind us with a skir-
mish ever constant. We did not get
any rations issued to US after we left
Richmond on the 9Th of April.
When we rode up to Appomatox
C. H., we were expecting to draw ra-
tions, but as we halted, an order
came that our company was to go to
a certain road and picket it that
night, April 8.
We went to our post of duty
promptly without drawing rations.
All night we lay by our horses with
bride in our hands, expecting every
minute to be attacked by the Yam
KEGS, but fortunately no one came
to molest US.
In the morning of the 9th day of
April, our captain sent out two scouts
to see if any Yankees were in our
front. They were gone for while
and reported that no Yankees were
to be seen.
Our captain asked if anyone would
volunteer to go out scouting in front
again, and told my captain if he
would send man with me, I would
go. Private Milton Watson offered to
go with me, and we. went out for
some distance, / do not know how
many miles. Seeing no Yankees, and
the cannonading sounding further
around over at Appomattox, I told
Watson We had better go back to our
command on the picket post. had
a faster horse than Watson and gain
,ed some distance on him. Coming to
a large old field, I halted for Watson
to come up, I told him to look towards
the other side of this old field about
a half a mile. The Yankees were
swarming like black birds,
Our company on picket was to the
right of this old field in the woods. I
set out to get to them before the
Yankees drove them off, but as the
road was crooked, could not see far
an front. As I had gone some distance
from Watson, he called me and said
something. / answered him back and
told him to come on. Before I got to
where I left my company, heard a
few shots, and / thought it was our
company shooting at the Yankees.
AS / could not see far in front of
me, charged in between two lines
of the Yankees, one line across the
road, and the other line on the other
side of the road Al Yankee wheeled
his horse around facing me, seeming
to be badly excited. He, having z
stooter rifle fired at not over fifteen
steps from me. I saw no way to get
but, so I told the man I would sur
FENDER, when he shot at me the Sec
ond time. / thought "old Fool, why
don't you stop shooting?"
It was done so quickly, I didn't
have time to get scared. l then dash
ed my gun out in the road, thinking
the fool would know what that
meant, and he rode up to me and ask
ed for my side arms. I told him he
could soon have that gun in the road
and he then ordered me back to the
rear line.
Watson being on slow horse was
left back behind. He seeing my posi-
tion, dashed out in the woods where
he could not be seen. A guard carried
me to hollow. The colonel sent a
courier to this man to bring me up
before him. AS we reached the Yam
kee command, they halloed out to me,
.tHere comes the little Johnnie"
Chat was our nickname they gave
us.) The colonel wanted me to tell
him what command 1 belonged to. l
told him "Gary's Brigade, Hampton's
Legion" He then asked me where
Hampton was. AS it was not my busi-
ness to tell him, told him Hampton
was over there somewhere. then
knew that Hampton was over about
Columbia, S. C.
This colonel then told me that Lee
had surrendered his whole army. !
smiled and thought "you will see"