A Few War
Reminiscences
William O’Bryant, “A Few War Reminiscences,” Lavonia Times
and Gauge 9 Feb 1912.
Georgia, Franklin county, September 25, 1911,
Camp of Lavonia Veterans and Comrades. I William O’Bryant went from Elbert
County, Ga., to the War in February 1862 to Savannah, Ga., and enlisted in John
C. Thornton’s Company F. and in the 38th Ga. I stayed in Savannah
during the month of June and went from Savannah to Virginia and was in Stonewall
Jackson’s care. I stayed there till October 1962 (sic) and was discharged they
putting a substitute in my place by the name of J. E. S. Jones. I came home the
first part of October and remained at home till June 1864. I went back in 1864
joining J. E. Brown’s Militia in Captain Augustus Bailey’s Company G. in the
third regiment and was among the last to go out of Atlanta. We marched to
Griffin and Gov. J. E. Brown and Gen. Hood stopped. I came home for ten days and
went back and joined them at Macon and tramped from Macon to Thomasville and
from there to Savannah and over into South Carolina to Grahamville and had a
fight at Harmony Hill with some negroes. The Yankees stayed at Harmony Hill that
night and the next day till night. We were ordered back to Savannah and stayed
there till Dec. 22nd, 1864. We crossed on Pontoon bridges and went
out that night and I was one of the last men who went over this pontoon. We got
over at daylight. On Christmas Day, we struck out on a 104 mile march to
Grahamville on the Charleston and Augusta Roads. We got to Augusta on Friday
morning before New Year’s Day 1865 and stayed there till the last of March and
before we started back we heard that Lee had surrendered.
I was born in Elbert County, Ga., on August 25, 1839. My father was
Thomas O’Bryant and my mother’s maiden name was Miss Martha L. Cleveland. They
were both born in 1811 there being only 18 days difference in their ages. I was
married on March 27, 1884 to Miss J. E. Cole of South Carolina. The ceremony was
performed by the Rev. Harrison Walters of Georgia.
I was one of the men of my company that went out on the skirmish
line at Harmony Hill. I was on the left wing with several others, among whom
were E. M. Rucker, Bob Ward, Tom Burton. All the officers took down their stars
and stripes and company eight the rear regiment was ordered to bring on the
fight. The fight lasted all the evening and the Yankees went back to their gun
boats. I was down to the right of two state line regiments and our lieutsnant
colonel was with me all the time the fight was going on. I was one that shot
forty rounds at the Yankees and the last shot I took I got the ball about half
way down and couldn’t ram it any further. I walked about four or five yards to a
pine tree and rammed it down against a pine and this was my last shot. Some of
the boys plundered the battle field before the battle closed. I went over the
next morning. Plenty of Yankees and negroes were over there dead, and the men
were as black as my old hat. Some of the men were stripped of everything. We got
plenty of sugar and coffee out of their knapsacks to last all day, and every
knapsack had a Yankee suit of clothes in it.
Wm. O’Bryant.
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Brawner and Billups
Franklin County Register
[Carnesville] 21 Sept 1878.
Mr. William Brawner, of this county, we
understand says that during the war he came to the residence of Hon. Joel A.
Billups, where he was taken sick. That he remained there ten days, and
notwithstanding he was ragged, and without money, he was treated as kindly by
Col. Billups and his family as if he had have been a son. That after ten days
was out when he left Col. Billups insisted that he should stay longer. There are
too many men who during our dark hours shared the hospitalities of Col. Billups,
as did Mr. Brawner, to ever make it appear that he was stern and indifferent to
the wants of his country and his fellowman, as some would have us believe.
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Civil War Letter
“Soldiers Letter Written Fifty Years Ago Furnished by
Hart County Friend,” Lavonia Times and Gauge 5 Jan 1912.
Soldiers Letter Written Fifty Years Ago
Furnished by Hart County Friend.
The Times has been furnished a letter written
by a confederate soldier fifty years ago. It was written to a friend in Hart
county and bears the date Dec. 17, 1861. (sic) We regret that we are not given
permission to publish the name of the author of the letter and the name of the
party to whom the letter was written. The author was not furnished us and the
party to whom the letter was written requests that her name be withheld from
print.
The following from the lady to whom the letter was written will make
the reading of the letter more intelligent. She is living now in Hart county and
is 71 years of age. She requests that her name be withheld from print.
Lavonia, Ga., R. F. D. No. 4.
Dec. 27, 1911.
Mr. Burton, I send you a copy of an old letter
written by a friend of mine in 1861. In 1860 he boarded at my fathers and went
to school at Parkertown to B. B. Parker. I thought the old soldiers would enjoy
reading it, there is one of his school mates in Lavonia. He never came back but
was killed. You needn’t say who sent this as an old woman 71 years old don’t
want the criticism of the public.
The letter reads as follows:
Dec. 13, 1861. (sic)
Camp Satilla, Ware City, Ga.
Dear friends- I regret very much that circumstances have been of
such a nature as to forbid a regular correspondence between myself and many of
my friends and especially you, though I am gratified to know or at least believe
that friendship flames still burn in each others hearts. After several
disappointments I boarded the train for the fields of blood and at last in
company with John T. commenced a soldiers life in Camp Harrison, sixty-eight
miles below Savannah. After remaining there for nearly a month we were ordered
to fix for moving which we did and again the iron horse drove us along a decayed
and marshy railway, to this place which is situated 27 miles from Brunswick and
four miles from Wanesville exactly where the railroad crosses the Sattilla
river. When we first arrived here we had eaten nothing all day and I had eaten
nothing for one day and night being rather sick but notwithstanding we were worn
out and weak and hungry we could get nothing to eat until working hard moving
and pitching tents and next day at three o’clock which was Sunday when they gave
us some rotten meal to cook and after it was cooked it was as sour as vinegar
and had it not been that we were more like a pack of starved woolves than men we
could not have eaten at all but as it was we made our dinner on it and then
nearly all the company took down sick. All my men except myself took sick and I
had to cook, get wood and water and play the house wife right. And then I
thought if I ever lived to get home that I would have more love and respect for
woman than I ever had. I. T. is up and nearly
well and only two boys require close attention. I have been appointed supervisor
and attendant of the sick by the captain as he says they request it of him. I am
discharged from every other duty. I have but little time to spare either day or
night, there are only about eighteen men out of sixty-five able to do duty, and
myself and one other gentleman have them all to attend to. As for myself I am
well. The weather so far has been warm and pleasant until to-day which is cold
and windy. The situation of our camp is in piney woods. The land is low and
sandy, the wells from four to six feet. The provisions we get are rougher than I
have been used to, but I can eat anything nearly when I get good hungry. I have
been real home sick since I have been here. I have thought that time had clogged
her wheels and slackened her pace. I have thought of home and the hearth stone
of my infancy, of the hills, of my rambles and the rivulets, of my flutter mill.
Joys of a mothers last kiss, and a fathers last sigh, but all can’t make
pleasant my absent pleasure. Though admidst all this when my head is plowed
upon my hat and my body laid upon its bed of straw and all is hushed in slumber
I can visit in my imagination the scenes of happier days when a school boy’s
glee drove sorrow from my mind and the friends of my youth with present joys
banished the fears and frowns of the future. Though all this is the dream of a
soldier, it springs fresh memory of the past and kindles bright hopes of the
future. Though it is but a dream it causes me to anticipate the day when we
shall meet around the hearth where we have so often met in youthful glee not
dreaming of the clouds so shortly to gather over us and shut out the sunshine of
happiness that was in full blast. But you should never regret the sad change
which has passed over our heads. You have a husband to provide for your wants
and a house to shelter you from the storm. Not so with me no parents to guide
nor to aid, no shelter protects me from dews of heaven, no bed to rest my weary
body, no pillow to soften my dreamy slumber. Who would have thought when we were
enjoying the noonday of youth that in one short year the scenes would be so
different, our home far from the hills of Hart county, Ga. Another state now
numbers me as her own. Far from the old academy. No longer as school boys
enjoying the sweets of home only one left to see the spot of our dwelling and
the hills of our rambles. Ere long a sadder change may come but I hope a better
one will soon come out when this cruel war is over and we will have a time of
rejoicing.
Your friend,
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Civil War Story
Walton Ginn, "A War Story," Franklin County Register
[Carnesville] 5 July 1887.
A WAR STORY.
BY WALTON GINN.
I was a soldier in the Virginia Army and
belonged to Company H. Sixteenth Georgia Regiment. After the seven days
fight near Richmond in the spring of 1862 we made a raid into Maryland. I
will not give the details of all the battles I was engaged in, as I do not
remember the dates, but there are many things still fresh in my memory. I
remember the battle at South mountain near Harper's Ferry, and I took an active
part in it. I was in a portion of Gen. Cobbs brigade that went over the
mountain and run into a division of yankees. We fell back with heavy loss,
and as we were making our way back over the mountain a spent ball struck me on
the leg and brought me to my knees, but I soon recovered. The yankees
called to our Colonel, "Halt you d___d old grey headed Colonel." The
Colonel answered, "H__l this is no place to rest." We made our way over
the mountain just as it was getting dark. The next morning we formed a
line of battle, but the yankees surrendered and gave up Harper's Ferry that day. We then returned to Fredricksburg and went into winter quarters.
I was on picket in the spring of 1863 when the fight
commenced at Fredricksburg, and when the signal gun was fired, and the long roll
beat. We were marched round by General Cobbs headquarters and he said,
"Boys, our guns look well and if we get into a fight to day we will give them
h__l." I was in the raid into Maryland and Pennsylvania and after the hard
fought battle at Gettysburg on July 2nd 1863, I was taken prisoner and sent to
Baltimore, thence by steamer to Fort Delaware, where I remained until Oct. 1863,
when I was sent to Point Lookout in Maryland. It was very sickly there but
my health was very good, except I had small pox. I was sent out to the
camp erected for those who had small pox and was nursed by an Irishman called
uncle Mike. The next morning after my arrival Uncle Mike came to my tent
and asked how many were dead. I answered that one was dead, and he took
him by the legs and dragged him out like a hog. I soon became very sick
and while asleep dreamed that Uncle Mike had me by the legs, but awakening I
found that it was the body lice rolling me about. I recovered soon and was
returned to the barracks where I was treated as well as could be expected.
We had a school in the prison and a few books to study,
and had preaching or prayer-meeting nearly every day. We were gaurded by
negroes and the sick prisoners had some trouble with them at night. I had
but one difficulty with them. I met a guard one night who halted me and
asked where I had been. Not understanding my answers he said, "Dar now you
have told two tales about dat. You has got to mark time two hours. You was boss once but I is boss now, and de bottom rail is got on top. How
do you like dat." About that time the officer of the guard rode by and
asked what we were doing. I explained the case to him and he said, "It is
to cold and muddy to stand there; get to your tent." I cleared the
distance in about three jumps.
A few days after that two negroes were joking when one of
their guns went off and killed the other instantly. The live negro said:
"Jim you you get up, you are just playing off. All de white folks is
looking at you" but Jim did not hear nor care. The last our boys saw of
the negro he was barked and gagged astride a rail about twelve feet from the
ground.
After staying there nineteen months and a half, the old
veterans were ordered to be at the gate at 10 p m. When our names were
called and the gate opened I saw a steam boat that they said was to carry us to
Richmond to be exchanged. That was what I had been waiting to hear for 19
long months. At Richmond we recieved furlougs to come home. We
walked some and road some and at Greenville S C, I bought a pair of brogan shoes
for $125.00 Confederate cuarency. I reached home March 1st 1865. I
was born and raised in Elbert county and lived there until 1869, when I moved to
Franklin, bought a small Farm two miles and a half west of Carnesville where I
now live.
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War Record of
John W. Harrison
“War Record of John W. Harrison,” Lavonia Times and Gauge 19
April 1912.
War Record of Jno. W. Harrison.
Mr. Jno. W.
Harrison has recently come across a part of his war record in his accumulation
of papers. These records will no doubt be of interest to his many comrades in
this section and are given in detail below.
J. W. Harrison, company H, 24th
Ga. regiment, went to Atlanta Ga. in August of 1861 where he was mustered into
the Confederate States army. Went to Washington, N. C. September 26, 1861. Left
Washington March 8th, 1862. Was in the battle of Malvern Hill, Va.,
July 29th, 1862 in which there was only 1 killed and five wounded.
On Sept. 14 1862 was in battle at
Crampton Gap, Md. In this battle two were killed and three wounded in this
company.
On Sept. 17th 1862
this company was in the battle of Sharpsburg, Md. There were four killed and
five wounded. On December 13th 1862 the company was in the battle of
Fredericksburg, Va. Here there were tow killed and two wounded. On May 3rd
1863 the company engaged in the battle at Chancellorsville, VA. Where it
suffered a loss of one death and where nine were wounded.
On Nov. 28,
1863 the company was in the battle at Knoxville, Tenn. The number killed and
wounded in this battle is not known. On May 6th 1864 this company
fought in the battle of Spottsylvania Court House. Here there were two killed
and two wounded. On May 12 1864 the same company H engaged in the battle near
Spottsylvania Court House, Va. Here there were two killed and two wounded in
company H. On June 1st 1864 the company engaged in the battle of Cold
Harbor, Va. This battle was the last fight in which Mr. Harrison took part. In
it there was one killed and two wounded. Mr. Harrison was captured during this
battle and was carried to Point Lookout where he remained about one month. From
Point Lookout he was carried to Elmira, N. Y. and remained till July 7th,
1865. He was then released from prison after taking oath of allegiance to the
United States. He then returned to his fathers home in Franklin county and in
Gum Log district and has since lived in this county.
Mr. Harrison happened to the good
luck of a great many others in not getting killed a single time during the
entire war. He can truthfully say with Bill Arp that he killed about as many of
them as they did of him and he is willing to strike off even.
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2005
Melinda Reddish
All rights reserved.
1878-1910
Civil War Remembered