Sharpsburg or Antietam--Return to Virginia.
When Lee crossed the Potomac the Department at Washington, as well
as the whole North, was thrown into consternation, and the wildest
excitement prevailed, especially in Maryland and Pennsylvania. "Where
was Lee?" "Where was he going?" were some of the questions that
flitted over the wires to McClellan from Washington, Philadelphia,
and Baltimore. But the personage about whose movements and whereabouts
seemed to excite more anxiety and superstitious dread than any or
all of Lee's Lieutenants was Jackson. The North regarded him as some
mythical monster, acting in reality the parts assigned to fiction. But
after it was learned that Lee had turned the head of his columns to
the westward, their fears were somewhat allayed. Governor Curtis, of
Pennsylvania, almost took spasms at the thought of the dreaded rebels
invading his domain, and called upon the militia "to turn out and
resist the invader." In less than three weeks after the battle of
Manassas, the North, or more correctly, New York, Pennsylvania, New
Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland, had out 250,000 State troops behind
the Susquehanna River.
The great horde of negro cooks and servants that usually followed the
army were allowed to roam at will over the surrounding country, just
the same as down in Virginia. The negroes foraged for their masters
wherever they went, and in times of short rations they were quite
an adjunct to the Commissary Department, gathering chickens, butter,
flour, etc. Even now, when so near the Free States, with nothing
to prevent them from making their escape, the negroes showed no
disposition to take advantage of their situation and conditions, their
owners giving themselves no concern whatever for their safety. On more
occasions than one their masters told them to go whenever they wished,
that they would exercise no authority over them whatever, but I do not
believe a single negro left of his own accord. Some few were lost,
of course, but they were lost like many of the soldiers--captured by
foraging parties or left broken down along the roadside. It is a fact,
though, that during the whole war the negroes were as much afraid of
the "Yankee" as the white soldier, and dreaded capture more.
It might be supposed that we fared sumptuously, being in an enemy's
country at fruit and harvest time, with great waving fields of corn,
trees bending under loads of choice ripe fruits, but such was far from
being the case. Not an apple, peach, or plum was allowed to be taken
without payment, or at the owner's consent. Fields, orchards, and
farmhouses were strictly guarded against depredations. The citizens as
a whole looked at us askance, rather passive than demonstrative. The
young did not flock to our standards as was expected, and the old men
looked on more in wonder than in pleasure, and opened their granaries
with willingness, but not with cheerfulness. They accepted the
Confederate money offered as pay for meals or provisions more as a
respect to an overpowering foe than as a compensation for their wares.
A good joke in this campaign was had at the expense of Captain Nance,
of the Third. It must be remembered that the privates played many
practical jokes upon their officers in camps, when at other times
and on other occasions such would be no joke at all, but a bit of
downright rascality and meanness--but in the army such was called
fun. A nice chicken, but too old to fry, so it must be stewed. As the
wagons were not up, cooking utensils were scarce--about one oven to
twenty-five men. Captain Nance ordered Jess to bake the biscuit at
night and put away till morning, when the chicken would be cooked and
a fine breakfast spread. Now the Captain was overflowing in good humor
and spirits, and being naturally generous-hearted, invited the
Colonel and Lieutenant Colonel Rutherford, the latter his prospective
brother-in-law, down to take breakfast with him. The biscuits were
all baked nicely and piled high up on an old tin plate and put in the
Captain's tent at his head for safe keeping during the night. Early
next morning the fowl was "jumping in the pan," as the boys would say,
while the Captain made merry with the others over their discomfiture
at seeing him and his guests eating "chicken and flour bread," while
they would be "chewing crackers." All things must come to an end, of
course; so the chicken was at last "cooked to a turn," the Colonel
and the future brother-in-law are seated expectantly upon the ground
waiting the breakfast call. The Captain was assisting Jess in putting
on the finishing touches to the tempting meal, as well as doing the
honors to his distinguished guests. When all was ready he ordered Jess
to bring out the biscuits. After an unusual long wait, as it may have
appeared to Captain Nance under the condition of his appetite and the
presence of his superiors, he called out, "Why in the thunder don't
you bring out the biscuits, Jess?" Still blankets were overturned and
turned again, knapsacks moved for the fourth or fifth time, yet Jess
hunted faithfully in that little four by six tent for the plate of
biscuits. "Why in the h----l don't you come on with the biscuits,
Jess?" with a pronounced accent on the word "Jess." Meanwhile Jess
poked his black, shaggy head through the tent door, the white of his
eyes depicting the anguish of his mind, his voice the despair he felt,
answered: "Well, Marse John, before God Almighty, ef somebody ain't
tooken stole dem bisket." Tableaux!! Twenty-five years afterwards at a
big revival meeting at Bethel Church, in Newberry County, a great many
"hard cases," as they were called, were greatly impressed with the
sermons, and one especially seemed on the point of "getting religion,"
as it is called. But he seemed to be burdened with a great weight.
At the end of the service he took out Captain Nance and expressed
a desire to make a confession. "Did you ever know who stole your
biscuits that night at Frederick City?" "No." "Well, I and Bud
Wilson--" But Captain Nance never allowed John Mathis to finish, for
as the light of that far-off truth dawned upon him and seemed to
bring back the recollection of that nice brown chicken and the missing
biscuits he said: "No, I'll never forgive you; go home and don't try
for religion any longer, for a crime as heinous as yours is beyond
forgiveness. Oh, such depravity!" It appears since that two of his
most intimate friends had robbed him just for the fun they would have
over his disappointment in the morning and the chagrin the Captain
would experience, but the biscuits were too tempting to keep.
On the morning of the 17th we were yet ten miles from Sharpsburg,
where Lee had drawn up his army around that little hamlet and along
Antietam Creek, to meet the shock of battle that McClellan was
preparing to give. The battleground chosen was in a bend of the
Potomac, Lee's left resting on the river above and around to the front
to near the point where the Antietam enters the Potomac on the right.
The little sluggish stream between the two armies, running at the base
of the heights around and beyond Sharpsburg, was not fordable for some
distance above the Potomac, and only crossed by stone bridges at the
public roads. Up near Lee's left it could be crossed without bridges.
The Confederate Army now lay in a small compass in this bend of the
river, the Federal Army extending in his front from the river above
to the Antietam below, just above its junction with the Potomac. That
stream rolled in a deep, strong current in the rear of Lee.
Even before the sun had spread its rays over the heights of this
quaint old Quaker town sufficient to distinguish objects a few feet
away, the guns were booming along the crossings of Antietam. With a
hurried breakfast Kershaw took up the line of march along the dusty
roads in the direction of the firing, which had begun by daylight
and continued to rage incessantly during the day and till after dark,
making this the most bloody battle for the men engaged fought during
the century. In its casualties--the actual dead upon the field and
the wounded--for the time of action, it exceeded all others before
or since. When we neared General Lee's headquarters, some distance in
rear of the town, D.H. Hill and part of Jackson's forces were already
in the doubtful toils of a raging conflict away to our left and front,
where Hooker was endeavoring to break Lee's left or press it back upon
the river. Barksdale's Brigade, of our division, was in front, and
when near the battlefield formed in line of battle. Kershaw formed his
lines with the Third, Colonel Nance, in front, nearly parallel with a
body of woods, near the Dunker Church, and left of the road leading to
it, the enemy being about five hundred yards in our front. The other
regiments were formed in line on our left as they came up, Colonel
Aiken, of the Seventh, Lieutenant Colonel Hoole, of the Eighth, and
Colonel Kennedy, of the Second, in the order named, Barksdale moving
in action before our last regiment came fairly in line. Sumner, of the
Federal Army, was pushing his forces of the Second Army Corps forward
at this point of the line in columns of brigades, having crossed the
Antietam at the fords above. Sedgwick, of his leading division, had
already formed in line of battle awaiting our assault. One of the
Georgia Brigades of the division formed on Kershaw's left, while the
other acted as reserve, and a general advance was ordered against
the troops in the woods. The battle was in full blast now along the
greater part of the line. General Longstreet, speaking of the time
Kershaw came in action, says: "The fire spread along both lines from
left to right, across the Antietam, and back again, and the thunder
of the big guns became continuous and increased to a mighty volume. To
this was presently added the sharper rattle of musketry, and the surge
of mingling sound sweeping up and down the field was multiplied and
confused by the reverberations from the rocks and hills. And in the
great tumult of sound, which shook the air and seemed to shatter the
cliffs and ledges above the Antietam, bodies of the facing foes were
pushed forward to closer work, and soon added the clash of steel to
the thunderous crash of cannon shot. Under this storm, now Kershaw
advanced his men. Through the open, on through the woods, with a solid
step these brave men went, while the battery on their left swept their
ranks with grape and canister." In the woods the brigade was moved to
the left to evade this storm of shot and shell. The Mississippians on
the left were now reforming their broken ranks. Colonel Aiken, of the
Seventh, had fallen badly wounded in the first charge, and the command
was given to Captain White. This was the first battle in a fair field
in which the new commanders of the regiments had had an opportunity to
show their mettle and ability, and well did they sustain themselves.
Savage Station and Maryland Heights were so crowded with underbrush
and vision so obscured that they were almost battles in the dark.
Colonel Kennedy, of the Second, and Lieutenant Colonel Hoole, of
the Eighth, were handling their men in splendid style, the Seventh
changing its commander three times while in battle. Colonel Nance
changed his front in the lull of battle, and moved under the friendly
cover of a hill, on which was posted the battery that had been graping
the field so desperately during the first advance. The brigade had
now passed through the field of waving corn, over the rail fence, and
driven Sedgwick from his position. Barksdale, who had been staggered
by the first impact, was now moving up in beautiful harmony; the
steady, elastic step of his men, the waving banners, the officers
marching in the rear, their bright blades glittering in the sunlight,
made a most imposing spectacle. Up the slope, among the straggling
oaks, they bent their steps, while the grape, shell, and canister
thinned their ranks to such an extent that when the enemy's infantry
was met, their galling fire forced Barksdale to retire in great
disorder. The enemy's troops were being hurried ever the creek and
forming in our front. Kershaw moved forward in line with those on the
right to meet them, and swept everything from his front. The enemy
had been massing along the whole line, and when Kershaw reached the
farthest limit of the open field he was met by overwhelming numbers.
Now the fight waged hot and fierce, but the line on the right having
retired left the right flank of the Third Regiment entirely exposed
both to the fire of the artillery and infantry, forcing the brigade to
retire to its former ground, leaving, however, the second commander of
the Seventh dead upon the field. It was here the famous scout and aide
to General Stuart, Captain W.D. Parley, killed at the Rappahannock,
came to visit his brother, Lieutenant Parley, of the Third. He was
made doubly famous by the fiction of Captain Estine Cooke.
McClellan was now growing desperate, his lines making no headway
either on the left or centre. His forces were held at bay on our right
across the Antietam, having failed to force a crossing at the bridges.
Jackson and Hill, on the left, were being sorely pressed by the corps
of Mansfield and Hooker, but still doggedly held their ground. Jackson
had left the division of A.P. Hill at Harper's Ferry to settle the
negotiations of surrender, and had but a comparative weak force to
meet this overwhelming number of two army corps. Again and again the
Confederate ranks were broken, but as often reformed. Stuart stood on
the extreme left, with his body of cavalry, but the condition of the
field was such as to prevent him from doing little more service than
holding the flanks. General Toombs, with his Georgia Brigade, and
some detached troops, with two batteries, held the lower fords all day
against the whole of Burnside's corps, notwithstanding the imperative
orders of his chief "to cross and strike the Confederates in the
rear." Assaults by whole divisions were repeatedly made against the
small force west of the stream, but were easily repulsed by Toombs
and his Georgians. In all probability these unsuccessful attacks would
have continued during the day, had not the Federals found a crossing,
unknown to the Confederate Generals, between the bridges. When the
crossing was found the whole slope on the western side of the stream
was soon a perfect sheet of blue. So sure were they of victory that
they called upon the Confederates to "throw down their arms and
surrender." This was only answered by a volley and a charge with the
bayonet point. But there was a factor in the day's battle not yet
taken account of, and which was soon to come upon the field like a
whirlwind and change the course of events. A.P. Hill, who had been
left at Harper's Ferry, was speeding towards the bloody field with all
the speed his tired troops could make. Gregg, Branch, and Archer, of
Hill's Division, were thrown into the combat at this most critical
moment, after the enemy had forced a crossing at all points and were
pushing Lee backwards towards the Potomac. Short and decisive was
the work. An advance of the whole right was made. The enemy first
staggered, then reeled, and at last pressed off the field. The
batteries lost in the early part of the day were retaken, and the
enemy was glad to find shelter under his heavy guns on the other side
of the Antietam. But the battle on the left was not so favorable.
Jackson's, D.H. Hill's, and McLaw's troops, jaded and fagged by the
forced marches in the morning, their ranks woefully thinned by the
day's continuous fighting, their ammunition sadly exhausted, could do
no more than hold their ground for the remainder of the day. The enemy
now being re-enforced by Porter's Corps, his batteries enfilading our
ranks. McLaws was forced to move Kershaw and the troops on his right
to the left and rear, nearly parallel to the line first formed during
the day. There had been no material advantage on either side. On
the right the enemy had crossed the Antietam, it is true, but to a
position no better than the night before. Our left and centre were
bent back in somewhat more acute angle than on the morning, but to an
equally good position. Not many prisoners were taken on either side in
proportion to the magnitude of the battle. The enemy's loss in killed
and wounded was a little more than ours, but so far as the day's
battle goes, the loss and gain were about equal. It is true Lee lost
thousands of good and brave troops whose places could scarcely be
filled; yet he inflicted such punishment upon the enemy that it took
him months to recuperate. The moral effect was against us and in favor
of the enemy It had a decided bearing upon the coming elections at the
North, and a corresponding depression upon the people at the South.
The Southern Army, from its many successive victories in the past, had
taught themselves to believe that they were simply invincible upon the
field of battle, and the people of the South looked upon the strategy
and military skill of Lee and Jackson as being far beyond the cope of
any Generals the North could produce. But this battle taught the South
a great lesson in many ways. It demonstrated the fact that it was
possible to be matched in generalship, it was possible to meet men
upon the field equal in courage and endurance to themselves. But
it also proved to what point of forbearance and self-sacrifice the
Southern soldier could go when the necessity arose, and how faithful
and obedient they would remain to their leaders under the severest of
tests. The Confederate soldier had been proven beyond cavil the equal
in every respect to that of any on the globe. After fighting all day,
without food and with little water, they had to remain on the field
of battle, tired and hungry, until details returned to the wagons and
cooked their rations. It may be easily imagined that both armies were
glad enough to fall upon the ground and rest after such a day of blood
and carnage, with the smoke, dust, and weltering heat of the day.
Before the sound of the last gun had died away in the distance one
hundred thousand men were stretched upon the ground fast asleep,
while near a third of that number were sleeping their last sleep
or suffering from the effects of fearful wounds. The ghouls of the
battlefield are now at their wanton work. Stealthily and cautiously
they creep and grope about in the dark to hunt the body of an enemy,
or even a comrade, and strip or rob him of his little all. Prayers,
groans, and curses mingle, but the robber of the battlefield continues
his work. Friends seek lost comrades here and there, a brother looks,
perhaps, in vain for a brother.
The loss in some of our regiments was appalling, especially the
Seventh. Two regimental commanders, of that command had fallen,
Colonel Aiken and Captain White, leaving Captain Hard, one of the
junior Captains, in command. The regiment lost in the two battles of
Maryland Heights and Sharpsburg, two hundred and fifty-three out of
four hundred and forty-six.
General McClellan, in his testimony before the War Investigating
Committee, says: "We fought pretty close upon one hundred thousand
men. Our forces were, total in action, eighty-seven thousand one
hundred and sixty-four." Deducting the cavalry division not in action
of four thousand three hundred and twenty, gives McClellan eighty-two
thousand eight hundred and forty-four, infantry and artillery.
General Lee says in his report: "The battle was fought by less than
forty thousand men of all arms on our side." The actual numbers were:
Jackson, including A.P. Hill ...... 10,000
Longstreet ........................ 12,000
D.H. Hill and Walker ............... 7,000
Cavalry ............................ 8,000
______
37,000
Deduct four thousand cavalry on detached service and not on the field
from Lee's force, and we have of infantry, artillery, and cavalry,
thirty-three thousand. Jackson only had four thousand on the left
until the arrival of A.P. Hill, and withstood the assaults of forty
thousand till noon; when re-enforced by Hill he pressed the enemy from
the field.
The next day was employed in burying the dead and gathering up the
wounded. Those who could travel were started off across the Potomac on
foot, in wagons and ambulances, on the long one hundred miles march to
the nearest railroad station, while those whose wounds would not admit
of their removal were gathered in houses in the town and surgeons
detailed to remain and treat them. On the morning of the 19th some
hours before day the rumbling of the wagon trains told of our march
backward. We crossed the Potomac, Longstreet leading, and Jackson
bringing up the rear. A great many that had been broken down by the
rapid marches and the sun's burning rays from the time of our crossing
into Maryland till now, were not up at the battle of the 17th, thus
weakening the ranks of Lee to nearly one-half their real strength,
taking those on detached service into consideration also. But these
had all come up and joined their ranks as we began crossing the
Potomac. None wished to be left behind; even men so badly wounded that
at home they would be confined to their beds marched one hundred miles
in the killing heat. Hundreds of men with their arms amputated left
the operating table to take up their long march. Some shot through the
head, body, or limbs preferred to place the Potomac between themselves
and the enemy.
Lee entered Maryland with sixty-one thousand men all told, counting
Quartermaster and Commissary Departments, the teamsters, and those in
the Medical and Engineer Department. Lee lost thirteen thousand
six hundred and eighty-seven men killed and wounded on the field
of battle, and several thousand in capture and broken down by the
wayside, most of the latter, however, reporting for duty in a few
days.
McClellan had of actual soldiers in the lines of battle and reserve
eighty-seven thousand one hundred and sixty-four, his losses in battle
being twelve thousand four hundred and ten, making his casualties one
thousand two hundred and seventy-seven less than Lee's. The prisoners
and cannon captured in action were about equal during the twelve days
north of the Potomac, while at Harper's Ferry Lee captured sufficient
ammunition to replenish that spent in battle, and horses and wagons
enough to fully equip the whole army, thousands of improved small
arms, seventy-two cannon and caissons, and eleven thousand prisoners.
While the loss of prisoners, ammunition, horses, ordnance, etc., did
not materially cripple the North, our losses in prisoners and killed
and wounded could hardly be replaced at that time. So in summing up
the results it is doubtful whether or not the South gained any lasting
benefit from the campaign beyond the Potomac. But Lee was forced by
circumstances after the enemy's disaster at Manassas to follow up his
victories and be guided by the course of events, and in that direction
they lead. McClellan offered the gauge of battle; Lee was bound to
accept. The North claimed Sharpsburg or Antietam as a victory, and the
world accepted it as such. This gave Lincoln the opportunity he had
long waited for to write his famous Emancipation Proclamation. It was
not promulgated, however, till the first of January following. Among
military critics this battle would be given to Lee, even while the
campaign is voted a failure. It is an axiom in war that when one army
stands upon the defensive and is attacked by the other, if the latter
fails to force the former from his position, then it is considered a
victory for the army standing on the defensive. (See Lee at Gettysburg
and Burnsides at Fredericksburg.) While Lee was the invader, he stood
on the defensive at Sharpsburg or Antietam, and McClellan did no more
than press his left and centre back. Lee held his battle line firmly,
slept on the field, buried his dead the next day, then deliberately
withdrew. What better evidence is wanting to prove Lee not defeated.
McClellan claimed no more than a drawn fight.
On the 19th the enemy began pressing our rear near Sheperdstown,
and A.P. Hill was ordered to return and drive them off. A fierce and
sanguinary battle took place at Bateler's Ford, between two portions
of the armies, A.P. Hill gaining a complete victory, driving the enemy
beyond the river. The army fell back to Martinsburg and rested a few
days. Afterwards they were encamped at Winchester, where they remained
until the opening of the next campaign.
Before closing the account of the First Maryland campaign, I wish
to say a word in regard to the Commissary and Quartermaster's
Departments. Much ridicule, and sometimes abuse, has been heaped upon
the heads of those who composed the two Departments. I must say, in
all justice, that much of this was ill timed and ill advised. It
must be remembered that to the men who constituted these Departments
belonged the duty of feeding, clothing, and furnishing the
transportation for the whole army. Often without means or ways, they
had to invent them. In an enemy's country, surrounded by many dangers,
in a hostile and treacherous community, and mostly unprotected except
by those of their own force, they had to toil night and day, through
sunshine and rain, that the men who were in the battle ranks could be
fed and clothed. They had no rest. When the men were hungry they must
be fed; when others slept they had to be on the alert. When sick or
unable to travel a means of transportation must be furnished. The
Commissary and the Quartermaster must provide for the sustenance
of the army. Kershaw's Brigade was doubly blessed in the persons
of Captain, afterwards Major W.D. Peck and Captain Shell, of the
Quartermaster Department, and Captain R.N. Lowrance, and Lieutenant
J.N. Martin, of the Commissary. The troops never wanted or suffered
while it was in the power of those officers to supply them.
Major Peck was a remarkable man in many respects. He certainly could
be called one of nature's noblemen. Besides being a perfect high-toned
gentleman of the old school, he was One of the most efficient officers
in the army, and his popularity was universal His greatest service
was in the Quartermaster's Department, but he served for awhile in the
ranks in Captain Wm. Wallace's Company, Second Regiment, as Orderly
Sergeant--served in that capacity at the bombardment of Fort Sumpter
and the first battle of Manassas. On the death of Quartermaster W.S.
Wood, Colonel Kershaw appointed him his Regimental Quartermaster to
fill the place made vacant by Captain Wood, in July, 1861, with the
rank of Captain. When Kershaw was made Brigadier General, on the
resignation of General Bonham, he had him promoted to Brigade
Quartermaster with the rank of Major. On the resignation of Major
McLaws, Division Quartermaster, he was made Division Quartermaster in
his stead, and held this position during the war. He received his last
appointment only one month before his illustrious chief, J.B. Kershaw,
was made Major General. It seems a strange coincidence in the rise of
these two men, who entered the service together--each took different
arms, but rose in parallel grades to the highest position in the
division. Major Peck was seldom absent from duty, and a complaint
against him was never heard. He was a bold, gallant officer, and
when in the discharge of his duties he laid aside every other
consideration. Major Peck had a very striking appearance, tall, erect,
and dignified, and upon horseback he was a perfect cavalier. It
might be truly said he was one of the handsomest men in the army. His
commanding appearance attracted attention wherever he went, and he
was often taken for a general officer. For cordiality, generosity, and
unselfishness he was almost without a rival. It required no effort
on his part to display the elegance of his character--his gentlemanly
qualities and deportment were as natural to him as it is for the
"sparks to fly upward." He was born in Columbia April 4th, 1833, and
died there April 25th, 1870.
The mere fact of Captain G.W. Shell being appointed to such a
responsible position as Quartermaster by so strict a disciplinarian as
Colonel Nance is a sufficient guarantee of his qualifications. Captain
Shell entered the army as a private in the "State Guards," from
Laurens, served one year as such, then as Regimental Quartermaster
with rank of Captain for a part of two years. Then that office in the
army was abolished and put in charge of a non-commissioned officer.
Appreciating his great services while serving his regiment, the
officials were loath to dispense with his services, and gave him
a position in the brigade department and then in the division as
assistant to Major Peck, retaining his rank. All that has been said of
Major Peck can be truly said of Captain Shell. He was an exceptional
executive officer, kind and courteous to those under his orders,
obedient and respectful to his superiors. He was ever vigilant and
watchful of the wants of the troops, and while in the abandoned
sections of Virginia, as well as in Maryland and Pennsylvania,
he displayed the greatest activity in gathering supplies for the
soldiers. He was universally loved and admired. He was of the same age
of Captain Peck, born and reared in Laurens County, where he returned
after the close of the war and still resides, enjoying all the
comforts emanating from a well spent life. For several terms he filled
the office of Clerk of the Court of his native county, and served two
terms in the United States Congress. He was the leading spirit in the
great reform movement that overspread the State several years ago, in
which Ben Tillman was made Governor, and South Carolina's brightest
light, both political and military, General Wade Hampton, was retired
to private life.
* * * * *
COLONEL D. WYATT AIKEN, OF THE SEVENTH.
As Colonel Aiken saw but little more service with the First Brigade,
I will here give a short sketch of his life. I have made it a rule in
this work, as far as practicable, to give a sketch at the end of
the officer's service in the Brigade, but in this case I make an
exception.
Colonel Aiken was born in Winnsboro, Fairfield County, S.C., March
17th, 1828. He graduated at the South Carolina College in the class
of 1849. Was professor at Mt. Zion College for two years, and married
Miss Mattie Gaillard in 1852, settling at "Bellevue" Farm, near
Winnsboro. He became county editor of Winnsboro News and Herald, and
was married the second time to Miss Smith, of Abbeville, and removed
to that county in 1858. Was fond of agriculture, and was editor of
various periodicals devoted to that and kindred pursuits.
In 1861 he volunteered as a private in the Seventh South Carolina
Volunteers, and was appointed Adjutant of that regiment. At the
reorganization of the regiment in 1862 he was elected Colonel to
succeed Colonel Bacon, who declined re-election. At Sharpsburg he
received a wound in the body, which for a long time was feared to be
fatal. He, however, returned in June, 1863, and commanded his regiment
in the Gettysburg battle, after which he was deemed unable for further
active service in the field, and was appointed "commandant of the
post" at Macon, Ga. This position he held for one year, and then
discharged from the army as being unfit for further service.
After the war he was selected for three terms to the State
Legislature. He was "Master of State Grange Patrons of Husbandry," and
was twice President of the "State Agricultural and Mechanical Society
of South Carolina." He was chosen Democratic standard bearer for
Congress in the memorable campaign of 1876, and continually re-elected
thereafter until his death, which occurred on April 6th, 1887.
Colonel Aiken was also one of nature's noblemen, bold, fearless, and
incorruptible. He did as much, or perhaps more, than any of the many
great and loyal men of that day to release South Carolina from the
coils of the Republican ring that ruled the State during the dark days
of Reconstruction.
* * * * *