The below was John M. Poythress' unit along with many, many other Screven County Georgians. Hope it will be interesting. Hope also that some of you Screven Countians can pass along more history of the unit. Best, John Maynard Poythress >>>> Subj: Battle-scarred flag goes home to Georgia Date: 5/7/00 5:20:27 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: HPAnewswire@phantacom.net (HPA NewsWire) To: HPAnewswire@phantacom.net (HPA Members List) (This information is provided by HPA for educational purposes.) May 6, 2000 Battle-scarred flag goes home to Georgia The Associated Press EHRHARDT -- The 135-year-old flag was handled just as carefully as it had been when the 47th Georgia Infantry was defeated in Rivers Bridge Confederate Memorial Association celebration. When Gen. William T. Sherman's Union troops took Rivers Bridge and the Confederates who survived the battle surrendered a few months later, Capt. Benjamin S. Williams hid the colors between his saddle blankets and took it to his South Carolina home. On Friday, the flag was returned to its home state in a special ceremony by the Rivers Bridge Confederate Memorial Association. Nearly 300 Confederate descendants cheered and cried as speakers, including Lt. Gov. Bob Peeler, talked of honor, heritage, courage, valor and sacrifice. Created by Esther Cohen Williams, wife of Col. Gilbert William Martin Williams of the 47th Georgia, the battle flag that flew at Rivers Bridge in February 1865 was made from materials Mrs. Williams had on hand -- two red shawls, some white silk, pieces of furniture upholstery and fringe from her curtains. In 1938, the family of Benjamin Williams presented the 47th Georgia flag to the Rivers Bridge Memorial Association, and it remained at the state park until it was stolen in the 1980s. The flag was recovered about a year later and given to the State Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism in Columbia. In exchange for the original, the Rivers Bridge association received a replica made by Mary Adelle O'Grady, the great-great-granddaughter of the woman who made the original flag. "My heart is very full today," O'Grady said, recalling the first time she saw the flag during a visit to Columbia in 1997. "I have to tell you, it's still an emotional experience for me when I see the battle scars, when I see the stitches, when I think about all the men that served under that relic." Copyright 2000 The State