Jan---thank you so much for sharing with us.....Could we have this posted at the Reunion? mary margaret selig-trahan Jan Craven wrote: > Letter by W. L. Hodge. Reminiscenses of the Civil War. Union Parish, LA. > Note: this is from the papers of Errye Pryor Hampton. Source is not > stated. Paper is yellowed and worn and is type written from the original. > Looks to me like it was published in the newspaper at some point, but what > I have doesn't say when. Even if you don't "belong" > to any of these folks, I think you will enjoy reading this. > Hope so anyway..... > Jan > > SKETCH OF A PROMINENT FAMILY > An Old Schoolmaster Writes Interesting Reminiscences of Civil War > > I have recently heard the news of the death of my good friend W. K. > Pryor. I have known the Pryor family from boyhood, Mr. Stokes Pryor and my > mother being first cousins. Mr. S. Pryor was also a first cousin to (the) > Rev. J. W. Melton. > > When the Civil War began in April, 1861, there were ten children in the > Pryor family-one girl and nine boys. The girl had been married several > years to Charlie Heard, a first cousin to Ex-Governor Heard. He gave his > life in defense of the South. Two of his daughters live at Spearsville, > Louisiana- Mrs. Will Cherry and Mrs. John Cobb. > > The Pryor family moved from Alabama to Louisiana after the close of the > Civil War, leaving the oldest son, R.Q. Pryor, in their old home. I have a > letter from him giving his recollections of the Civil War, which I will quote: > > "When the guns fired at Fort Sumpter, South Carolina, I was 19 years > old, going to school at Dalton, Georgia. The next day my friend and > relative, W. L. Hodge, and myself laid down our books and took the train > for home. When we reached Montgomery, Alabama, we took a stage for Selma, > where we arrived at sunrise the next morning. After lunch, we joined the > Selma Cadets., N.H.R. Dawson, Captain. We hired a team late in the day and > started for home, overtaking my father in the road. He said, with tears > trickling down his cheeks: "My son, I didn't vote for Secession; I was in > favor of Mr. Lincoln taking his seat and telling him 'if you violate our > Constitution, we will raise the stars and stripes and fight in the Union; > but since Alabama seceded, if you die, die with your face to the foe.' We > reached home after dark > that day and left the next morning before light, taking my next oldest > brother, John W. Pryor, with us. We left Selma for Virginia, April 16, > and were under General Joseph W. Johnston at Harper's Ferry, Virginia, > where my comrade, W. L. Hodge, swam across the Potomac river, 60 miles > from Washington, D.C. Our first battle was fought at Manassas July 21st, > 1861, where I was slightly wounded. At the second battle of Manassas, I was > shot through my right side and breathed out of the wound until the blood > ran and clogged up the wound. At the battle of Chicamauga, our color > bearer was shot down and my brother, George A. Pryor, took up the colors. > General Hood rode up and asked what regiment it was; brother told him > "Fourth Alabama. General > Hood asked him to give him the colors; he said, 'You can't get them; I Will > carry then anywhere you say.'" > > "Brother George was killed near Knoxville, Tennessee. Brother John was > killed in 1862 at the battle of the Wilderness. I was again shot through > the body on the right side above the former wound. This wound up my service > in the war. My brother, Ben Pryor, was serving in the war at the close." > > Those recollections make me want to give a few of my reminiscences of > the Civil War. At the battle of the Wilderness, General Grant was > Commander-in-Chief of the Union armies. Sherman at Chattanooga commanded a > hundred thousand men. General Butler with fifty thousand was sent against > Richmond. General Grant commanded one hundred and fifty thousand effective > fighting soldiers. General Phil Sheridan commanded his cavalry. The > Wilderness battle was but a few miles from Chancellorsville where General > Hooker was defeated the year before; and where Stonewall Jackson was > mortally wounded. General Grant's baggage train was sixty miles long- as > long as the entire distance from the Rapidan to Richmond. Lee's army, > consisting of only sixty-two thousand men, crept into the tangled > wilderness where Grant would have to fight him without cannon, Grant having > so many more cannon than Lee. > > From the dawn of May 5th, 1864, till far into the night the conflict > raged. Lee had pushed the blue lines back a hundred yards, captured four > guns and a number of prisoners. At daylight, the morning of the sixth, they > were at it again. As the Confederate right wing crumpled and rolled back, > Longstreet threw his corps into the breech. Lee himself rode forward to > lead the charge and restore his line. At sight of him, rose the cries: "Lee > to the rear! Go > back, General Lee! We'll settle this! With a yell., our army took the > field. General Wardsworth, at the head of his division, was mortally > wounded and fell into our hands. He was formerly Governor of New York and > impressed me as > being an able and polished man. I later learned he was a relative of Brother > J.U.H. Warton. In two days Grant lost sixteen thousand men; Lee as many in > proportion to numbers. > > The next fighting was at the "Bloody Angle" of Spotsylvania. For five > days Grant tried in vain to break Lee's trenches. He gave it up. The > devotion of Lee's men was a mania. He was unconquerable in a square hand to > hand fight In the woods. The next battle was second Cold Harbor. With the > first streak of dawn, four-thirty, Grant's army charged. TEN THOUSAND MEN > IN BLUE FELL IN TWENTY MINUTES! > > Nothing like it had, to this time, happened in, the history of man. In > the thirty days since Grant had met Lee in the Wilderness, the Northern > army had lost sixty thousand men, among the bravest of our race. Lee's > losses were as great in proportion to the number he commanded. Next the > armies of Petersburg lay behind thirty-five miles of deep trenches. Grant's > new plan of campaign was digging a tunnel under Lee's fortress before > Petersburg. He gathered sixty-five thousand men with his Black Legions, > before the tunnel. The tons of powder were stored under the fort, and the > fuse set July 31st, 1864 was about four hundred yards from the fort when it > was blown up. A huge hole had been torn in Lee's fortifications one hundred > yards long and sixty feet wide and twenty-five feet in depth. Lee reached > the field and took command. Mahone's men came to the rescue. The Black > Battalion was ordered to charge. The whole Southern line dashed on the > advancing Black Legions in a countercharge and the yell of white victory > ran, over the field. At the bottom of the pit the heap was ten feet deep in > dead men. Again Grant failed to take Petersburg. We buried a thousand of > his men next day. > > When our Brigadier-General Sandres from Alabama formed us into line to > charge the craters, he said: "Men, I don't command you to take that line, > but follow me." And we did follow to the very jaws of the crater, helping > to bring the dead from the pit, having to step over dead men while bringing > them out Generals Lee and Beauregard witnessed the charge. > > I could write much more of my experiences in the but desist, for it > would take the whole space of your paper to publish it. I will conclude by > saying the Pryor boys were good soldiers, possessing courage of a high > degree. When I found R.Q. Pryor the night of May 6, he was lying on a > blanket in the woods, his wounds not dressed because the surgeon in charge > thought it impossible for him to live. I told the surgeon; "Pryor says, > "You think I can't live -and have not dressed my wound.' " The surgeon had > him placed on the operating table, turned him on his side and cut the > bullet out of his back without using an anaesthetic, Pryor not even > groaning. The surgeon said: "Pryor, I'll > be damned if you don't get well again. Pryor's mother was a sister of Mr. > George A. Killgore. Mrs. Pryor never failed In the courage and sacrifice > that gave the South its enthusiasm and endurance. > > When Lee's army, a small band of ten thousand, surrendered, April 19, > 1865, General Grant gave us generous terms. All officers retained their > swords and every horse went home for spring plowing. He merely required > out paroles not to take up arms again. I have mine enclosed in a small > frame. I walked most of the way home from Appomattox Court House to > Perryville, Alabama. Lee's last words to us worst "My heart's too full for > speech my men. I have done for you all that was in my power. You have done > your duty; we leave the rest to God. Go quietly to your homes now and work > to build up our ruined country. Obey the laws and be as good citizens as > you have been soldiers. I'm going to try to do this; will you help me." > > W. L. Hodge > Simsboro, Louisiana > April 6, 1922