Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 18.djvu/284

 284 Southern Historical Society Papers.

Dunnigan and I sat on our guns looking at the remains of the army coming in ; a sad sight to us. Evening. We just finished spiking and burning thirty fine pieces of artillery. At sunset, the most of the officers disbanding their men, we marched our battery out to New London, twelve miles from the city, with Colonel Nelson's bat- talion of infantry. Artillery held a consultation that night in an old barn. (I think Colonel Chew came up with us in the barn it raining some and advised the men to go home ; stating that he was going to Johnston's army, and would be glad to take any of us with him that wanted to go. But this is from memory, as I have no note of it.) At daylight Captain Carter assembled us, and several spoke. He then disbanded us on loth of April, 1865. A sad parting ! We had been shoulder to shoulder in so many hard places. The follow- ing names are of those present at the end :

Captains Tuck. Carter, William R. Lyman, Clayton Williams, Charles and Frank Conrad, Frank Asberry, Red. Zirkle, Robert Atkinson, Thornton, Dayley, Morrell, William R. Lyman, Hare, Crawford, Pern. Thompson, Charles W. McVicarand Adjutant Wil- liam Thompson 16. Sixteen of us some old comrades of three years nearly had been to the front together in over fifty engage- ments. The separation was felt as only those in our position could realize, but would fail in words to describe. And after a lapse of over twenty-five years the reunion of Ashby's brigade and this bat- tery was started. Major Holmes Conrad worked hard for a month to make it a success. Its growth was beyond the expectation, but not up to the amount it would have been had it not been in seeding time. Assistance had to be called in. The old Veteran Camp, No. 4, held a meeting. Committees were appointed. The committee of general management was : Dr. William P. McGuire, chairman ; Captain William H. Myers, Charles W. McVicar, Major Holmes Conrad and Captain John J. Williams. We met often, and a large amount of work was done, and well done. I proposed getting a section of guns for the battery, and wrote to the Staunton battery requesting the loan of the guns. The reply came promptly, and freely tendering the loan of one or more guns. The kindness of the Staunton battery is here acknowledged. Capjtain David O'Rork was very prompt in shipping; and we here extend thanks also to Mr. Jacob Baker and Captain John Glaize, both of these gentlemen furnishing four horses each, at the expense of their seeding, free of cost to us. Colonel Chew, with his characteristic generosity, sent us a check for seventy-five dollars to defray expense of battery. By