Berry Benson's Civil War Book: Memoirs of a Confederate Scout and Sharpshooter

I: A Young Volunteer

A Young Volunteer THE FIRST SIX MONTHS — BATTLE OF COLD HARBOR — THE REMAINING SEVEN DAYS ALREADY in the fall of 1860, companies of Minute Men were being formed throughout S. C. holding themselves in readiness to be under arms at a minute's notice. One being formed in Hamburg, Blackwood and I joined it, and its services were proffered to the Governor. On the 8th of Jany. 1861, nineteen days after S. C. seceded, our Co. with two others from Edgefield District, by command of the Govr. took train at Hamburg, to be mustered into service at Charleston, I lacking one month of being 18 years of age, and Blackwood four months of being 16. We left in a storm of cheers, Father giving us a little money, a little good advice, and his blessing. On our arrival at Charleston that evening we were quartered in a steamboat (the "Excel") lying at the wharf, and next day were marched to the Arsenal and furnished with arms, smoothbore muskets, carrying a ball and three buckshot for cartridge. The distribution was made in an upper story, and the men were cautioned about a large square opening in the floor (through which goods were pulled up, I suppose). But notwithstanding the caution, one man (Sidney Weeks of Merriwether Guards) unfortunately fell through, and striking his head on the brick pavement below, was killed, probably the first life lost in the war. We were now boated over to Sullivan's Island, and mustered into the state's service for six months. There were some 1 1 2 B E R R Y B E N S O N ' S C I V I L WAR BOOK other companies already arrived and perhaps others came just after; the 1st. Regt. S. C. Volunteers was formed, under Col. Maxcy Gregg. We entered at once upon a soldier's duty, drilling , mounting guard, picket duty etc. The island is almost pure sand, the vegetation being palmetto trees and myrtle bushes. There was nothing along the beach to break the force of the wind, and some of the coldest night-watches I ever spent was along the shore. Shortly after, the Regt. was transferred to Morris Island, landing at Cumming's Point, soon to be famous as the locale of the yet unbuilt Iron Battery. I did not stay long with the Regt. A one-gun battery was about to be built not far above Cumming's Point, to be in command of Col. Tom Lamar of Edgefield Dist. and I was one of eight taken from the Regt. to man it. And now we worked hard, often by night as well as by day, shoveling sand and rolling wheelbarrows of sand up plank inclines, and many a time we were wet through by rain, not being allowed to stop. Once having no dry garment to sleep in, I took a cotton sack and cutting a hole in the bottom for my head, and a hole in each side for my arms, I had a sleeveless shirt. Taking another sack, I cut two holes in the bottom, thrust my legs through, and tying the mouth of the sack about my waist, I had a pair of drawers. These sacks were used to fill with sand, and were then piled up like bricks to make a wall. One of our number (Burdell) was relieved from work to cook. Our rations were very liberal, being the U. S. Regulation rations of the time. Besides, we were helped out with oysters—the small raccoon oyster which grew in large beds all about—and crabs. I was No. 5 at the gun—the one who pulled the trigger. Just to the right of us, as we faced the sea, was the battery of the Charleston Artillery, and farther on the Star-of-the-West and the Dahlgren batteries. To our left was the biggest battery of all, the Trapier Battery, and the mortar Battery; and down at the point the Iron Battery, which fronted Ft. Sumter, its upper surface being covered by a roof-work of iron rails from a railroad, the roof being in- A Y O U N G V O L U N T E E R 3 clined toward the fort, so that a shot from the fort would rebound from it. ... This was the child-parent of the now teeming race of ironclads and monitors...