eleton battalions from every Southern State; illustrating their own
fame and that of their noble leader, mile by mile, on that weary march
from Richmond to Appomattox.

But he has confined himself to his own experiences, and in a great
measure to what happened to his own Brigade, because it was written
out, immediately after the war, from that standpoint. And if there be
any merit in it, it is simply as a journal--what one man saw, and the
impression produced thereby. This, even within a limited range, if
truly put, represents at least a phase of the last act in the bloody
drama that had been enacting for four years. More than this he could
not hope to do, but leaves to abler hands the greater task that swells
the current of events into the full tide of history.

CAMDEN, SOUTH CAROLINA, }
_June 15th, 1874_. }

EVACUATION OF RICHMOND, 1865.

On Saturday, the 1st day of April, 1865, orders reached us at camp
headquarters of the Seventh South Carolina Cavalry, Gary's Brigade, to
send forward all the dismounted men of the regiment to report to Lt.
Col. Barham, Twenty-fourth Regiment Virginia Cavalry, in command of
dismounted men of the brigade, for duty on the lines. Began to think
that a move was intended of some sort, but on the brink, as all knew
and felt for some time, of great events, it was difficult to say what
was expected. On Sunday, the 2d, about mid-day, orders came for the
wagon train of the brigade, spare horses, baggage of all sorts, that
was to go at all--the greater part was to be left--to move into
Richmond at once, and fall into the general train of the army of the
north bank of the James River. Richmond then was to be evacuated, so
all felt, though no public statement of the fact had been made; heavy
fighting had been going on during the day, in the neighborhood of
Petersburg, but there had been one unceasing roar of battle around us
for months, and no particular account was taken of that.

The brigade was ordered to move after nightfall from its position (our
winter quarters) between the Williamsburg and the "Nine Mile" road,
about four miles from Richmond, and immediately behind the outer line
of works on the edge of the battle field of the "Seven Pines."

We moved after dark--the Seventh South Carolina, Col. Haskell; the
Hampton Legion, South Carolina, Lieut. Col. Arnold; the Twenty-fourth
Virginia, Col. Robbins, and a small party of the Seventh Georgia,