Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 16.
Reverend J. William Jones, Ed.

[14] from your earliest youth, must have received from them some inspiration of heroism.

Who could live in a land abounding in scenes of such ennobling reminiscences and not be touched by the fire of patirotism. The great old English philosopher, Dr. Johnson, in his Journey to the Western Islands, has observed that ‘that man is little to be envied whose patriotism would not gain force upon the plain of Marathon, or whose piety would not grow warmer among the ruins of Iona.’ Was it to be expected, then, that the patriotism of those, who grew up around Rocky Mount and Hanging Rock and Blackstocks and King's Mountain and Cowpens, could be cold? Could the sons of the men who were led by Sumter, and the Brattons and the McLures fail to answer the call of their country?

Mr. Parton, in his Life of Jackson—describing that strange and lonely place, the old graveyard at Waxhaws, with its rude old stones that were placed over graves, when, as yet, a stone-cutter was not in the province; with its stones upon which coats of arms were once engraved, still partly decipherable; with stones which are modern compared with these, but yet record the exploits of Revolutionary soldiers; with its stones so old that every trace of inscription is lost—says that when the stranger stands in that churchyard among the old graves, he has the feeling of one who comes upon the ancient burial place of a race extinct. This was written by Mr. Parton in 1860. Would he go to that burial-place to-day he would see that the race of heroes was not extinct when he was last there. For he would find there, my comrades, new tombs, perchance of some of the Sixth, or Twelfth, or Seventeenth regiments. Under those solemn old trees he would find fresh stones, which tell of heroes as great as any of their forefathers of a century before. Let him, who thinks the race of the heroes of the Revolution extinct, but refer to the records of the Confederate soldiers from Fairfield, and Kershaw, and York, and Chester, and Lancaster.

The moment the State seceded, the people of this section rose at once to her defence, and furnished many of the very best troops which marched under the leaves of the Palmetto.

---

Fairfield volunteers—Gregg's First regiment.

In response to the very first call, nay, indeed, before any call, upon the passage of the Ordinance of Secession in January, the Fairfield volunteers under Captain J. B. Davis at once offered their services,