There is a place called the
south, the Deep South... it is, or was, a land of yeoman farmers, not just
a land of planters and slaves. These forgotten men, these farmers, had
a deep love of both the land and the States that formed the governments
for which they fought and all too often died. No region and no people in
our nation has been called upon to give more to define what freedom is
then this Southland. I am from that place and I deeply care for the people
who made this land what it was and is... people of all types and races...
I will not surrender my flag or my land to the merchants of hate, whoever
they may be... whatever their cause... and for this, I will neither apologize,
nor hate... It could be no other way, what kind of person would I be, should
I make any other choice... For South Carolina and Dixie. Legacy of Freedom!
What pride could you possibly
gain in your background by attempting to steal the pride I feel in mine?
America is a place of legacy, for both the past and the future, and this
is mine. To claim that legacy I would offer the blood and service of:
John W. Batson, Company C, 16th S.C. Regiment, C.S.A., 1826-1863
Thornton Batson, Died Aug 25, 1863, Aged 23 yrs, Company I, Hampton Legion
W.D. Batson, Born June 31, 1822, Died Feb. 15, 1903, An honest man is the most noble work of God.
Aquilla Batson, S.C. Reg, F, C.S.A., 1835-1863
D.H. Brookshire, Born April 11, 1833, Died April 7, 1911
J.A. Burrell, Born June 11, 1843, Died November 20, 1913
Hezekiah Batson, Born, 4/15/29, Died, 11/30/64, He was buried on the battlefield at Franklin in the grave with Ellis Hall.
A.J. Batson
Earle's Battery or The Furman
Battery, Palmetto Light Artillery
Died of Illness, In Defense
of Charleston Harbor
Hez Batson
Killed in Action
16th S.C.V.
Before the Works at Franklin
Tennessee
Elliot Batson
16th S.C.V.
Died in Camp Chase Prison,
Camp Chase, Ohio Buried under the name of Ervin Batson "Cousin" Ervin, Company C, Sixteenth South Carolina
Was home having lost a leg at Atlanta
Fountain P. Batson
16th S.C.V
Died of Illness, In Defense
of Charleston Harbor
Thorton Batson
Hampton Legion
Killed in Action, In defense
of Petersburg, Virginia
W.D. Batson
16th S.C.V.
David Hoke Brookshire
White's Bn., Palmetto Light Artillery
Company F, Hagood's First, Wounded in Arm
Defense of Charleston Harbor Army of Northern Virginia
Jackson Burrell
16th S.C.V.
Shot in the Head at Franklin,
Tennessee
William Burns
16th S.C.V
I have a dear friend, Dayle
K., she found this for me and made the music you hear. She is so talented,
by all means, see her
War Between the StatesMidi Page from here or from The Sixteenth S.C.
Links Page. This song was the bestest Christmas present of all. It is the
most beautiful tribute to the south I have ever read or heard and states
exactly how I feel... the lyrics are beautiful beyond belief... It was
written in the fall of 1865 and the writer is unknown... like so many of
our dead.
Click on the Southern Cross
to read the lyrics.
This page and this song are
dedicated to the memory of Alex McCaulay, who with Virgil Hallums and W.D.
Batson enlisted in the 16th S.C.V. Alex fell wounded, like so many others,
and was captured. He was moved to prison. The wound and the prison experience
would haunt and considerably shorten his all too young life. He was shot
through the Bible he carried in his pocket. It was often said that he was
never the same after that prison. Not all the Andersonville Prisons were
in the south, if all these places North and South do not scream through
the ages then nothing will. Sadly it is the Southern Camps that are remembered
and those of the north are forgotten. However, that is all a matter of
point of view and what we are taught, is it not?
It is a matter of no little
irony that the men of the 16th came from the mountains. These were the
same men who would not respond to the call of Calhoun to nullify
the union. It was Calhoun who first called the region, “that dark corner
of South Carolina, a place where the bright light of nullification would
never shine.” Many felt they would not fight, these men proved them wrong.
These reluctant rebels went all the way into the breastworks at Franklin
following that fit of insanity by the fearless Hood, who wounds had turned
into a mad man. Yes, the gallant Hood of Texas did play H--- in Tennessee.
If you would like to know
more about the Batson's and the Brookshire's and the Dark Corner click
the flag. This will take you to the home of The Gray Fox. These stories
are presented and sponsored though the kindness of Jack B. Harris, father
of the Dixieland Ring. Jack is one of the finest men it has been my pleasure
to know. Check out all the fine southern writing on Jack's page.
Want to know more about the
Sixteenth South Carolina Vols or the Battle for Franklin in 1864, Try here:
Need Graphics, here you will
find the Angel who made most of these!
Please feel free to sign in
with your thoughts and feelings. Please remember that when you view this
page you are in the street riding by my house to look at it. I might deride
your home from the street but I would not come in your living room, eat
your food, and then deride your hospitality. Please allow me the same kindness.
For the hard of hearing, please don't talk ugly about the South!