Captain David Mason Henry Langston married first
Sallie Pitts, and second Laura Cannon. One son, Brooks, was born to him
and Sallie Pitts and another son, Yancey was born to him and Laura Cannon.
He fell at the battle of Gettysburg.
CAPTAIN LANGSTON
Captain David Mason Henry Langston, born near Tylersville,
Laurens District, S.C., died on the battlefield of Gettysburg, Penn., July
2, 1863. The din of conflict and the clash of arms had ceased. The rattle
of musketry and the thunder tones on cannons had died away, and naught
was heard on the battlefield but the moans of the wounded and the gasps
of the dying, and night clothed the earth in her sable mantle, and stars
looked down on the many who had 'died' for 'man' that day, and they shone
not on the body of a braver man than he whose name heads this obituary.
In Captain Langston were blended, all that makes man noble.
Descended from one of the most patriotic families of the days of 1776,
he was a noble representative of the blood, and the name of Dicey
Langston lost none of its luster by being borne by him for he
never looked in the face of man to fear him and every asked a place on
the battlefield near the flashing of the guns and the rattle of bayonets.
From early childhood, Captain Langston exhibited all the
traits of a noble nature. Brave, noble, and generous to a fault, he won
the admiration of all who knew him, and when he fell, he was bemoaned by
all, and his memory will be cherished fondly as long as a man lives who
knew him, and he was wept over not only with tears of grief, but the hears
of all wept over his early doom, and they have made him a grave in the
soil of their bosoms, and fond memory has buried him there.
When South Carolina seceded, he enlisted to defend her,
and was elected first Lieutenant of the Clinton, Laurens District, afterwards
company Third Regiment South Carolina Volunteers,
in which he served for one year, when he was unanimously elected Captain
of the same company, its former brave Captain declining to be re-elected.
He followed its fortunes from its formation until he was severely wounded
by balls in the fight before Richmond.
Though either of the wounds he received in that fight would
have caused most men to quit the field, yet he led his little band along
and did not falter till night came on, and the shout of victory told him
that the day was on the side of liberty. Faint and weary from the loss
of blood, he sank down on the battlefield and was carried back to Richmond
to a hospital, where for many days he lingered on the confines of eternity,
but at last his wounds gave promise that he would be spared to his country,
his family and friends, and he was removed to his home, where for many
months he suffered, unable to walk, but recovered at last and rejoined
his company before the battle of Chancellorsville, VA and participated
in the fight. He not only led his company, but was often called to assume
command of the Regiment, and was acting Lieutenant Colonel when he fell,
and nobly did he lead it. He never once said to his command 'go and do',
but his watchword was 'follow me',
and there was no man under his charge or command that was not willing to
answer aye, aye to death.
A few days before he fell, he wrote to a friend who had been
his companion through many a joyous as well as weary day, and in that letter
occurs the following sentence:
-
"We may never live to meet together
on earth again, for there are many hard battles to be fought before we
can sit down in peace by our own hearthstones, and we no doubt, one or
both may fall; but we die, if die we must, where every patriot loves to
yield up his life, on the field of glory, in defense of our homes, our
wives and our little ones for the noblest place of man to die is on the
battlefield."
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