The small town of Williamston is around six miles from where I live. It was founded on a mineral spring with supposed healthful qualities in the 1840's. The largest hotel in the state was built there but was destroyed by fire in 1860.
One of the last skirmishes of the war east of the Mississippi, took place nearby.
This is from John Baylis Lewis, an Arsenal Cadet from Columbia, SC.
"About the first days of April 1865, a report reached us that the heartless General Stoneman, with his band Of robbers and thieves in the uniform of the United States Government, was making his way through the mountains of Tennessee and Georgia for the purpose of accomplishing in upper South Carolina the ruin that Sherman had already done from Columbia to the coast.
His object was to capture Greenville, S.C. and deploy his raiders along the line of the Greenville and Columbia Railroad, laying everything in waste, as that part of the State had not suffered from fire and pillage at that time.
When we had advanced to a point near the South Carolina line, the authorities at Greenville, S. C. sent out a flag of truce, expecting to meet him near the North Carolina line above Greenville. The raiders were then at Marietta, S. C. and when our party reached that place, they were fired upon by the raiders, refusing to have any communication whatever.
On the night of Sunday, April 30, 1865, our party returned to the Town of Greenville, giving to Captain J. P. Thomas the information that is above stated, advising him to make his escape with the Battalion of cadets. This was about midnight on Sunday, April 30th. Our battalion was ordered to break camp and prepare to move, which we did in short order, observing a strict military formation.
Our route was along the line of the Greenville and Columbia Railroad, and Columbia, S. C. was our objective point. Arriving at the present town of Piedmont, we followed the dirt road to Williamston, S. C. but before reaching that place, we halted for water and a rest, for we had marched rapidly, and with nothing to eat besides. While resting at a farm house, our slumber was broken by the sound of clanking sabres, and a volley from the carbines of the raiders.
Jumping to our feet, and in obedience to the command "Fall In", we were ready to reply to the assault, with our leaden compliments. After a few rounds had been exchanged and the raiders came into full sight, they realized that we were prepared for them and soon scampered out of the range of our muskets.
After the smoke of battle had cleared sufficiently, we found that the casualties on our side consisted of one man named James Spearman of Newberry, who had received a slight wound in his right hand from a slug shot, the gun being fired by a negro who was piloting the raiders through the country for the purpose of robbery and pillage along the road.
We were satisfied that our fire had been more deadly, as one of the younger boys, named Coffin, who had been with us more for protection than otherwise, had taken aim with his gun on a rail fence for a rest and when he fired he saw his man fall down from his horse, and he called out in his shrill boyish voice: "I got him all right," which was confirmed by some reliable parties who were hiding nearby the road, and also by ladies of the Way-Side Inn at Greenville, who had afterwards taken the wounded soldier to the hospital at Greenville and nursed him until he recovered sufficiently to go to his home, and for several years following, he would make a pilgrimage to visit his fair friends that had saved his life.
Following this little episode, we continued our march to Williamston, S. C. and found on our arrival that the raiders had done their work by burning the railroad depot and the Government warehouses that had been used to store supplies of grain for our troops, and in addition they had burned a freight train and a passenger train that was at the station.
The citizens of Williamston were much excited over the work of destruction committed by the raiders and, as we approached the town, they naturally thought we were United States troops, also. The Mayor of the town came out to meet us with a flag of truce, imploring us to spare the homes as there were only women and children in the place, whereupon our Commander assured him that we were not Federal troops but friends and Southern Soldiers, which was a great relief to them."
The Gist Rifles Co. D, of the Hampton Legion was organized at the mineral spring park. We take our grandkids to play in the park occasionally, while there, my wife and I "partake of the waters."
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