The recent death of this gallant old Confederate soldier recalls many thrilling scenes of his career in the army. He was a member of the Macon Guards; Lamar's Company, Bartow's Regiment and Hood's Brigade and to know the history of these commands is to know the material of which they were composed, and the arduous duties they were called upon to perform. The Guards were among the first companies to volunteer their services to the Governor, and in 1861 they were among the first troops to reach Virginia and became Company "C" of the famous Eighth Georgia Regiment. At Manassas this regiment went in over 600 strong, and their final rally was with only 60 men, won the plaudits of the whole army. In passing Gen. Beauregard on this occasion, he drew aside fronted, raised his hat and said: "I salute the Eighth Georgia with my hat off". On another occasion he said: "History shall never forget you". It was here that Bartow was killed. When the Eighth Georgia, almost annihilated, was relieved by the Seventh, Col. Bartow in reply to Col. Cantrell's question as to where he should go said: "Give me your flag and I will tell you." Leading them under the tempest fire where the Eighth had withstood he placed them in position, exclaiming in these eloquent tones so full of feeling: "Gen. Beauregard says you must hold this position and Georgians I appeal to you to hold it." Soon after this he was shot from his horse. Clasping his hand across his breast, he said with his dying breath: "They have killed me, but boys never give up the field".

It was amid many such scenes as these that this company passed and never has it been said that the subject of this little sketch ever failed to do his whole duty, in all his career in the army. At Gettysburg, he was wounded. It was here too that Capt. Ballard, Lieut. Hodgkins, Sgt. Gamble, and Private Alexander were killed and Lieut. Fields and Private Leigh severely wounded, and Lieut. Brantley and Private Fowler slightly wounded. None out of a mere handful. Every commissioned officer was either killed or wounded. On the second day in that desperate struggle on the right, just at the crest of the hill when Longstreet struggled so hard, these brave men fell. Having to fall back, they were left on the field. At night some of their heroic comrades went in at the risk of their lives, and bore them tenderly off the field to the rear, spreading a blanket upon the ground near a large stone in the neighborhood of the old rock house, they laid their bodies down. Again the army was ordered to fall back and there they were left just where their friends had lain them. Capt. Ballard was carried to the rear by his brother, Walter S. Ballard, who was a Quartermaster, having transportation at his command he was able to do this, but he resisted all the pleadings of the friends of the remaining dead men to bear them to a point where they could be decently buried. Whatever became of them was never known. Mr. W.C. Hodgkins went from Macon, but the army having retreated from Penn. he could not get through the lines. Later, when the war was over, he visited Gettysburg, carrying with him one of the men who had marked the spot but failed to identify them to prevent the field from being cultivated. However, he leased it for a term of years and left them to mingle their dust with all the other slain.

Lieut. Field thus became Capt. and led the company through all the vicissitudes of the army of Northern Virginia until he was wounded at Knoxville and taken prisoner and, if we are not mistaken, was not released until after the war. Wherever though he may have been, the spirit of a true Southern soldier beat within him and tortures of a Jeffries could never have wrung from him the surrender of his principles. The remnant of his gallant command being at Appomattox, surrendered their arms where all hopes of the Confederacy were buried but we trust the memories of their cause will live on forever.

When the surrender of Gen. Lee's army took place at Appomattox Court House, Lieut. E. P. Taylor was in command, and the company had only 11 members.