It was at the battle of Fredericksburg that the regiment lost so many officers, especially Captains, that caused the greatest changes.  Captains Hance, Foster, Summer, with nearly a dozen Lieutenants, were killed there, making three new Captains, and a lot of new Lieutenants.  It was by the death of Captain Summer that I received the rank of Captain, having been a Lieutenant up to that time.  From December, 1862, to the end I commanded the company, with scarcely a change.  It will be seen that at the reorganization the Third Regiment made quite a new deal, and almost a clean sweep of old officers—­and with few exceptions the officers from Colonel to the Lieutenants of least rank were young men.  I doubt very much if there was a regiment in the service that had such a proportion of young men for officers.

I will here relate an incident connected with the name of Captain Hance’s family, that was spoken of freely in the regiment at the time, but little known outside of immediate surroundings—­not about Captain Hance, however, but the name and connection that the incident recalled, that was often related by the old chroniclers of Laurens.  Andrew Johnson, who was at the time I speak United States Senator from Tennessee, and was on the ticket with Lincoln, for Vice-President of the United States in his second race against McClellan, was elected, and afterwards became President.  As the story goes, and it is vouched for as facts, Andrew Johnson in his younger days had a tailoring establishment at Laurens, and while there paid court to the mother of Captain Hance.  So smitten was he with her charms and graces, he paid her special attention, and asked for her hand in marriage.  Young Johnson was fine looking, in fact handsome, energetic, prosperous, and well-to-do young man, with no vices that were common to the young men of that day, but the great disparity in the social standing of the two caused his rejection.  The family of Hance was too exclusive at the time to consent to a connection with the plebeian Johnson, yet that plebeian rose at last to the highest office in the gift of the American people, through the force of his own endowments.

* * * * *

SEVENTH SOUTH CAROLINA REGIMENT.

The Seventh Regiment was reorganized by electing—­

    Colonel—­D.  Wyatt Aiken, Abbeville. 
    Lieutenant Colonel—­Elbert Bland, Edgefield. 
    Major—­W.C.  White, Edgefield. 
    Adjutant—­Thomas M. Childs.  Sergeant
    Major—­Amos C. Stalworth. 
    Quartermaster—­B.F.  Lovelace. 
    Commissary—­A.F.  Townsend.

    Company A—­Stuart Harrison. 
    Company B—­Thomas Huggins. 
    Company C—­W.E.  Cothran. 
    Company D—­Warren H. Allen. 
    Company E—­James Mitchell. 
    Company F—­John S. Hard. 
    Company G—­W.C.  Clark. 
    Company H—­H.W.  Addison. 
    Company I—­Benj.  Roper. 
    Company K—­Jno.  L. Burris. 
    Company L—­J.L.  Litchfield. 
    Company M—­Jerry Goggans.