The Citadel - Sphinx Yearbook (Charleston, SC)

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foreword TeJithm the pages of this hook we, the authors, have sought to sholv college life as it exists at ' he Qitadel, influenced as it is by the Spirit of the Qorps, that indefinable, inspiring force Ivhich down through the years has prompted the sons of the institution to highest achieve- ments and loftiest ideals. i

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VvVVVVVVVVVVVV VVVVVVVV VVVVVVVVS VVVV task. General Sherman, after his devastating march through Georgia, was preparing to invade South Carolina, the first state to secede from the Union, And one hundred and fifty recruits between the ages of fifteen and eighteen had to be equipped, organized, drilled, and prepared to do their part in the closing struggle of the Confederacy. On F ' ebruarv 15, 1865. Sherman ' s army Hearing Co- lumbia, the Arsenal Corps was called into active service to patrol the city streets and to prevent pillaging by desperadoes. The following day the Cadets, still under the command of the Arsenal officers, were withdrawn from the city toward Winnsboro. after having burned the bridge over the Congaree to hinder Sherman ' s advance On the night of the seventeenth. Lieutenant Sams, on seeing the city of Columbia in flames, became worried concerning the safety of his wife, who was present in the stricken city. The next day. not hearing from her. he secured leave to visit the city. Upon arriving there, he ascertained that she was safe, although a shell had destroyed part of their home. After rejoining the Cadet Corps, they proceeded northwestward toward North Carolina to avoid the advance guard of Sherman ' s Army, and then turned back toward Greenville, at which place they planned to go into winter quarters. Meanwhile. Lee and Johnston had both surrendered, realizing the futility of further combat. Therefore the encampment of the Corps was short-lived as the city was in the contemplated path of Jefferson Davis ' hurried flight, and Stoneman ' s cavalry were the pursuers. The Cadets reluctantly broke camp and turned eastward toward Columbia. Early one morning, when they were near Williamston, South Carolina, they were sud- denly attacked by a remnant of Stoneman ' s cavalry. Although surprised, they quickly returned the fire and held the enemy off. Such was the last shot fired by organized troops east of the Mississippi in the War Between the States. So Colonel Sams had the signal honor of having participated in both the first and last firing of the war. After this final encounter the Arsenal Cadets proceeded to Newberry, where they were granted a furlough from which they never returned. Colonel Sams now returned to his wife and his home — such as it was — in a city fire-swept and gutted by plunderers. Railroads and bridges had been destroyed and business was at a stand- still. To provide for his family, Colonel Sams began teaching, a profession which carried him all over the state. First he taught in Columbia, then successively in Edgefield. Greenville, and Spartanburg, and while in the latter city he, having been elected Captain of the Spartan Rifles, reorganized this company which later did its part so nobly in the Red Shirt campaigns of 1876. After this he became Co-Principal of Limestone College, which was reopened in 1881, and then served as Superintendent of the Gaffney Public School System for a great many years. On March 4. 1930. Colonel Sams suddenly died at his home in Gaffney. S. C. aged eighty- nine years. His death was entirely unexpected as he had appeared to be in excellent health until the very last. Thus ended the career of a man whom we are proud to claim as an Alumnus — soldier, educator, and outstanding citizen.

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i Contents The Qollege Qlasses oMilitary cSAthletics features Organizations ise and Otherwise