During the autumn of 1844, a difficulty arose among the officers of Company B, Third Artillery (John R. Yinton’s), garrisoning Augusta Arsenal, and I was sent up from Fort Moultrie as a sort of peace-maker.  After staying there some months, certain transfers of officers were made, which reconciled the difficulty, and I returned to my post, Fort Moultrie.  During that winter, 1844-’45, I was visiting at the plantation of Mr. Poyas, on the east branch of the Cooper, about fifty miles from Fort Moultrie, hunting deer with his son James, and Lieutenant John F. Reynolds, Third Artillery.  We had taken our stands, and a deer came out of the swamp near that of Mr. James Poyas, who fired, broke the leg of the deer, which turned back into the swamp and came out again above mine.  I could follow his course by the cry of the hounds, which were in close pursuit.  Hastily mounting my horse, I struck across the pine-woods to head the deer off, and when at full career my horse leaped a fallen log and his fore-foot caught one of those hard, unyielding pineknots that brought him with violence to the ground.  I got up as quick as possible, and found my right arm out of place at the shoulder, caused by the weight of the double-barrelled gun.

Seeing Reynolds at some distance, I called out lustily and brought him to me.  He soon mended the bridle and saddle, which had been broken by the fall, helped me on my horse, and we followed the coarse of the hounds.  At first my arm did not pain me much, but it soon began to ache so that it was almost unendurable.  In about three miles we came to a negro hut, where I got off and rested till Reynolds could overtake Poyas and bring him back.  They came at last, but by that time the arm was so swollen and painful that I could not ride.  They rigged up an old gig belonging to the negro, in which I was carried six miles to the plantation of Mr. Poyas, Sr.  A neighboring physician was sent for, who tried the usual methods of setting the arm, but without success; each time making the operation more painful.  At last he sent off, got a set of double pulleys and cords, with which he succeeded in extending the muscles and in getting the bone into place.  I then returned to Fort Moultrie, but being disabled, applied for a short leave and went North.

I started January 25,1845; went to Washington, Baltimore, and Lancaster, Ohio, whence I went to Mansfield, and thence back by Newark to Wheeling, Cumberland, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York, whence I sailed back for Charleston on the ship Sullivan, reaching Fort Moultrie March 9, 1845.