PICKENS COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA – A devastating clash between Confederate militia and Union cavalry resulted in significant casualties and widespread panic near the bridge crossing on the Toxaway River this afternoon. Initial reports indicate that outlaw Josey Wales and his band of men orchestrated a meticulously planned ambush, leading to a brutal firefight and the near-complete annihilation of a Union detachment led by Captain Silas Harding.

The incident unfolded shortly after 2:00 PM, as Harding’s troop, numbering approximately thirty men, attempted to secure the bridge – a crucial strategic point for Union supply lines. Witnesses describe Wales, a figure of considerable notoriety in these parts, observing the Union advance from a concealed position overlooking the riverbank. According to local farmer Jebediah Pruitt, who observed the attack, “He just… he just watched ‘em come. Didn’t say a word, but you could see the fire in his eyes. He knew exactly what he was doin’.”

The ambush was swift and decisive. Wales’s men, utilizing a combination of sharpshooting and coordinated attacks, overwhelmed the Union forces. Accounts suggest that the fighting was particularly intense around the bridge itself, with several Union soldiers attempting to hold the position against a relentless onslaught. Harding, reportedly a seasoned officer, was killed in action, along with at least fifteen of his men.

“They came in like a flood,” recounted Private Samuel Miller, one of the few surviving Union soldiers, who was treated at a makeshift field hospital. “We were trying to hold the bridge, but they just kept coming. It was… it was a massacre.”

The incident has sent shockwaves through the local community, already reeling from the ongoing conflict. Confederate officials are predictably downplaying the severity of the attack, attributing it to “the reckless actions of undisciplined Union forces.” However, the scale of the casualties – and the undeniable evidence of deliberate planning – raise serious questions about the Union’s strategy in the region.

The Toxaway River bridge remains closed, and a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the ambush is underway. The events of today underscore the escalating violence and the brutal realities of the war tearing apart the South.