The North-Carolina standard., 1847-03-10
company A, Rowan Volunteers.
Captain Longs Defence.
From the Carolina Watchman.
SALISBURY, February 8, t847.

From the Carolina Watchman.
SALISBURY, February 8, t847.
MEssRs. EDITORS: l shall make no apology
10 the public for the appearance ofmy own proper
name in your columns in behalf of myself, to cor
rect cerains rumors which have been extensively
circulated 10 my injury. Twill premise howev-
err by stating that those reports libeElous and
hlsp and by inviting all persons who may feel IN
terested 10 calm nvestigation of the crcumstnn-
res and facts under which acted, and which l
will now lay before the public in plain manner
in the order of time in which they. occurred.
It's generally known that Volunteer compa-
nv was raised and organized in Salisbury on the
2Si day of June last ovcrwhich lhad the honor of
bring elected Captain. TheFeqnIsition, il. obedi-
ence 10 which it was formed, only required the
men 10 serve twelve months Our Services were
not then demanded. Government afterwards
changed its policy. and sin- November following
another general order was issued from the War
Department calling npon the State Of North Car
oIina for Regiment to serve during The 1Oar
with Mexico. unless sooner diScharg ged. This ex-
empled the Volunteers who had previously tender
ed their names but having been chosen Captain.
| felt called upon to recruit my company and
make re-tcnder of it at early dav possible
Having done so, voluntarily resigned the office
Of Captain, and was reelected by acclamalion.
The Company was reported to His Excellrn.
cy Gov. Graham, about the 10th of December
1916, accepted on the 2lst Drcrmber, and Com
missions were forwarded 10 the Officers. with or
ders 10 march to Wilmington [Sse l'uers A
and Rl The greater portion ofAmy men had
then been in barracks in Salisbury several days.
supported by the iberaIity of its citizens In COM
pIiance with the order, [ fixed upon the last day
of December to take up the line of march to Will
mington, as the earliest possible time by which
arrangements could be made to do so.
After considerable exertions both of myself and
officers, having nearly completed the necessary
preparations to commence the march TO Whining
ton. on the 25M of Decem6er received orders
10 rendezvous al Charlotte by the 9Th of January.
[See Letter CT In obedience 10 this [ arrived IN
Charlotte with my Company on the 9th of Janua-
~, at 4 O'clock A. NJ The General Older un-
der which the Regiment was formed contained an
assurance that proper officers to muster the men
into the service of The United States would await
them at their points of rendezvous I will here
quote the language contained in the Order. :" The
"place Of rendezvous will be designated In sub
"scquent order within n very few days, and Off
'cers of the Quarter-Master and Subsistence De-
"partmpnts will be ordered to such place by the
"War Department with funds TO meet the expenses
"incurred" This assurance was federated in
Gen. Haywood's ORDERS as will be seen by refer
ence again to letter G. On these assurances l
fully relied : without them [ could not have as
sumed the responsibility of carrying my men'to
Charlotte, in sthc dead Of winter, badly clad, un-
proVsioned, and without camp equipage, to-thTow.
them upon the charities of the citizens of that
place. however promptly and literally tcndered.s
Upon our arrival at Charlotte, my surprise and
modification were great TO find no provisions OF
any kind whatever made for our reception. The
consequence of this condition of things.were dis
astrous my men became dissatisfied and dlsaf-
fected almost to mutiny. They had relied upon
the assurances contained insthe requisilion and in
letter c. They were unwilling to become OBJ
Jpcts of charity to a strange community; they
were destitute of means themselves, b. ing most
generally poor men, who relied upon their labor
for subsistence. .--.. .-+--- .-.5 -t- fg.-
They were reconciled upon the pledge of His
Excel!ency, Gov. Graham, contained in letter,
dated Jan 2, and received after my, arrival at
Charlotte, that an officer would be there in few,
days, [see letter DI TO- muster them into service
and comply with the requisilion.. Ne were quar-
tered in the vicinity of Charlotte, in a very small
house with only one fireplace the best, however,
that could be procured, which was kindly protter-
ed by citizen. We purchased the means Of AV-
ing upon the faith of the money to be forwarded
upon the passage Of the resolutions, then pending,
as stated in letter B. Whilst there, during pr
riod of twenty days, the weather WAS exceedingly "
lncement and variable. The result was that my
men were visited with severe pneamonias and
colds, so much so that largo number were con-
lined in that small house at one time. entirely IN
adequate to the comfort of so many under the
mos favorable circumstances. 1t was absolutely
necessary to sustain life that the money nppnopra-
ted bV the Legislature should be expended to pur'
chase provisions This was alike obvious to Off;
GERS and prlvates The men without a dissenting
voice agreed that the money should be laid out
ior this purpose, in proof of which, subjoin the
following certificate:
W., The Undersigned, officers of Company "A, 81
~ Z. Volunteers do hereby certify that the G6oDe
named mem of Company A, gave their receipts to
=" A. Johnston, Quarter Master at this place, for
Ten dollars each and by unanimous consent they
agreed that their Captain, Rich. w. Long, should
draw the amount that each man receipted for, and
:" The above named men refers TO all the men en-
rolled 1t is not deemed necessary publish this list
aS contained in this Certificate,