Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1861-06-18
BATTLE OF BETHEL CHURCH
A Confederate Accsuut

count OF INC ostue OF Bethel, the writer of it
being one oil those who participa ked in the do.
fence
YORKTOWN June II, 1891.
An engagement lasting f. ,nr honr, ,nol ni...
yesterday (Monday) betw .sn &C.. r.as.a.arts 81
the troops from Old p lint and ! iea Conf Consss. a.
SrsI noofs, eonsl" ing of Virginians and
NoI.n pa,Sni SLr,.ah .nder General Msgruder,
AZ Detnoa cnvIcn' York county Before tell
ing you of the o' ,stIs, viii give YOU some cir.
samna Pf eceding it. About two weeks
three hundred Yankees came
PiIUln I' -nptOn and occupied Bethel Church,
sition they held day or two and
.S .Se. dred, leaving written on the walls of
10 Ie Traitors, Down with the Rebels"
-. To nearly all these the names of the
writers were defsntly signed, and all sf the
pensmen signed themselves as from New York,
except one, who was from Boston, Mass .. S.
To thcse excursions into the interior of which
this was the boldest, General Magruder deter
mined to put stop, and accordingly filled the
place after the Yankees left with few COM
Panies OF bis own troops In addition to this
he determined to Garry the war into the
enemy scountry, and on Wednesday last Stan
ards battery Of the HowitIer Battalion was
ordered down to the church, where it was soon
Eoined by portion Of Browns battery, of the
samecorps. The North Carolina Regiment,
suneor Col Hill, was also there, making in all
@nbsut 100 men and seven howitzer guns
siderable Importance was made. A detach-
nlent Of 200 Infantry and a howitzer gun under
Msjor Randolph, and one of 20 infantry and
another howitzer under Major Lane, Of the
North Carolina regiment, started different
routes TO cut off party which had left Hsmp
tsD. The party was seen and fired at by Mai
Randolph's detachment, but made such fast
time that they escaped The troops under
Msjor Lane passed within sight of Hampton,
and a. they turned up the road to return to
Bethel, encountered the Yankees. numbering
about 30, who were entrenched behind a fence
in the field, protected BY high bank. Our
advance guard fred on them, and in another
moment the North Carolinians were dashing
over the fence in regular French mot New
York; Zouaye style, firing at them in real
squirrel hunting style. The Yankees fed for
their lives after firing for about three minutes
without effect, leaving behind them three dead
and prisoner. The fellow was a stout ugly
fellow from Troy, n. Y He said that he had
nothing against the South, but somebody must
be soldiers, and he thought he had as we'll en-
list. None Of our men were hurt
This bold excursion, under the very guns of
tho enemy, determined the authorities at Old
Point to put stop to it and clear US out from
Bethel. This determination was conveyed to
Us BY persons who came from the neigh borhoOd
Of the enemy. On Monday morning about six
hundred infantry and two guns, under Cen
Msgrudsr, left the camp and proceeded to-
wards Hampton, but after advancing mile or
two, received information that the Yankees
were coming in large force. We then retired,
and after reaching camp the guns were placed
in battery, and the infantry took their places
behint their breastwork. Everybody was
cool, snd all were anxious to give the invaders
good reception.
Aboute O'Clock the glittering bayonets of
the enemy appeared on the hill opposite, and
above them waved the Star Spangled Banner
The moment the head of the column advanced
IN 0r WI apfa tba
Parrot gun of the hoWitZer battery opened on
them. throwing a shell right into their midst
Their ranks broke in confusion, and the col
umn, or as much of it as we could see, retreattd
behind two small farm houses. From their
Position hre was opened on US, which was re-
piled TO by our battery, which commanded the
route Of their approach. Our firing was excel
lent, and the shells scattered in all directions
when they burst. They could hardly approach
the guns which they were firing fer the shells
which came from our battery. Within our en-
eamp1ent fell n perfect hailstorm OF canister
shot, bullets and balls. Remarkable to saw
not one Of our men was killed inside Of our en-
eampment. Several horses were slain by the
shells and bullets.
Finding that bombardment would not an
sver, the enemy about eleven o'clock tried to
carry the position by assault, but met a terri
ble repulse at the hands of the infantry as be
tried to scale the breastworks. The men dis
regarded sometimes the defences erected for
AM fred st the Yankees, cutting them dow
as they came up. One company of the New
York Seventh Regiment, under Captain Win
throp, attempted to take the redoubt on the left
The marsh they crossed was strewn With their
bodies. The captain, fne-looking man,
reached the fence, and, lsaping on q log,
waved his sword, crying, I" Come ON, boys; one
charge and the day is ours" The words were
his last, for Carolina rifle ended his life the
next moment, and his men fed in terror back.
At the redoubt on the right a company of
about 800 New York Zouayes charged one of
our guns, bat could not stand the FIRE of the
infantry, and retreated precipitately.
During these charges the main body Of the
enemy on the hill were attempting to concen-
trste for general assault, but the shells from
the Hositzsr Battery prevented them As
one re- siment would give up the effort, another
would be marched to the position, but with no
better success, for she'll would scatter them
like chat. The men did not seem able to stand
ERE at all.
About O'Clock their guns were silencsd,
and few moments after their infantry re-
treated precipitstely down the road to Hamp-
ton.
Our cavalry, numbering three companies
went in pursuit, and harrassed them down to
the edge Of Hampton. As they retrested many
of the Wouuded fell along the road and died
and the whole road to Hampton was strewn
with hayersacks, Oyercoats, canteens, rnpskets
30, which the men had thrown of in their re-
treat.
After the battle, I visited the position they
held. The houses behind which they had been
hid had been burnt by our troops. Around
the yard were the dead bodies of the men who
had been killed by our cannon, msngled in
the most frightful manner by the shells. The
uniforms on the bodies were very different,
and many Of them are like those Of the Vir-
ginia soldiery. A little farther on We came to
the point to which they had carried some Of
their wounded. who had since died. The gay
looking uniforms of the ZOuaves contrssted
greatly with the paled, fixed faces Of their
dead owners. Going to the swamp through
which they attempted to pass TO assault our
lines, presented another bloody scene. Bodies
dotted the black morass from one end to the
other. I saw enc boyish, delicate looking fell
low lying on the mud, with Q bullet hole
through his breast. His hand was pressed on
the wound from which his life blood had
poured, and the other was clenched in the
Ahafn Iuirn Ahas .ar,d