Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1862-08-27
oath N. C.. Regiment.

We very cheerfully publish the following, Wnlcn
we would have done as readily before the election
As after it Our friend, COL Clarke, therefore need
not have withheld it until now on that account
What we stated was upon good authority, yet the
best of men are liable to be mistaken, and hence We
publish the correction, because we know our infor
mant would not do injustice, nor would we, to any
officer or soldier in the Confederacy. The reputa-
ton of all our brave is dear to U.S. as we have
abundantly shown, nor would we have obtained
single vote for Col Vance by other means than truth
and justice would approve
CAMP NEAR PETERSBURG, VA.,)
August 18th, 1862.
Mr. HoLDEN:-As the election is over and no po-
tcal motive can be attributed to me in asking you
as matter Of justice to my regiment, to correct
statement in an issue of your paper, some weeks
since, respecting the battle of the LIST July, at
Crewss Farm, or Malvern Hill, | respectfully re-
uues. that you will publish the following:
You stated, in substance, that Col, Vance's regi-
ment led the charge upon the batteries and that he
had four men killed within forty yards OF the enc
my's guns which neare. than any other South
ern troops approached them.
tits not true that Col VS. regiment led the charge.
That was done by my own regiment the 24th n
c.. troops, which was on the field an hour before
COL Vances arrived.
Our brigade I'D N. G. troops, commanded by Brig
Gen'l. RANSOM had been deployed between swamp
and pine thicket northwest of the Malvern heid
to repel an expected attack Of the enemy at that
MONT when about the middle of the afternoon, an
order came for US to advance. Gen. r. commanded
me to put nv regiment in motion, and rode down
the line to communicate the order to the other reg
ments of the brigade My regiment was on Ine
right and Col. Nance's on the extreme lett we
marched at quick time, by the right flank, along
the edge of the woods on the west Of the field, until
we arrived Immediately opposite the battery which
was midway on the eastern border OF the clearing
which is quite large, containing, should say, at
least 5000 acres. From the pace at which we march,
ed, we must have gone at least mile, before COL
Vance received the oroer and put his regiment IN
motion.
| was conducted by all aid-de-camp Of Gen'l. Ma-
gruder to that officer and after short delay, was
by him ordered to charge the battery directly in
front about mile distant. l Immediately dashed
the regiment forward in line Of Jattle hating three
times. Once to enable the men to get breath, and
twice, because other troops were between US and
the enemy Wheneveg halted selected valley
or depression in the ground, and caused the men
to lie down Immediately This, together with the
formation of the regiment in line of battle while un
der cover, before charged, instead OF deploying
on the field under fire. accounts for my small list OF
casualties.
COL Vance came on the field to the right Of the posi-
ton it was desirable that he should occupy and was
compelled to file to the left. While executing this
movement some of the troops in front of our brigade
retreated and passed through his regiment cutting
off part of it. The company of Capt Jones was
thus separated from his regiment, and the Captain
hearing and recognizing my voice, came to me ani
requested permission to form on my Left which
cheerfully accorded to him; and when we shortly
afterwards charged directly on the battery, some OF
4 TIT. kL,o lie Will MINI n
distance of less than one hundred yards from It,
Col Vance will corroborate the foregoing.
The fugitives who cut Col. Nance's regiment, did
us great damage as we, knowing that We had troops
in front, and not knowing that they had retreaeu,
feared in the obscurity caused by the smoke and
the approaching darkness, to lire on any body OF
men in front of u.s. lest we should destroy our own
men. Had we light to see what We were about and
to distinguish friend from foe, our brigade would
have taken that powerful battery, said to have num-
bered fully fifty guns, without sustaining scarcely
any more loss than We actually suffered.
A large body of men at one time approached US,
and when they were about fifty yards distant or
dered my men to fire. A cry came from the rear
that we had slain our own have since learn
ed from prisoners that it was q Yankee regiment
and that it we cut it down to eight men
This uncertainty paralyzed our efforts, and caused
me to withdraw the regiment between nine and ten
o'clock, P NJ. The enemy retreated in great haste,
shortly afterwards, leaving large number Of his
dead on the field lie had removed between 500
and 1000 few hundred yards to the rear. In this
desperate and stubbornly contested conflict he lost
| more men than We.
The second brigade undoubtedly turned the tide
of battle 1t held its position and checked all ad-
vances of the enemy and finally retired in good or
der, only when it was impossible to continue the
battle on account of the darkness. The Yankees
will have to bring better men than they had that
day, before they whip the second bril- ade, and We
are willing to try it over again, at any :ime on a
fair and open field with equal numbers
| "Where breathes the foe stand before US,
| With Freedoms soil beneath our feet
And Freedoms banner waving Ger u.s."
| Very respectfully,