The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1862-09-02
NORTH CAROLINA ON THE FIELD
OLE RATTI il.

lionel of the 1st Maryland Regment--Bradiy T.
johnson, who has been in nearly all the battles
fought in Virginia since the war commenced. 1t
was addressed to a North Carolina friend and not
intended for publication but it is 50 graphic in
its description Of battle-scenes which he witness
cd and 50 Just to the gallant troops from our good
, old State, that we have obtained permission to
make liberal extracts from its contents, to which
! VIC invite the special attention Of our readers
/ Col johnson is, in all respects, competent and
unprciudiccd Judge, whose courage has shown
conspicuously on every battlefield and whose skill
! has placed him in the front rank Of commanders.
! EXTRACTS FROM COL. JoHNsoN's LETTER.
| eYou know it was my fortune to fight the battle
of Front Royal by myself, having only Wheat's
Tigers with me- We in all not 30O--they 800
aud two pieces of artillery. Not shot was fired
by infantry, except my regiment and Wheat 5
men; and after a three hours fight we drove the
enemy, and the cavalry captured those we left.
Forty escaped-the rest were killed or captured.
. OF course we had quite number of congratulate
| tons and the capture Of one lst Maryland rcgi-
ment by another was considered in our army a
capital Joke However, carly Sunday morning,
! lust at daylight I was ordered to the front again
| There found Kirkland, and the DIST North Car
DINA who had occupied a hill overlooking Win
| chester since midnight lie was depioycd on our
| (Ewers) right as skirnishcrs. was to take the
same position on our left and open communication
| with Jackson, who approaching by the StIas
burg road The crest Of hills we occupied sweeps
along in a semi circle, southeast Of Winchester
overlooking the town. and half mile from its
! suburbs As the mist Of the morning melted be-
fore the advancing light, looked over towards
the North Carorans, who were feeling their way
down the hill slowly-but with the regularity and
precision of veterans. Soon they formed line
of battle and with a hu~@u,' charged in run.
did the best could to beat them, bat just rs got
on their flank some hundred Of yards to their left,
| brigade of Yankees rose from a stone wall and
poured into them sheet Of lead and fire which
nothing could withstand Kirkland went down
the Lieutenant Colonel fell, the front rank was
shattered as a wave on rocH-but still many kept
on with shout and gained the wall only to meet
death there, at the muzzcs Of the guns Of the
concealed foe. | on to turn the flank Of their
position-got there Just in time to be seem and in
the smoke which was then so thick you could
nothing yards off, the enemy retired. All fir
ing ceased for fifteen minutes and when the curtain
raised from the field, the wall was clear and the
Yankees had gone. Banks Adjutant General, in
an address to Massachusetts, said, it (thc I'd Mass
retired because large force suddenly appeared
behind them to their right 1t was only my
small regiment-but the truth is they had no
stomach for another charge from the North Caro-
linians That charge was the closest [ have ever
sccn-some of the men were not ten yards from
the enemy
"But afterwards, on the Peninsula, they must
have done even better fighting, though I did not
witness it, and only judge from the field after the
battle.
cat Coal Harbor my men were lying down to
avoid terrific fire from battery and infantry for
moment preparatory to charging it, when a reg
iment came running back in disorder. We tried
in vain to rally them. Sword and rife were
vailinG and the ne lad got far beyond control by
word Of command Again this happened, but this
regiment stopped .nd formed. Then came hurry
ing back two small bodies Of men, each with a
battle-fag 'Who are YOU? [ cried out, 'Thc-
and-North Carolina was the answer. I forget
the numbers the 9th was one, | think. Col.
McI}ae ordered US to take that house, but most Of
our men arc killed and obliged to fall back.
Halt | shouted; 'by the love you bear the Ola
North SAFE, rally aud CHARGE IIurrah for the
Old Norm State" they sent up with shout heard
above the din Of battle, and in the murky smoke
over the dead and dying, tho two North State flags
flying a!oft in the roar of BATTLE these two little
battalIons, remnants Of North Carolina regiments,
marched straight and steady into the hottest of the
fire. McRae was in command of his regiment or
brigade elsewhere, but he or any other brave SOL
der would have been proud to see that rally and
charge.
"Thc scene at Malvern Hill ought to be immor-
tazed by the artist and transmitted to your pos
terity. | have been all the hard fought fields
except Seven Pines, and nothing anywhere, that
have seen, is even comparable to it. Early in
the afternoon of July lst, | rode forward with my
Adjutant General and Adjutant of the regiment,
beyond where Generals jackson and Ewcll were
in the road towards some heavy firing, and a quar-
ter OF mile in front met George Anderson, late
OF the 4th North Carolina, now q Brigadicr-Gcn-
eral, endorsed, with not a company around him.
lie had, with two of his regiments charged force
twenty times his number and been cut all to
pieces. We then ealloped ahead and soon came
to some dead and wounded, and ran RIGHT into
line of Yankees, but escaped by quick turn and
hard riding. | did not get to the position again
till after dark but ordered to lay still ard take
the most internal artillery fire that was heard
on this side of the water, from SO to 60 field
pieces, in addition to which those tremendous 12O
rife shells from the gunboats, came all the time
crashing through the trees, telling timber larger
than man, and filling earth and air with iron and
! lead. At dark, though was ordered up and push
ed beyond the position attacked by Anderson, the
ground was covered with North Carolinians and
during the long night our cars were filed with
their piteots cries. They would cry out 4 It'll n.
c. Sd n c. &c, and it was dawn before many
could be carried off Daylight showed the dead
heroes and what they had done, and what suffer
ed. In front of country house, on a hill, with
road running in front Of it, had been this cnor-
nous park Of artillery. On either side of the en-
emys guns their line Of battle stretched far ayvay