Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-03-21
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D1AuroRf, N. o. AIhtch o.

BBAuyoRT; n. ca Match o, 1864.
TIE u4knotvh mattyta bt this war are
many: TIE madness of rebel leaders and
the tetoEity of the numerous guerilla banda
who hover about the advancing armip4 of
Freedom, are not more noteworthy than
tue sublime but silent devotion with which
hundreds of Southern men are continually
yielding their lives, after passing through
tue ordeal Of every form Of torture the
most deVilish ingenuity eau haven't, as evil
dencs to tue existence, in the Southern
States, Of widespread loyalty to the Coo.
stitutiOn and the Union, which neither
sconrgings, starvation, bloodhouuds nor
the gallOWs can ever eradicate.
An illustration OF this, recently furnish
ed ia North Carolina, upon scale which in
times less tragic than our own would have
caused every heart on the continent to
thrill with painful sympathy, but which,
amidst the glare of great events, may be
unnOted, or at best, only recorded In a
brief paragraph.
| e When the attack was made on Newberu
on the I'd OF February last, Company F of
the Second Regiment North CAroliun
Uuion Volunteers was stationed at Beech
Grove, the extreme outpost from Newborn.
When Il became evident that the position
could not be held against the overW helm E
ing force Of rebels, which was rapidly APP
preaching, the men OF this company, haV-
ing the certainty Of an ignominious death
before them il they should he captured,
proposed to the officer in command to pilOt
the force at the outpost III safety to New
bern, by paths through the woods known
only to themselves. But unfortunately,
they were temporarily in charge of officers
not belonging 10 their oWn r6gimttit VIM
| NvoRa aifb.e oF ,t,a. NSf5ssft tt!f.
character of the euemy, or TOO tfmtd- 10
tight to the death, il flight were deemed
Improbable. Had these ulen been com.
mandcd by officers Of their own regiment
they all would have escaped, or, rs prefer
able to their inevitable loUm IL taken pris.
oners, would nave found more hunorab!e
death on the feld. As IL was, they we're
sterniy forbidden to leave the ranks, and,
without shot being fred, or The stipul.
tiou secured that they should be treated
as prisoners Of war, they were surrender
edi nineteen out OF seventy only escaping.
or the ftty-one prisoners, IWenIy tout
were Immediately huog by order OF tue
rebel Gen. Pickett. On the scafIuld, al
KiustOn, these twenty -four heroes met
their late with true courage. Iu the pres
ence Of the rebel forces, and surrounded by
the people eli their own State, they avow eli
their entire devotion to the Union. AfIei
receiving the consultations OF religion, QUE
OF their number stepped forward, aud, il
u firm and clear voice. declared that hs
and his companions died, as they had
lived, "Union men" One OF the victims
was little drummer bog, named Joey
Neal, ouly fourteen years OF age, a fail
cOmplexioned, bIue-eyed child, an orphan
enlisted In Beaufort by the writer Of lhesl
lines, out Of pure compassion for his dee
titute statei another, ROBUST man, AmUr
Amyett, was tortured for fifteen minutel
before the i'll adjusted rope could sIrangl,
him to death.