Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-04-05


by me, venture the assertion that Petit
CREWS Brigade lost as many in killed ane
wounded land no more pisoners as an.
Brigade in Picketts Division. We meal
not to reflect on Pickett or his gallant sol
diers, but we do deny on any field, ant
under any circumstances, they ever dis
played more eallantTy than Pettigrow's Ole
Brigade.
And what is it our Virginia friends would
have us do, to convince them that there il
some manhood i'll the Old North State ?
Why was it that, when victory perched up
on our banner, they forget that North Car
DINA troops were there, and when disas
ter's blasting breath rent his silken folds
they are ready to say you did IT," Is i
not enough that the bones of her sons lie
on every battle field in Virginia ? Is it moi
enough that her Branch, PenIer, Fisher
Pettigrew, and host of noble spirits, per
ished there defending alike Virginia and
North Carolina Is it not enough that
the body found nearest Porter's deadly bat
terry on Malvern Hill. was member OF
Nances Doth \. c., and thatat Gettysburg,
under Pettigrew, this same regiment, i'll the
first days fight. out of eight hundred. lost
in killed and wounded five hundred and
eighty, gallant Colonel BurgWyn dy-
| inc there his Lieutenant Colonel Lane fall
| ing wounded with him is it not enough
that Leaventhorpc was wounded there, and
the noble, youthful, Ross, breathed his last
there And IN the final charge, when Pet
tigrew bled, Marshall and Richardson dled,
and the bleeding Parks and Crudup were
captives led to their desOlate cells, when
the noble Graves, the Douglass of them all,
was captive made, to pine and wear his life
away on Johnson's cold and dreary isle,
IN pc1-aIl Davis Wutc1O EVaOS Viii
ting, Newsom, Drake, Joyner, and Il host
of other names, unknown to Virginia, but
dear to the . loved ones at home" and who
suffered all the horrors Of that terrible
prison was not this enough Could not
this propitiate Mr.. McCabe, Jr., of Virgin
ia No, the cry is still for more. North
Carolina has done her best, whole
duty. The blood Of her sons has enriched
Virginia. S soil from Bull Run tc the spot
on which Gen. Lee surrendered, ana yet,
when censurt comes. 1t is from Virginia.
1t is nots with North Caroiinians. Around
our camp fires, We have heard them tell
their tales of battles fought, defeat sustain
ed, and victories won. We lave heard
them tell of Charlottesville, how the chi
valrous Ramseur charged, and OF troops
who failed to charge. In the campaign Of
"a, We heard them tell of how the lines OF
Spottsylvania were broken, and how the
noble Ramseur charged and drove them
back but we have never seen the North
Carolinian who would make these things a
matter of history. Bad conduct upon the
part of the troOps of any State would have
been forgotten, for the sake of the gallant
and good it had furnished. But we ask
not to be spared, for the sake of the living
or dead we only ask to be reported fairly.
That we failed to carry the heights of
Gettysburg is a matter of history that we
poured out the best blood Of the State in the
effort to do SO is matter of history, too. |
know the line was too weak, and this is the
only answer to the question as to why we
failed ; our failure affects not the character
Of the old Brigade it's conduct in the first
days fight proves its gallantry, its losses in
the final charge proves its daring. At Fall
ing Waters, its gallant commander fell, Gov
ering the retreat his Brigade the last to
cross thesPotomac. Since then it has been
under the command of the brave and lion
hearted Kirkland ask him, if at Bristol in
the Wilderness, at Spotsylvania, and on the
North Anna. aye down to the hour when he
was wounded, it did not do its duty. Ask
the calm, quiet, gentlemanly Mae Rae, II
second to any Brigadier second only to
our beloved Pettigrew, if, around Peters
burg, in the charge at Reams' station,-a
any troops, and in which our Lit. Col Bird
fell,-if, at Hatcher's Run, and to the hour
when Gen. Lee was forced to surrender, if
he ever saw the Brigadefalter or quail, and
if he says it did, then Mr.. McCabe, of Viz
ginia, may assume that it faltered at Get
tysburg. If in that final struggle for the
life of the Confederacy, when hope itself
had fed. if MacRaes Brigade (Pettigrew's)
did not do as much and as good service, If
it did not show rs bold front and as many
men for duty, as any Brigade in Pickett's
Division, then say it behaved badly at Get
tysburg. But if they did not we ask Mr..
McCabe, of Virginia, not to hand them
down to posterity, with a single dash of
his pen, more mighty than his sword) as
poltroons to whom is to be attributed the
defeat at Getty sburg, and the long line of
disasters that followed in its train. [ go
further ; ask Gen. Heth, who commanded
the Division, if he had more gallant troops
than MacRae's (Pettigrew's) and Cookies
Brigades of North Carolinians, and if he
says he did, then may Mr.. McCabe, Jr., of
Virginia, charge them with bad conduct at
Gettysburg.
It is no source of pleasure for me to write
these lines. / regret the necessity, [ regret
that Virginians should speak thus of u.s.
The author Of the Lost Cause" is no bet
ter than Mr.. McCabe, but it would be we'll
for both if they would read Gen. Lees re-
port of the Gettysburg campaign and from
it learn lesson of manliness and magma
nimity. We love Virginia; we wish her sons
would let us love her more we love her for
her revolutionary history, the thousand
pleasing recollectiOns that adorn it. We
love her because twas there Stonewall
jackson first beheld the light, and tits the
land of Robert E. Lee !; we remember, too,
with gratitude her generous hospitality,
the tender care of her noble, beautiful
daughters. When sick and wounded, we
were conyeEa& 10y wagon from the Poto-
mae to Stanton, ; their smiles babe us
hope that we might see home again ; their
kind attention brought tears to our eyes
our heart was full we thought Of the loved
ones far away, and can never cease to love
Virginia-God bless her noble Women
To night thousand prayers from North
Carolina affairs ascend that Heavens bless
ings may be showered on them for kind
ness shown North Carolina son, brother
or loved one-nlay God answer these pray
erS
This has not been written with g view to
hoyp paaoIol tb