Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-09-27
From the Richmond Dispatch.
The Truth Of History-Letter ffoaa ErIga-
dIer General Lane

RICHMOND, Va, Sept 10, 1867.
The Petersburg Index, in it's editorial
notice of Mr.. Pollard's new work entitled
" Lee and HIS Lieate'aa1ts.' does great in
Justice to Lanes North Carolina brigade
and the other gallant troops composing
Wilcox's division.
That paper asserts % Wilcox was not en-
gagged, except slightly, on the first evening
at the Wilderness" whereas Heth's and
Wilcoxs divisions were both holly engaged
and succeeded in keeping back two or more
corps of the Yankee army. In my official
report [ stated that we-that is, my bri-
gade-were the last troops to become en-
gagged, and, without the hope of assistance,
kept up the unequal contest from about 5
o'clock A. III. until 9. Ny aggregate loss
in the fights of the 9Th and 9th was 415.
The next error is III the assertion that
Wilcox's troops did not hold their own
On the 18th of May at Spottsy lvania. y
General Early, however, is of different
opinion; for in his GO Memoir of the Last
Year Of the War for Independence, page
25, he says:
d" On this morning the enemy made a
very heavy attack on EWells front, and
broke the line where it was occupied by
Johnson's division. a portion Of the at
lacking force swept along Johnson's line
to Wicox's left, and was checked by a
prompt movement On the part of Brigadier
General Lane who was on that flank
As soon as the firing was heard, General
Wilcox sent Thomas's and Scales's brigades
to Lanes assistance, and they arrived just
as Lanes brigade had repulsed this body of
the enemy, and they pursued it for a short
distance. AS soon as MahOne's division
arrived from the left, Perrin and Harriss
brigades of that division, were sent to Gen.
Ewelps assistance, and were carried into
action under his orders. Brigadier General
Perrin was killed and Brigadier General
MCGOWAN severely wounded, while gallant
~ leading their respective brigades into
action and all the brigades sent to Ewells
assistance suffered severely.
Subsequently, on the same day, under
orders from General Lee Lanes brigade
of WilcoX's division and Mahone's own
brigade under Colonel Weisiger) were
thrown to The front for the purpose of
moving to the left and attacking the flank
Of the column Of the enemy which had
broken Ewells line, to relieve the pressure
on him, and, if possible, recover the part
of the line which had been lost. Lanes
brigade commenced the movement, and
had not proceeded far when ii encoun-
tered and attacked, in a piece Of woods
in front of my line, the Ninth corps, |
under Burnside, moving up to attack sa-
lient on my front. Lane captured over
three hundred 5000 prisoners and three
battle-fags, and his attack on the enemy's |
flank, taking him by surprise, , doubt con-
t1'i6oHed materially to his repuisf Mahone's |
brigade did not become seriously engaged. |
The attacking column which Lane encoun-
tered got up to within a very short distance
of q salient defended by Walkers brigade |
of Heth's division, under Colonel Mayo, |
before it was discovered, as there was q
pine thicket in front, under cover of which |
the advance was made. A heavy fire of
from Walkers brigade, and
Thomas. which was on its left, and fire ,
Of artillery from considerable number OF |
guns on Heths line, were opened with ire
mendous effect upon the attacking column, |
and it was driven back with heavy loss, |
leaving its dead in front of our works. This
affair took place under the eye of General
Lee himself"
The original of the following communi
cation is still in my possession
Headquarters ARMY NORTHERN Va, |
CON BATTLE-FIELD, May 3, 1864. |
'' General c. II. IVi!cor, Commanding DiuiSion ::
"GENERAL-General Les directs me to acknow-
ledge the receipt of the flags captured by Lanes
Brigade IN It's gallant charge yesterday, and to
lie
tary of War with the accompanying note, and the |
names of the brave captors.
{" am, very respectfully,
"Your obedient servant,
sc. s. EENABLE, A. D. c.
The Index is again mistaken when it
says: " Instead Of achieving success at Jer-
icho ford, May oath, as Pollard relates his
brigades (Lane's and McGoTan's) behaved |
most disgracefully, and were replaced by
Davis and Cooks troops of Heth's Divis-
ion." The thirty-seventh regiment alone
of my brigade behaved badly on that
occasion; but in justice to this regiment, it
must be remembered that it lost its colonel
and many Of its bravest company officers in
the fight of the 18th. The Seventh was
guarding point on the river, and was not
actively engaged. The other three regi-
ments fought very CALAMITY, drove the en-
envy back to a commanding position near
the river, held the ground over which they
fought, removed all their dead and woun-
led, and were not relieved by Davis brig
lde until IL o'clock that night, at which
time the fighting had ceased.
Lastly. The Index denies that Fort
Gregg was defended by part of Wilcox's
and says: 1.-THE infantry gar
rison at Fort Gregg was composed entirely
Of members of the Mississippi brigade of
Harris, formerly Poseys.' This assertion
s not true. The true defenders of Fort
Gregg were part of Lanes North Carolina
brigade, Walkers supernumerary artil-
crisis of A. 2. Hills corps, armed as in
antry, and a part of Chew's Maryland bat
cry. Harris brigade and a few pieces of
artillery occupied Fort Alexander, which
vas to the rear of Fort Gregg and higher
Up the Appomattox; and that fort was
svacua5ed, the infantry and artillery re-
iring to the inner line of works before Fort
Gregg was attacked in force. [ have letters
rom Lieutenants Snow, Craige. Howard,
ind Rigler, of my brigade, who were in
Fort Gregg when it fell +; and these officers s
estimate the number of Harris brigade in 8
hat fort at not more than twenty, including I
Lieutenant Colonel Duncan and his ad- t
utant, while they estimate the number 6
rom my brigade to have been at least
hree-fourths of the entire force. s
commanded North Carolina brigade 4
rom the battle of Sharpsburg to the Sur 6
ender at Appomattox Courthouse, and !
Turing that time, with the single exception i
If the Thirty-seventh regiment at Jericho i
ord, my entire command always behaved S
most Callantly and won for themselves an I