The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1884-04-09
AppoMaTTox!

ago, on this morning
Nlne'e' men ragged, half-shod
-Iaro5.backened, haggard eyed iron
marcbing day and night without
- and without food, save raw corn, :
:, moody silence leaning on then
= within sight of Appomattox Court
- Va.-wondering if the news could
,r,e debating in their minds wheth
suicide itself would not be preferable
:, the deep humiliation and overthrow
e. was settling swiftly down upon
hem!
There were tie .rs that morning IN eyes
b., u, accustomed TO weep, and many
gallant soul dated it. life wreck from
that hour.
The details of the Great Surrender are
familiar to the majority of readers but
ne find in the narrative of Gen. Thos l.
Rosser, who succeeded Ashby ard Stuart
!. Le,y c1r1Icr ofthe Virginia troopers,
Number Of incidents which may be of
~;ptcre,t on this Anniversary Day.
Rls~er gives a graphic account Of the
rout of Pickett's Conscripts THE old
Pickett Division was wiped out of
existence at Gettysburg at"Five Forks
The fight at Namozine Church (where
Gen. Barringer, ard Col. Cheek, and
other North Carolinians won distinctionl
bud also the fight at Amelia Court House.
Our space forbids more than this extract.
THE FIERCE CLASH AT wATSoN'S FARM,
WHERE HEROES FELL.
When | reached Rice's Station | learn
ed that an infantry and cavalry force.
numbering about 1900 had gone up the
road towards the high bridge. | at once
applied to General LOngstreet for per-
mission to follow and destroy these troops,
wpich had evidently been sent to destroy
the high bridge. My command, com
posed of portions OF my own and Fitz
Lees Division, numbered in I'll about
fifteen hundred men | overlook The
enemy atont one o clock, rear Watson's
farm. Ii had been raining and the sky
was still overcast and the air was 'oggy
and thick. The enemy had received no.
tice of my approach and hal posted his
infantry 10 a strong potion, along the
line of the heavy oak forest and behind a
high fence.
| d~ismounted Fjiz Lees Division and
moved it through the dense pines un-
observed by the enemy. and Immediately
III front of and facing the line the enemy
had formed aud, with bearing command
ing my division in the sadd charged
! the enemy in fl INK. General RieI. was
il command on the Federal and a Colonel
Wsshburue vas commanding the cavalry.
As soon as bearing moved out so as to
threaten tied funk Colonel Wa>hburne
1 charged him with his cavalry and | never
witnessed a handSomgr chi~ge. Bearing
met him with the same Undaunted, de
termined pluck and the most savage
hand-to hand fight | ever witnessed was
1 the result. bearing aud Washburne
were both killed within three feet of each
1 other. Whether they slew each other |
cannot say, but many think they did.
/ Colonel Boston and Major Thompson
We're also killed in this cavalry fight and
every man in W~ashburne's command was
killed, wounded or captured none tried
10 escape.
| was unable, from a wound received
through my left arm at Five Forks a few
days before, from using my sabre, but
during the fight | rode among my men
and encouraged them by my presence,
which was all | could do, and while |
looked on | saw Major Jim Breathard,
OF the horse artillery, attack two Federal
captains, B~reathard with pistol and the
Federals with sabres. They closed be
fore Breathard had an opportunity to
shoot, and when | saw him the Federals
were cutting and sticking at him with
their sabres and Breathard was exceed
lngly busy warding them off with his
pistol. Their horses were run against
Breathard's and he was finally Knocked
of his horse, and In falling his foot was
caught between his horse aud one of the
Federal captains aud pulled off one Of his
boots Breathard then shot and killed
one of the officers and Courier Scruggs
dashed out from my side and killed the
other, and in a moment Breathard was In
the saddle again, with only one boot, and
again Joined in the fight.
LIVES THROW AWAY.
As soon as the cavalry was disp osed of
the infantry in the woods was charged
and driven back through the woods, when
they raised a white flag and surrendered.
In this fight In the woods General Rled,
commanding the Feder,ls. was killed.
and Major Knott, of the Twelfth Virginia
Cavalry, on our side, was also killed.
ily loss in this fight was very heavy. As
the end was So near ii would have been
better TO have allowed the enemy to have
captured US all and burnt all the bridges
In the country than to have thrown away
such lives as bearings, Boston's :, Thomp
sons and Knott :, for they died to no
purpOSe-the cause was already lost
The prisoners, arms, ambulanceS and
horses were turned over to General Long
street, and | moved pack to Rice's Sta
ton.
vi spent The night in line, expecting a
battle at daylight but when the anxious
night passed our retreat was resumed.
The cavalry retired in the direction Of
Farmville, all under titZ Lee'scommaud
The enemy pursued slowly, sklrmlshIng
at long range until we reached FarmvIlle.
Here the enemy rushed on US and en-
deavored to prevent our crossing the
AppoInattox river and in this he partially
succeeded, but my division, which was
cut off from the bridge, moved up the
river about two miles and forued, while
EItZ Lees Division crossed on the bridge
If the Cumberland Court House road.
Alter | crossed the river | marched
down its left bank to join Fitz Lee, from
WHOM | had been separated. When |
reached tho Cumberland plank road L
found Fltz Lees Division under the COM
mand of Colonel Muntord making vigor-
Gus preparations to meet the enemy, who
was reported to be approached from
Farmville and then supposed to be very
near, but the country being wooded he
was not in sight. | had ridden a little
ahead of my division, and as | was the