The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-03-04
Before wc had gone thirty yards Cen
eral rnnke ard Colonel Gilmer, Of the

Twenty seventh North Carolina, were
shot down. The command of the bri'
gadc then devolved on Colonel p. D.
Hall, of the Forty-sixth North Carolina,
and Lieutenant Colonel Whitfield took
command of our regiment. The Twenty
seventh having been always drilled in
the quick step was little in advance,
and had halted for the others. AS Hall
came up, Colonel Whitfield told him he
would lose every man he had if he kept
them there, and suggested charge.
Colonel Hall said: "Well, charge !"
and down the hill we started.
Where we had halted but for all Instant
the line was plainly marked by dead and
wounded men. Ten of my own company
lay there. The balance of the brigade
Immediately joined in the charge, as did
kirkland also. BY this time the firing
was becoming still moro deadly. Men
were falling at every step. Half way
down the hill l was wounded and started
back. AS I ncared the top of the hill [
turned and saw my regiment actually
slaughtered by one volley. They had
then reached Within thirty or forty yards
of the railroad. The regiment seemed
to me just to melt away at once. Just
then / glanced to the left and saw part
of the Eleventh North Carolina dashing
over the railroad embankment. The
Yankees were too strong for them, and
they never came back until they were
payrolled and exchanged.
But the fight was disastrous to the
Confederates. We had 10 fall back up
that fatal hill. The Twenty-seventh had
no protection of any kind. The ground
was smooth and even and it seemed as if
every man must be shot, but we were
protected to great extent by the gallant
Fifteenth North Carolina, who, under
their able Colonel afterwards Brigadler
Generally William McRae, fell back by
companies as though on drill, and poured
their fire into the enemy, thus making u
part of them, at least, keep their heads
and musket barrels below the top of the
embankment. The Fifteenth had some
protection by uneveness in the ground
they passed over as we'll as by some trees
and bushes along their line. We had
none except their protecting fire."
Colonel John Esten Cook says:
"The fault of fighting two brigades
against one whole corps and division
of another was with somebody, but not
with Cooke or Kirkland. They only
obeyed the orders to advance, and as |
have shown in the case Of Cooke, protest.
ed against being rushed into the slaugh-
ter pen without some support. They
under orders like "The Six Hundrcd,'
rushed right 'into the jaws of DEATH"
Well might General Lee, the noble old
Roman, say, "Well, we'll, General, bury
these poor soldiers and let us say no
moro about it." I heard it said, and the
Northern papers so stated few days
after the fght--that the Federel loss was
only thirty-fve. I do not know how
this is, whether true or not. But just
think of it A loss of thirty five on one
side against .260 on the other the thirty
five out of more than corps and the
1850 out Of two brigades, and all in less
than forty minutes. Indeed we did "go
into the jaws of DEATH" If the thirty
five be correct then I lost more out of
my own company than the whole OF
Hancock's and Warren's troops did. l
entered the fight with 65 men and Off
GERS, and lost 4s, every officer being
wounded. The Twenty seventh North
Carolina regiment had 4l6 and lost 200.
OF 39 officers only escaped unhurt.
But, while we might dwell longer on
the sad part of this scene, there is always
something ludicrous 10 happen even in
such battle. Just before leaving Cor
donsville, Va, on the Sth or 9th of
October, now clothes had been issued to
our brigade. Our men wore their old
clothes on the march to Bri.toe and had
them at the fight. When re we're com,
PEELED 10 retreat up the hill under the
deadly fire Private J. H. clearinghouse
of Company H, Twenty-scventh North
Carolina, finding his knapsack too heavy
and fearing he would have to throw it
away and lose his new clothes, stopped
about half way up the hill, threw off his
knapsack, opened it, jcrked off his old
clothes, donned his new ones aud then
continued his trot up the hill. 1t is the
only instance of which have ever heard
of man changing his clothes under
fire; but clothes were very good things
to have in our army at that date.
Sergeant Fleming, also of Company
H, was shot through the right shoulder
and did not know it until next morning,
when he complained of his gun having
kicked terribly and his shoulder being
very sore. Maj. Webb called his atten.
ton to hole in his coat, and on pulling