Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1886-02-25
A BLOODY BATTLE.
TWELVE HUNDRED MEN KILLED IN FOR
TY MINUTES
PHILADELPHIA Times, |


federate Brigades at Bristoe Station, that
was, perhaps, the blOodiest of the war. The
Confederates had been chasing the FEEDER
ais all day, and were suddenly brought up
against corps of troops that were hidden
behind hill. But we let Captain Graham
! tell the story:
1t was a beautiful October day, but it was
destined to be the day when more men
were killed, and more blood shed in a few
minutes than was ever known before.
| This assertion seems strong, but venture
it, for / have never read in history of as
many as 200 men lost on one side where
only two brigades were engaged, in less
than forty minutes. The Confederates lost
that many that day. My own brigade,
Cookies, lost just 7OOand Kirkland $50. The
battle did net last exceeding forty minutes
after the first gun was fired.
After leaving Greenwich (or Greenage)
and pursuing the rapid march Of which l
spoke above, for some hours we reached the
vicinity of Bristoe. On the top of the high
red hill l noticed the head of our brigade
turning to the right into cedar thicket.
AS passed General John r. Cooke | said
to him: "Well, General, you are going to
give us rest now" His reply was; Not
yet, Jimmie: There is about division OF
Yankees over here just beyond the rail-
road; We'll catch them and then rest"
kirkland, Immediately in our rear, filed
to the left and formed line, and his brigade,
with ours, composed the line of battle.
Little did we think then that there was
death in the pot. In a short while the
command forward was given and we ad-
vanced through the cedar thicket and a
dense forest of oaks for about 800 or 600
yards when he came to beautiful little
valley, through which ran a little branch.
Gen. A. P. Hill, cur corps commander,
was almost Immediately in our rear; Gen.
Harry Heth, our division commander, was
little to our left and rear, so that he
could see both brigades and his whole line.
Before US, as Hill supposed-and, in fact,
all of us, at that time had the same idea
was only one division Of the Federal army.
That was the rear guard which we had been
pursuing all day and thought we could east
silly whip, "but we counted without our
host" Warren, with his corps, was then
moving up the railroad from Cattell's sta
ton, pursued by Early and EWell and hap
pened just then to have reached point
Immediately in front of us, where the rail-
road embankment formed perfect breast
work. There was little hill between US
and them when we stopped in the little
valley so that we could not see them.
THE BATTLE BEGUN.
But we soon felt them. l was standing
near General Cook when courier from
General Heth came with the message:
General Cook, General Heth says General
Hill orders YOU to advance" Almost at
the same time courier came from Colonel
E. D. Hall, Forty y-sixth North Carolina (our
right regimenD and informed General Cooke
that we were fanked on the right. The
courier from General Heth was sent back
with the information that we were fanked
and asked that our right he supported before
we were made to advance, and Colonel Hall
was ordered to throw out two companies
away to his right and feel the enemy. The
| two couriers came again, almost slmulta-
neously, to General Cooke. The one from
General Heth repeated: General Cooke,
General Heth says General Hill says ad-
vance, The one from Colonel Hall report
ed that he Colonel HalD had thrown out
the two companies as directed and that
they were Immediately driven in and that
the enemy were in very heavy force on his
| flank.
About that time Captain or Major John
son, an engineer on Gen. Lees staff, came
up and offered to go to Hill for Cooke.
Directly after he started a courier came di-
rect from Hill to Cooke with the message:
General Cooke, General Hill says advance
at once" 1 was standing within fifteen
messages given and received. Upon this
message Cooke, with peculiar shrug of the
shoulders that he had, remarked: "Well,
| by -, III take my men in and if they
outhank me III face my men about and cut
my way out. Forward, menH
ADVANCING UP THE HILL.
AS we advanced up the hill rabbit was
scared up and dashed along our front. One
Of the men called out "a remark which
had, no doubt, been made a thousand times
beforc-"Go it, Molly Cotton Tail. If
had no more reputation than you I'd run
too" Moving up the little hill we came to
through them the work Of death began.
TO the left of Kirkland, on high round
hill, had been posted Graham's North Caro-
lima battery and -- Virginia battery, OF
Poague's battalion. AS we emerged from
the pines we could see on the opposite side
of the railroad two tents being pitched and
lot of wagons apparently going into park.
"Boom" went Il cannon from Graham's
battery. The shell struck one of the tents,
and, as was afterwards reported to us, KILL
ed lieutenant colonel and major, who were
preparing to rest therein. Immediately all
was confusion on that side, and all the forces
that we could see, wagons and all, hurried
away.
We had still seen no enemy in our imme-
diate front, but we soon found that they
were there and ready for us. We thought
we had the "hare now" Just rs we passed
the skirts of pines fire was opened on us by
skirmishers beyond the railroad and from
two to three batteries in the woods at the
top of the opposite hill. We still saw no
enemy behind the railroad, but soon they
opened on us with telling effect. 1t was
gentle slope from the pine to the railroad,
and as the enemy were firing up hill their
bullets told well.
Before we had gone thirty yards General
Cooke and Colonel Gilmer, Of the Twenty
seventh North Carolina, were shot down.
The command of the brigade then devolved
on Colonel E. D. Hail. 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 a little in ad-
vance, and bad 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. COL
onel Hall said : "Well, charge !" and down
the hill we started.
Where we had halted but for an instant
the line was plainly marked by dead and
wounded men. Ten of my own company
lay there The balance of the brigade i'm:
medately joined in the charge, as did
Kirkland also. BY this time the firing was
becoming still more deadly. Men were
falling at evey step. Half way down the
neared the top of the hill l 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 I glanced to the left and