The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-07-28

Lieut.. ". J. Hardison NOW sheriff o
/ Martin county, and at the risk of beint
personal, wishes to place on record tn,
act of his brave friend, who, at the risl
of his own life, sprang over our battle
ments during the enemy's last assault
, and bore bis wounded friend in his arms
in safety behind them.
! | am indebted to Gen. Hagood's recent
address for much information as to dats
ETC., of these battles and note with
pleasure his closing words: II have told
the story Of Petersburg without com
ment. The narrative itself is an immor-
telle and | reverently lay it upon the
tomb of Beauregard, the soldier"
Fooled in his attempts to carry Peters
burg by storm Gen. Grant now laid siege
to the city. l cannot better describe the
hardships endured by the brave soldiers
than to make extracts from the recent
address of Capt. Elliott.
cat the beginning of the siege June
Goth, the report of Martins brigade oc-
cupying ColQuitt's salient showed 1900
men for duty. In September, when they
were relieved the total force was 700,
nothing but living skeletons. Occupy
ing the sharp salient, the work was
enfladed on both TANKS by direct fire
and the mortar shells came necessarily
down from above. Every man was de-
tailed every night either on guard duty
or to labor with pick and spade repairing
works knocked down during the day.
There was no shelter that summer from
sun or rain. No food could be cooked
there but the scanty provisions were
brought in bags on the shoulders of men
from the cook yard some miles distant.
| The rations consisted of one pound of
pork and three pounds of meal for three
| days-no coffee, no sugar, no vegetables,
no grog, no tobacco, nothing but the
bread and meat No wonder that the
list of officers was reduced to three Cap
tains and few lieutenants with but one
staff officer, Spared through Gods
mercy to this brigade of 700 skeletons.
But every feeble body contained an I'M
broken spirit and after the fall months
came those who had not fallen into their
graves or been disabled, returned to
their colors and saw them wave in vic
tory in their last fight at Bentonsvilie. :"
In July their beloved Brigade Com.
mander, Gen. Martin, was transferred
to North Carolina and Gen. Kirkland
became his successor. Gen. Martin was
greatly beloved by his soldiers. They
had the most unbounded confidence in
his military skill and admiration for his
personal bravery illustrated on every
battle field where they had followed him.
/ In October the brigade was sent to
the Richmond front and participated in
the minor engagements of Henrico
@. H., Charles City Road and others,
maintaining its high reputation for
bravery.
Advices having reached Gen. Lee of
the preparation by the Federals of a
land and naval expedition for the cap
ture Of Fort Fisher, Hoke's division was
sent to its relief. The 18th and parts of
the 42nd and Goth regiments were the
advance Of the division and reached
Wilmington at a. m. on December the
Gath, and, after being lunched at the
depot by the'patriotic ladies of that city,
took up the line of march for Fort Fish
er, the 18th biyouacing there on the
night of the same day. The enemy hav-
ing effected landing at Fort Calling
on the ocean side, the regiment was
withdrawn from Fort Fisher on the
morning of the 25th, and moving down
the military road were ordered to attack
Buffers troops. Norman's company in
front, supported by the balance of the
regiment, deployed as skirmighers, as
sailed the enemy. Gen. Kirkland in his
official report said
Lieut.. Col Sharp, 18th N. O.,
pressed close upon and drove their Skin
mish line back upon their main body,
which was covered by the guns of at
least thirty men of war lying broadside
to the beach Capt. Norman, Co. G.,
deserves special notice.
A lieutenant and ten men were cap
tured. The regiment lost three men
killed and twenty wounded in this en-
gagement.
Before the arrival of the balance of
our division, Butler had re-embarked his
troops and thus ended the powder ship
fiasco and the military career of this
beast and modern Falstaf-he being re-
lieyed by Gen. Grant.
The ease with which this land and
naval attack was repulsed, undoubtedly
created in the mind of Gen. Bragg an
undue feeling of security. Not antici-
pating renewal Of the attack on Fisher,
unfortunately the division was with
drawn to Wilmington.
On the afternoon of the 14th of Jan
uary, whilst the regiments of the di-
vision were on dress parade in Whining
ton, the enemy had reappeared before
Fort Fisher and were landing their
forces, and before the division could be
transported to Sugar Loaf, the bulk Of
the Federal forces had landed and,
pushing that night across the peninsula,
constructed a line of field works from
the ocean to the Cape Fear, thus cut
! ting off all land communication between
Hoke's division and Fort Fisher. This line
of works was held by a negro division,
commanded by Gen. Paine and white
brigade under Gen. Joseph O. Abbott,
who afterwards misrepresented North
/ Carolina in the United States Senate.
/ At 4 o'clock on the afternoon Of the
4 18th, the skirmishers Of Kirkland's
/ Brigade, which was on the left of our
/ line, under command of Lieut.. Lamb,
was ordered to drive back the enc
my's pickets to enable Gems. Bragg
and H0ke, to make a reconnaissance of
the enemy's position. The effort was
only partially successful, owing to sew
eral of the enemy's ships which were
lying close to the enemy's shore, having
opened a terrible enflading fire upon
our skirmishers so soon as they appeared
on the open sand beach; but further to
the right. where the small undergrOWth