The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-09-21
STONEWALL CEMETERY.
CONTINUED from fifth page.)

corps, in less than one hour and a
half the confederate lines were roster
ed, and Burnside was taught a lesson
of value. But this terrific ngnting
with it's high success cost us dearly.
From that hour until the present many
a North Carolina home has been drap-
Oh I'm mourning because of the falien
sons of this noble commonwealth.
Among the many slain from this state,
two there were of whom we may speak
an highest praise without the slightest
suggestion Of %inviduous comparison.
Generals Anderson and Branch were
men of such heroic moulds, were 50
devoted to their country's highest
good. and rendered the country sucn
noble service as to weave around their
brows cold in death chaplets or the
brightest immortelles, n 1t was IN
the loss of just such men as these on
this and other battle fields that tnelf
old mother was stabbed so deeply IN
her heart of hearts. General NC
CleIlan, commenting upon this battle,
observed tina the confederate line was
very short. 1t was short, because
General Lee had not the men TO make
it longer. 1t was short with
only go. 900 men General Lee was oDNs-
ed to mpr his lines so as TO make
resistance against the larger NUMBER
of trCcDS VITO WHICH, NS
Clellan sought to force him from the
field. But this he could not do. for
the confederate line at night on the
18th was identically the same with
which General Lee began his struggle
at sunrise that morning, except that
it was slightly depressed at ne CEN
ter, and his General Lee seemed to
have anticipated because II one stud
les carefully the conformation OF the
10000 z~I 49, nvoot o6iIcfmpnfC OF
the whole line of battle, it will be seen
that the line was an obtuse angie,
with the apex of the angle at the CEN
ter. 1t had been regarded by military
critics as one Of the finest illustrations
of General Lees high mastery or the
science Of war, for it can be sa1ely
affirmed that If Genera McClellan's at
tack upon General Lee found MIN Win
his troops scattered, and far away IN
the reduction Of Harpers Ferry, ana
still General Lee held his own, walt.
ing the whole of next day, the Sth OF
Sentember for General Mcclellan to
renew his attack, what would nave
been the result had not that oroer
setting forth General Lees plans not
been lost at Frederick City There nave
been made several estimates or the num
her Of muskets employed by General Lee
IN this battlefield. The great Virgln1an
modestlv places the number at a ng-
IRE under 40, 900, others again a tnat
there could not ave been over o5,oOo.
A distinguished confederate o1lcer VINO
won laurels on that battleneld' Elk
Tinted States Senator RANSOM, VINO
7 think was a general of brigade on
Tho occasion. in a recent conversa-
tion said to me that after the closest
and most careful calculation, there
were only about q, 500 muskets employ
ed that day by the confederate. NO"
II this be so, the question Will come
up. why be it so? Let General Lee
speak for himself. In his report OF the
Maryland campaign, volume z, page
119, our great captain says: Inc
arduous service in which our troops
had been engaged, their great priva-
ton of rest and food, and the long
marches without shoes over the noun
tain roads had greatly reduced our
ranks before the action began. These
causes had compelled thousands OF
brave men to absent themselves. rms
great battle was fought by less imam
4O,0 900 men on u side.' CO1lclal re-
port page 35) says General -. n. mn
Had all our stragglers been up, NC
Clellans army would have been com
pletely crushed or an~nihilated. II
may be pardoned me If 1 advert to
-. scenes I nave witnessed myself along
the line Of march from GordonsVllle
by way of Cedar mountain; at second
Manassas by T~horoughfare Gap; py
way Of Oxen Hill trough Loosbury'
Frederick City, Williamsport, Mar
tinsburg, Harper's Ferry, Sharpsburg.
The men who were on this
long line of march were fresh from the
seven days fights around
Some Of them had marched from STAN
ton to Hall Town below Charleston,
taking their parts in the battle OF
Winchester, Fort Royal, Cross Keys
and Port Republic, where under Ash
by and Jackson, with that fine old
field marshall Ewell, the story OF con-
federate valor had been placed in the
mouths OF two continents. Stragglers!
Men absent from duty! Miscalled lag
CARDS on the march! S~luggards In the
storm! OF course there We're men out
of line. that day. Nature has her laws,
and has affixed her own limits to hu-
mar endurance. Again and again on
the march which brought General
Lees army to Sh%arpsburg, have seen
men after men drop ont of line from
sheer fatigue and the limit of human
. endurance reached. l recall n scene
expressly-that of an old Georgian
belon ging to Lawton's brigade, sitting
on a rock with his feet in a stream OF
water ant staunching the blood with
green leaves bound to the cuts kept
III Dldt-t " lass la !" ~
shoes. 1 shall never forget that hon
est fac 2, as. with the light Of duty in
his eyes, he swung or his hayersack,
and gra,sping his musket trudged on in
pain af ter Lee. This allusion to the
conditions o. the march Will explain
to any candid mind the presence OF
the h t. thin line Of c~onfederates
on the battlefield Of Sharpsburg SO
years ago to-day. We have said that
I 8 o00 mon wore cADtnrp0 at HarDeC
Ferry with $4,000 Of stands of arms,
20 pieces of artillery and valuable
stores. This Was a part Of the rich
fruitage of this campaign. h fed
,eral Losses have been put down for
Boonsboro, Champions Gap and
Sharpsbrrg at 1920 by Mcclellan
himself, while the most careful esti-
mates which l have been able to m
ploy places the confederate loss in
these several engagements at 10000,
and one Wall quite understand the des-
-,arat.on with Whick the cOnfederateS