The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-12-21

here for the fort with a party OF these
money rings called bsockade-runnerS
with a large supply OF material to pro-
duce this result We were so young
thai Fort Fisher and all that happen
ed there is almost a dream, but ac-
cording to our best Judgment and be-
lief Bragg falsely assails General Whit
ting just here, and we are glad to be
able to state for the benefit OF all the
friends and relatives OF General Whit
ting. thai according to our recollection
this is a base SANDER. On h Thurs
day evening before the fight we were
summoned to Wilmington by a tele-
gram from General Whiting. We
found out afterwards that some friend
had secured for us an easy army posi-
ton about headquarters, either as a
clerk or courier for b court martial.
On Friday morning when we went to
report to Genera Whiting some n
told US hat he had gone down to
Market dock to take the steamer Cape
Fear for Fort Fisher. We FASTENED
down to the dock n also bearded the
steamer. Mr.. Hiram Conoly, of Anti
och, N. c., accompanied us to the
steamer and a remember o anx-
ious we were to report to General
Whiting. We quietly stood on deck
until the famous Dram Tree was pass
ed and then we sa1uted General Whit
ting and handed him our telegram and
awaited his orders. We were with him
on the deck of the Cape Fear until he
landed with his staff amid a shrower
OF shot and shell at h battery Buch-
AMMAN or mean this point. During the
entire trip from Wilmington to the
fort General Whiting was not sur
rounded by blockade runners or
money rings but simply by his staff
.--l - f-r, RAs&Ir1 ~oJJ;ovo ~p 49, ryo
to join their respective commands.
We saw no drinking on the part Of
either General Whiting or his staff
Every one looked serious and felt he
same way and Is long as life shall
last we will remember two remarks
Of General Whiting: Boys, they have
come to hurt us this time" and adj
dressing us personally he said: w
will meet again when the fight is
over" At Battery Buchanan we
parted with General Whiting and fell
ed from Caswell into the fight. We
never saw Whiting after this but up
to the time we left him we feel it to
be our duty for his own sake as we'll
as a beloved wife who still survives
him to defend his name and character
while on the trip from Wilmington to
Fisher. Bragg also says: 1.-The fight
ing done was no dOuDt by the veterans
| who reached the fort from Hoke's COM
| mand." This last statement literally
cooks the goose" and brands the en-
| tire letter of General Bragg with in
fanny. It used to be current in army
| circles that he loved to shoot his men
for h most trivial offences, but this
| shows that he loved to Islander when
he could not shoot. The statement
| about Hoke's veterans shows with
mathematical c~learness that General
| Bragg's imagination did all h writ
ing without n regard to facts. The
| veterans did not reach h fort in time
to say even "goodIbye'' to those of us
who were captured. The truth of the
matter in a nut she'll is simply this
| General Bragg tried to defend his own
gross and criminal neglect of duty 10y
| charging the officers and men Of Fort
| Fisher in the crimes of which they
were innocent. It may be that a few
men and officers got hold of intoxicat-
ing drink, but we saw nom ~incapaci-
tated for duty from this source, and we
were not in a bomb-proof, but in the
gate facing all the music. We could
not resist making this de6snco OF Fort
Fisher, its officers and men. for the
blood Of our dead comrades as we read
General Braggs' letter in last Sundays
| Wilmington Messenger.