The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-08-26

firing to send Us to their rear as prison.
ers. This state of things did not last
long, for fresh line of troops of the
Federal reserve made "A brave charge and
recaptured the lost line Of works. When
these troops came ard saw me and my
company firing away Mt the retreating
Confederates, we were praised, Rugged
and cheered out of measure. | was lion
lied and grew into a hero before / knew
it. | was Immediately made Il major
upon the field, promotion the acceptance
Of which my sense Of truth and honor
prompted me to decline. ! endeavOred
in every way to impress upon my supe-
riors the truth of the matter. the fact be-
ing that l and my company would have
fled with the other troops if we had seen
them flying, but as we had waited until
the Confederates were upon us, it was
too late and we just had to surrender,
and in the excitement we were not sent
to the Confederate rear and that it was
not really our bravery which kept us at
the works. In vain were all my efforts
TO disabuse their minds of their falsely
conceived ideas of my gallantry, they per-
sistently attributing my declinatiOn to
my extreme modesty.
AS nothing else would do, | was, in
a menner forced to accept this promotion
and in a few days was commissioned
Lieutenant Colonel ''for gallantry and
meritorious conduct in the presence of
the enemy" In the following winter l
was appointed to the Colonelcy of
"crack" regiment / would not be speak
ing the truth, if / should say that these
promotions did not touch my vanity and
make me Jealous, not only to maintain
but to acquire more of the bubble repu-
tation at the lannon's mouth"
1t was with an assumed feeling of ar
rogance and contempt of danger that
led my regiment to the attack on Lees
salient on the 18th of May, 1864, at
Spottsylvania court house. BY the crack
of dawn on that morning, before the
Johnnies were fully awake we were
right in among them in a hand to hand
encounter, capturing a great number of
prisoners and quickly had possession of
all or nearly all of both wings of this
famous salient, the breastwOrks of which
forced to the front and rear We had
Lees army now practically cut in two, an
advantage which, if it had been followed
up promptly, would, as | have thought,
/
war at much earlier date. While we
were engaged in arranging to hold our
| newly acquired position in the captured
Confederate works, and in reforming the
| troops for further advance an attack
was made ON our flank and rear, which
by It's suddenneSs and yigOr struck panic
into the troops between the position held
by my regiment and the attacking party,
which sent them pouring pell nell back
upon my men in wild, confused mass.
Every soldier knows something of the de-
moralizing effect of an enfilade fire, such
| as the Confederates had on our line, and
| the further fact, that q stampede of
| panic-stricken troops is as uncomfortable
as that of the herds on the Western
plains. [ was drawing out my line at an
angle from their former position in order
to check the Confederate advance. when
was shot down, receiving this wound in
the hip, from the effects of which in the
/ opinion of nerve specialists, | will never
/ fully recover. My own men, brave and
tried soldiers though they were. caught
up the contag:on and Joined in the head
long flight, for before a proper alignment
could be made, the COnfederates were
among them, sweeping by and beyond
me as l lay wounded upon the ground
and shooting to kill, as was evidenced
by the large number of fallen Federals
on the spot. I felt mortified and chagrin-
ed when saw this small body of Confed-
crates. for they did not number more
than about fifty or sixty men, by brave
and skillful management put to route
many times their number of our men.
But | was particularly impressed with
their youthful leader as he passed by
where | lay, his countenance glowing
with the enthusiasm of a school bow
going out upon the play ground for a
game of ball. shouting Forward. menu
rushing on with his little band like an av-
alanche to what seemed certain destruc-
ton. He reminded me of the pictures
had seen in my old school history in my
boy days. I admire bravery even in a
foe, and this | would call true gallantry
such as was seldom witnessed in either
army in the many battles OF the civil war.
| am aware that some Virginia troops
claim by an attack in front Of our posi-
ton to have regained their lost ground,
but | know the fact that their attack
was not made until after I had fallen,
and to this young officer and his brave
followers belongs the honor of turning
the tide of BATTLE and of possibly saving
Lees army from direfu defeat that
morning. He was my ideal of a soldier.
and as I thought of him | could but re-
fleet upon the hOnors so unwOrthiy worn
by myself, and wish they could have been
the reward of such heroism as this. One
of his men had fallen wounded within
few feet of where l lay, and after the
heavy fighting ceased, the Confederates
having re-established their position. |
was, though in pain, so much interested
that | asked him who his leader was.
Well do I remember his reply, as it came
in loud, emphatic tome as if proud to
speak it, captain Billy Maclaren, of the
18th North Carolina Regiment. one of the
bravest men in Lees armyr / was fully
prepared to believe what he said
Tt is a strange thing to me that those
who write history are so full and profuse
in their records of the achievements of
Generals, to the exclusion of such praise
worthy deeds on the part of subalterns
and privates who bore the brunt of
battle.