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

Will Inc OF some brave off,
GERS and about forty men under Cap
tam carson. the senior officer, the two
south Carolina regiments (Which was
all of Hoke's which cached
me- Tailed to respond to my order to
double quick to the left salient. al
lnoush appealed to by their officers.
Iney were somewhat ~excusable, for they
mad just passed through a severe fire
In reaching the fort and hardly recov-
cred their breath after a double quick
or a mile Through the sand, and the
afterwards, I was told, came out and
fought CALAMITY. And now for the
last clause in this letter. General
Bragg says:
Blockade running has cured itself.
All, even to the privates were more or
less interested in the business. Under
and arrangement with General Whit
ing, l learned salvage was regularly
allowed on all property saved from
wrecks, which was Nd stolen, and
every vessel arriving made certain
contribution Of ~luxuries, whiskey be-
ing the principal"
L can only speak for my own garri-
son; but as this charge is false in re-
gard to it, 1 take it for granted it is
untrue as to all. l know of no officer
in my command who was interested in
running. OF the very many
captains who came in and went out
under the protection of my guns, all
will testify that I o only never ask
ed, but refused to allow any cotton or
any articles Of merchandise TO be car
rIed for me. Without my knowledge
or consent parties sent out
ten bales of cotton in my name and
notified me through Fraser, Trenholm
" Co that thew yUarQ in Tjuarrnni c1h-
ject to my order. I Immediately order
ed them sold and the proceeds to be in
vested in two one hundred and thirty
FOUNDER WhitWOrth rifles and ammuni-
ton for Fort Fisher. The order was
executed. Some of the ammunition ar
rived but the guns never got nearer
than Nassau. Many vessels which
were beached to a " them from cap
ture were protected by my light artil-
lery, and details were made to recover
the cargOes SO valuable to our people.
For these important services I allowed
the men to be paid a moderate COM
~pensation for their labor and injury
to clothing by those interested in the
cargoes; indeed, I felt hat I had no
right to prevent their receiving so trih-
ing a remuneration.
BRAGG DEAF TO APPEALS.
From the repulse of General Butler
and Admiral Porter, on Christmas day,
1864. until the second expedition ap-
peared against Fort Fisher, January
18th, 1865, the work was neglected by
General Bragg. I had lost some i'm
portant guns by explosion and had
several ~dismounted. The quarters of
the men had all been destroyed and
with them their ~Overcoats and blank
cts. Our provisions had been injured
and much of Our ammunition expended.
The garrison had been reduced innum-
bers, while the sick and Slightly wound
ed had been left to our care. I ap-
pealed to General Bragg for guns to
replace those destroyed, for new car
riages in place Of those rendered use
less, for additional ammunition, eSpec-
tally hand grenades to repulse assaults.
I asked that submarine torpedoes be
placed where the ironclads had anchor
ed and where they would n did re-
turn. General Whiting approved all
my requests. / felt sure that the enc
my would return with redoubled vigor,
and nothing being lone to assist me to
repair damages or strengthen my pO-
sition I wrote to Governor Vance and
appealed to him to aid me in getting
General Bragg to realize u situation.
But no assistance vas rendered and 1
was not even warned of the returning
fleet, but reported it's appearance to
Wilmington from the fort. L nave
never complained of this and mention
it now to shOw the utter neglect with
which the fort was treated by the COM
manding general wthO seeks to throw
the whole responsibility of the loss of
Fort Fisher upon my garrison.
In those sixty hours of continuous bat
tie, when my men were unable to pro-
vide a single meal, but had to subsist
! on uncooked rations and cornmeal cof-
fee, when they were without overcoats
or blankets to max them a bed in the
sand, 1 heard no mumur of complaint,
but witnessed deeds of herOism unsur-
passed in ancient or modern story. l
beheld acts of Individual daring which
| would brighten the pages of history or
lend a charm to poetry. Side by
side, as privates in the ranks, were
brilliant youths, with as proud a lin
! cage as any American could boast, and
i~lliterate tillerS of the SOIL, stirred with
a patriotic love Of home and state,
sharing common ~hardships and dangers
| with hat solid middle class, who, while
not as reckless, were equally resolute.
| Nowhere, and at no time, in that OF any
struggle for right and country, did the
sons of Carolina eve fill to greater Ov-
erf1owing the full measure Of patriot
ic duty, and their State will be re-
creant to her past renown and present
| greatness if she fails to defend from
| defamation their stainless reputation.
STORIES OF JOAQUIN MILLER.
Joaquin" Miller, who Dis up in the
Klondike country, must be a man of
/ q - rr~:A1- -