The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-01-25
At BETHEL
More Light on the Heroism
of the Five.
CAPT. THORPE WRITES
HIS RECOLLECTION OF THE
DEEDS COMMEMORAIED IN
MARBLE.
MR.. BLhCKNALl'S ESTIMATE CORRECT
The Pictures Of the Five Brave Young Mer
Should be Placed in the State Lib
raries--Wyatt the Pro-Martyr
Of the South.

To rhe Editor: In your issue Of January
11th | find an article ron .. w. Black
rall, anent the killing of Wyatt 1T
Bethel on 10th Of June. 1861. and from
that article | clip the following:
AS is usual for perilous service,
volunteers were called for. hen
Bradley, Wyatt and Williams re-
sponded, left shelter Of the breast
works and sprang forward under
point blank fire 10 burn it. Wyatt
fell and the two Survivors We're
ordered back"
This shows nov incorrectly and I'M
consciously the truth of history may be
perverted and an inaccuracy, oft re-
peated, is taken for fact.
Having heard the reiatal of the incl
Gent-one of the most notable in the
heroic annals Of the civil war-from
both Capt. John II. Thorpe and Geo.
Il. Williams, lately deceased, and hav-
ing published the same in the Tarboro
Southerner while | WAS its editor, | was
somewhat astonished at the misinform0
ton in the article alluded to.
In order that the true account might
be placed on record before the last sur
yivOr had gone to answer the final roll
| call, | wrote to Capt. Thorpe requesting
him to write his recOllections for me.
This he did in the subOined letter. Capt.
}. II. Thorpe was aS gallant a soldier
as he is modest as a gentleman. He
is highly intehigent-being IA graduate
with distinction of our State University,
and for the last three years Of the war
was captain of Co. a" 47th n. c.
Regiment.
AT Home, Near Rocky Mount.
January II. 1898.
Dear Sir: Your very kind letter was
received last night and : am deeply
grateful to you for it. 1t also recalls
a similar kindness and honor you did
me several years ago by public speech or
newspaper article in TarbOrO.
1.-The fact is this: Bethel incident-in
the light Of rapidly succeeding events
has always seemed to me 4 trivial affair
and We're no other thar myself counted
with it, l would say it has received far
more praise than it deserved. How
ever, for the sake Of North Carolina,
and especially Edgecomhe county, every
citizen of which has uniformly been kind
to me, | take great pleasure in telling
| YOU what came under my eye on 10th
June, 1861.
First, let me say, that "Bush Geo.
- Williams did not remember that Il.
II. Bradley was one of the heroes.
but | do remember it. | will so to town
tomorrow and show YOU a good map
of the battlefield of Bethel and
explain so as to show what honors ac-
crued to North Carolina. l can show
you how the Edgecombe Guards did
most of the infantry fighting on the
Confederate side in that hattie.
Il am going to have the cheek to tell
You that before the battle opened the
Edgecomhe Guards-Co. A. 1st Regi-
ment. rs | will hereafter call them-were
sent Il long way in front, on the left of
the New Market road. as skirmiShers.
with orders from Col. Hill to watch the
Back River road to Hampton. and if
any of the enemy crossed the road for
us to retire to the entrcnchmentS.
"Well. rs soon as Company A formed
q skirmiSh line. Capt. Bridgers sent
Wyatt and myself to do picket work far
to his left and front to watch the road
and report if any one crossed. We went
about 800 yards, when Wyatt stopped
and | went still further to his left.
Soon after this the cannon opened fire
and | saw a body of the enemy cross
the road still to our left. My heels took
me rapidly TO report of course to where
Wyatt was posted, and he, too. had seen
them. We hurried and reported the mat
ter to Capt. Bridgers. Up to this time
a gun had not been fired by Company \.
Capt. Rridgers ordered a retreat. OF
course this was done in confusion. rs
Company A had not been calleH f.
order. We waded Back river MS we
came to it. and as we ran over the
little breaSt-wOrks into another com-
pany, Magruder, commanding the Con
1 n1pra1tp S said soma 11rlv thinOc 10 11S
NOT knowing Capt. Rridgers was obey
ing orders. Captain Bridgers tried to
explain, but was not allowed to do so.
"Magruder ordered us back to our
former position and we promptly obey
ed, though this was Il most difficult
thing at hat stage of the war. The
J body of the mem We saw crossing the
road was doubtless commanded by the
gallant Major Winthrop. who struck our
left tEank an hour later. and. but fol
!. whose fall-shot dead in advance of his
trooIs-the history of Bethel might have
been different.
Company A became engaged with
the Federal sk;rmishers at once and We're
firing and being fired at when Capt.
BridgcrS was ordered in for the pur-
pose of recapturing an advanced post on
our right. abandoned by our side and
the cannon spiked. | am not certain.
but | think it was understood that those
of Company A who We're wounded tex
cept Wyatt Charles Williams and others
received their wounds while passing
: through the main fire from left to right.
Company A did not hesitate or falter.
but recrOssed the river to the right an
struggled each man for himself through
), the quagmine, thigh deep to the de
serted position. The more l think of it
tho mora ora Ion n tho cCnIn1nV anDp1rS
When we got there | saw a Zouave
regiment of the enemy in line of battle
about 300 yards away. Our boys popped
away at them, but the fire was not re-
}, turned. Then, in good order, they
marched away down the New Market