Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-01-23
another Account by One Who
Participated,
COIONEL FARINHOLTS NARRATIVE.
incidents Of The Charge Of PiCkett'S
Division.
AND
CAPTUrEp
WOUNDED
In PRISON nj JOhnSOn's IsIand-Aner-
dotcs OF "StOnewnli" jackson by
General Dabney II. Maury-Brave
Boys, They.

Boys. They.
The following IS taken from the Con-
Tolerate Veteran, having beea written
Is colonel 3. J.. Farinholt. who at the
ima OF the Gettysburg campaign was a
CAPTAIN in Armistead's Brigade Picketts
Division. and who, subsequent TO his es-
caps from prison and for the part he
bore in the Staunton river bridge engage
uent was promoted colonel:
The writer commenced his military SER
vice for the Confederacy at West Point
va. where for some months during the
spring and summer Of 1851 some four OF
I've companies were put through such
drills and guard duties as We're incident
O. al camps where soldiers were being
prepared for more active and serious duty.
Early IN the fall of 1861 our battalion
vas ordered to historic Yorktown and
thence 10 Ship Point, to form part of
tie command of the famous Colonel Sula-
t0Wsky, who came 10 the Peninsula in
charge OF a fine regiment from New Or
leans The Colonel had seen much SER
vice in European wars, especially at the
siege OF Sebastopol and on his sagacity
chief command of the Peninsula con-
flantiy relied He was a most exacting
military commander, disciplinarian, and
organizer.
At ship Point we passed the winter Of
isl-2 in building quarters, burning brick
and lime kilns. erecting a bakery,
making good roads. uniting and protect
Eng our front by covered bomb-proof rifle
pts, and converting a low, almost tide
covered point Of land nearly surrounded
by water, into q handsome, healthy, con-
Fenient. well-eQuipped camp. In the early
spring our battalion changed camp from
ship Point 10 Grafton, nearer Yorktown,
end after a few short weeks, just as we
had completed another set of comfortable
log houses FOR winter quarters, we were
ordered 10 cross TO the south side of the
Games river and go to Petersburg, whence
I'VE were taken by cars to Suffolk, placed
under the command of the handsome
and chiyalrous General Loring, who had
lost an arm in the Mexican war. and
later under General George Randolph,
who afterward became Secretary of War
for the COnfederacy.
our trip 10 Suffolk was Just at the time
2, the battle between the Confederate
ir0lcad Merrimac, and the Federal war
ships Cumberland and Congress, and we
t0Gld plainly hear the booming Of the
guns in this great naval fight as they de-
lEeIed their broadsides at close quarters
the Federal warships brayey and de-
family meeting their DOOM as they were
quickly blown up by their own magazines
or sunk with colOrs flying and decks
bloody, burdened with their dead and
dying when struck by the fatal ram Of
that ironclad monstrosity, the Merrimac.
Our regiment was now completed and
desgnated as the Fifty-third Virginia.
and assigned to the brigade Of General
Louis A. Armistead another veteran of
the Mexican war.
Late in the spring on breaking up
camp. we made lengthy and tedious
march through Eastern North Carolina,
end upon our return were ordered TO Rich
in0ud by easy stages, where we arrived
Just in time 10 participate in our maiden
engagement at Seven Pines. in which
light. being carried without advance |
plckets. we received, very unexpectedly !
our first baptism Of fire. Here there was
much demand for room by both men and |
officers as we wheeled by company into |
line o. battle; but, upon coming to front |
alignment We were right upon several |
regiments Of the enemy, until then |
unseen through the thick underground, |
VINO delivered a most unexpected and /
rapid FIRE, after which there was ample |
Iolm for all 10 get into line and excuse |
Tor many 10 get we'll 10 the rear. Poor |
fellows! Il was their first bloody expe-
Ileuco. but most Of them stood the ordeal |
lmvely, and after few minutes of dis
order reformed and presented steady !
and unbroken front.
An amusing incident OF this, our first,
trgascment was that our cOior-sergeant-
Who claimed 10 be an old Mexican vete-
ffn bat was much doubted ever TO have
smeilcd gunpOwder-under the first scath-
ns fire Of The enemy rapidly retired in
disorder 10 the rear; and in his excite
nant, when halted by one Of our cap
t.ns and forced back 10 the front, swOre
.aat che was going 70 do his duty and
-ake care Of that silken banner, which
he had promised the ladies who had pre-
}elted IL 20 the regiment he would do,
'nd be was mot going to have II shot
kI 20 pieces I'm that way
ln an the weary days and months
hereafter our brigade, as part OF
'.ckctts Division, Longstreets Corps
participated IN whatever Of hard marches
lnd harder lighting there was for the
army Of Northern Virginia In the
Icnches before Richmond and during
ine seven days fighting. The writer. be-
ns seriously wounded in an engagement
n the York-River railroad on the first
lay, was taken 20 Richmond, where he
Mas attended by the celebrated DR.. a. \.
3 Garnett
Our brigade participated in the battle
y Malvern Hil under WltherlhB IRE
rom the encmy's concentrated batteries,
hhere Mcclellan made such desperate
Bland 20 save his army then on the verge
humiliation or surrender, which II
escaped by the mercst chance
LEES SUPERB CENERAT.SHlP.
AZ no time during the war was the
superb generaiship Of Lee and jackson
ma their subOrdnates so manifest as
'DiinS these great battles around kich-
mond when, by dint Of rapid marches
ana continuous hard lighting, they
brought 20 despair with one last and I'M
probable chance Of escape the thoroughly
EQUIPPED and best disciplined army OF the
themy under the leadership OF that most
popular Federal general the chlyalfous
Nha courteous Mcclellan. What wounded
tiide and humiliation there was at the
fiiuation presented by accusations among
,nef chiefs and how near a consumms-
p'n of our wishes and the establishment