The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-01-18
THE MAR TYR, WYATT
The Truths of History Plainly
Stated.
BY Mr.. R. H. BRADLEY
HE WAS ONE OF WAITS COM
RADEs AND CO-vOLUNTEERS.
NORTH CAROLINA FIRST AT BETHEL
Because Of the Death Of Young Wyatt Who
Fell in Disc ,arge Of a PeriIous
Duty.
BY Mr.. r. H. BRADLEY
NORTH CAROLINA FIRST AT BETHEL

| hope YOU will grant me space n
| your valuable paper to correct some err
r0rs in MI. o. w. B%lacknaIIS
cation, published III your issue of the
9th inst. BY way Of preface, however,
| wish to say that | have never be
fore written a line for publication on the
subject mentioned III this -communica-
ton, and it was my intention never to
have done so, but for fear that my
silence might lie construed as significant
OF my acquiescene i'll the statements
which ne made and rs evidence OF the
truthfulness thereof, / feel it TO be my
duty, not only to the living as well as
to tie memory of the dead, but also to
historic accuracy, to depart from my
determination far enough to make the
following corrections:
In the first place, | am not the only
survivor of the squad mentioned in our
comrades communication. Captain John
II. Thorpe, of Rocky Mount, is still
living.
In the second place, | was not the
leader of the squad that volunteered to
burn the house between the lines. That
duty was assigned to our late comrade,
Sergeant George II. Williams, who per-
formed his duty CALAMITY. | was in the
rear, not in the lead.
In fact, this entire incident Of which l
write was Of 50 small Importance as
compared With the vast aggregate Of
deeds of noble daring enacted thereafter
that but for one simple fact it would
never have gained the notoriety which
has fallen to its lot. The fact was he
fall Of Wyatt, the first Of the many
North C~arolinians to fall in a cause that
was not lost"
Some have said that the enemy was
in force behind the house which we vol
unteerel to burn, and that we charged
III the face of them. and that Wyatt was
shot by them from the house. Such,
however, is not the fact. 1t IS true that
the enemy had becn there in force a
very short time before. but the only
Federal who Was there at that time was
one who had been shot through the
stomach and who was afterwards
brought into our lines. The shot which
killed Wyatt was fired by the rear
guard Of the enemy. stationed in the
corner of the woods to our left front.
The main body of the Enemy was then
III full retreat, bat that was not known
by Colonel ILL until 4 short time after
| wards.
The last shot fred Is the enemy was
the one which killed Wyatt. He was
shot through the head and fell for
ward, then turned on his back and never
moved again, though he did not cease
to breathe until he was put III the am
balance to return to Yorktown that
night. some four or FIVE hours after he
was shot.
The movements Of our company, the
Edgecombe Guards, from the beginning
of the first up to the time Of the fail
Of Wyatt were as follows: 1t was sta
t:Onn1 0crOcS n Iitt1a S+raa11 about Onp
hundred and fifty yards in advance of
our works Cleft 'front.' as skirmishers.
Wyatt and were sent out by Capt.
Bridgers to our left to observe the move
ment of the enemy in that direction,
who returned and reported that we
were about to be cut off by an advance
Of the enemy from that direction. Capt.
Bridgers ordered the company to retire
to our works, but was ordered by Col.
Magruder to return to our position and
hold it at all hazards, which we did,
unit we were ordered to the right of our
lines to support Captain Avery Burke
Rifes) who was supporting a Howitzer
under command of Capt. Brown placed in
some earthworks at the head of an old
mill dam on the other side of the river
from the church and our main works.
As we crossed over from left to right we
were subjected to a cross fire, one from a
regiment which had advanced in the
field to the house which was afterwards
burned. and the other from the advance
of Colonel Winthrop's column. which
made the most determined attack that
was made upon our works during the
engagement. Winthrop was killed with
in sixty or eighty yards of the left angle
of our lines. While making this ma
neuovre. two of our ompan were
wounded in front of the church. The
first one [ saw was private Charles Will
Eams. wounded in the arm near the
shoulder. The other was private Council
Rogers, shot in the breast, a serious
wound, the effects of which caused his
death some years later. When the enc
my advanced on our right in the house
field the Howitzer above mentioned was
accidentally spiked by one of the can
n%oneers, and the works were abandoned
by order of Col. Hill. Captain Avery,
together with the battalion of Virgin
ians under command of 1t. Col. Sewart
returned to the main works. When our
company had advanced to the breast
works recently abandoned by Capt.
Avery. the enemy had retired. At this
time Colonel Hill came to our
called for volunteers to burn the house.
for fear the enemy might advance I'M
der its cover and use it as a defense.
Those who volunteered crossed over the
the breastworks and advanced at a dou-
ble-quick in the following order. to-wit:
George n. Williams. with hatchet and
matches; Thomas Fallon on his left, then
John Fl. Thorpe, and Wyatt on his left
then the writer, about five or six feet
behind Wyatt. We had not advanced
more than thirty or forty yards when
Wyatt fell and we were ordered back.
Another Howitzer was ordered up to
shell and set fire to the house. The first
she'll passed through the house and ex-
ploded beyond it. The second bursted
in tue building and set it on fire.
This is Il true statement Of the cir
cumstances connected with the death of
Wyatt. At the solicitation nf sororaI