The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-05-30


, dams in check. at that day constantly
on the verge of outbreak when not in
lactual hostility. In that then remote
quarter the next ten years of his life
was almost continuously passed in hard
hut nglorious service Nevertheless it
was a nit school of preparation for the
mighty struggle then impending. He
had just attained in the line of promo
ton, a rapid rise the coveted commits
sion of Captain, having married his first
wife i'll the meantime and had children
horn to him. Then came the grea, poll
Itical cloud burst OF 81 and the four
Ieyentful years of carnage to follow.
IGentemen i'll the military and naval
service from the South were reduced To
choice of acknowledgements and non
or on one hand, and assured pay ana
position and speedy promotion On the
Iothpr: or to state it in other and pll .ncr
terms to elect and fight for or aginst
their mothers that bore them. To their
eternal credit be it spoken, that III thar
| fest election and severe ordeal of true
manhood, few wrongly voted and wrong
" acted. Almost solidly their ballot was
| poverty and unsullied honor" Some
! few there were who otherwise elected.
and some of these did strike most hurtfu
blow of all against their native section.
! Marbles and hIonZeS i'll their honor
cvince the victOr's gratitude. Let us for
sweet charity, throw the mantle over
their name and fame and bury their ma
tiyitv in oblivion. Bob Rnsom, like Il
| Carolinian of the oldcn time, the true
gentlemen and knightly soldier, came
quick to call and laid his sabre, almost
sole earthly possession, save his yuonS
wife and babies upon the altar of his
mother State ChiyaIric Ellis, then on
! the brink of the grave, gave him the
right hand of welcome and lade him
| raise the only regiment OF h0rsem,n
then authorized. Never did he or any
other Governor make more iudici0uS Sc
lection. Never was trust more wortn'y
! executed Never was there more SUI
perb mounted regiment than the one he
organized. equipped and carried from
| Ridgeway to Richmond.
1t elected unstinted praise from the
| martial President down even to the mer-
cenary contractor; and better still ar0us-
cd the emulation and rivalry of similar
commands from its own and sister States
| In this last regard as eXemplar, it was
of untold service to the cause. 10 It's
first Colonel was that credit mainly due.
And never was Colonel better seconded
than he in his immediate subordinates,
Lawrence Baker and j. Il. Gordon, both
later on in command of his regiment,
and later still general officers. Gordon
died on the field of glory and so Baker
too, would have done if he hadn't had
more life tenaGty than nine cats com
bned for he came out mangled. Shattef-
ed and battered rs few others did from
that dread ordeal God bless you, ola
"Sabreur" and friend, and grant that you
live to carry those glorious sears for
many year yet to come.
It's first Colonel like Forrest was
born and ideal cavalryman. lie was one
of the most superb horeSmen that ever
vaulted into saddle, with the combined
critical eyer of the trader and amateur i'll
selection and the Bedouin's inherent love
for the friend that bore him through
trials and dangers whilst ever on the
alert and lookout for, these last
The post of danger was ever the coVet-
ed place Of that model regiment, and the
one by discerning generalship usually as
signed it, Many and oft time have |
heard grand old Hampton dilate in low
ing and admiring terms of its proved val
or at critical juncture. OF all the dar-
ing deeds of that PreuX Chevalier, |
think he takes most pride in his night
attack at Atlee's Station. With 300
men. 213 being of the First \. c. Caval-
nv under command of Col. VIM. I'll.
Check, and the remaining o3 of the Sec
ond y. c. under Major Andrews, all Tar
Heels. he attacked Kilpatrick's entire
division and caused it to retreat or rather
stampede at the dead hour of night,
after capturing a brigadier general and
Il train of other captives outnumbering
the force he led.
read a letter on the subject from
General Hampton:
Columbia, s. c., March 4th, 1892.
My Dear Colonel: | am glad to learn
that you are to deliver eulogy on
General Robert Ransom, for his charac-
ter and career reflected honor on North
Carolina. 1t was my good fortune to
have the First North Carolina ca airy
in my command during Il larger part of
the war. and l always attributed much
of the efficiency of this noble rc@imep-
to its first Colonel, afterwards the lis
tinguished General Robert Ransom. To
him was due in large measure those
soldierly qualities which wor for his
old regiment its high reputation, repu-
tation it deserved, for in my opinion
there was no finer body of men in the
A. & n Va. than those composing the
First North Carolina Cavalry. OF the
many instances when this regiment dis
tngushed itself | recall one, when in
conjunction with small detachment
from the Second North Carolina it per-
formed a mem nrable ACHE cfnent in tee
defeat of Fitzpatrick on his raid. at
tempting to capture the civ &C Rich
mond With only 80 men in its ranks,
under command of Colonel Greek, ana
with fifty men of the Second. we struck
Kilpatrck's camp at ! o'clock III the
morning in snow storm, after mdrch-
ing forty miles. captured more prisoners
representing five regiments-than our
number, including the officer command
ing the brigade and put to fight Kill
patricks whole force of three brigades
in which were 5000 men. But on every
field this regiment displayed conspicuous
gallantry. Your State, which furnished
so many gallant soldiers to the Confed-
eracy, gave none who upheld hnr honor
,,,I rn4.N Oh oil