The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-08-25

men push closer. The rifle shots from
Gibbons men now begin to find lodge
ment, and men sink by scores. In the
wild roar OF the battle no words Of COM
mand al be heard, but the caps and
swords wave the depleted ranks to still
more desperate attempts. The federal
line Is parallel to Pickettis front, but
turns back at an angle in front OF
Pettigrew, hence his men have furth-
er to go to reach the works. They
reach the Emmittsburg road, struggling
now at close quarters and pushing down
d first fence. The survivors Of the
division then clambered over the fence
on the other side Of the road, and rush.
ed for the works and guns. The front
federal line was seriously broken, but
the second line rushed to the front and
savagely engaged, while the guns work
ed necessarily. Some Of the men from
different companies and regiments
broke into the federal lines in a fren-
zied endeavor to plant their colors.
Let an eyewitness, Captain Young,
tell the sequel: Under this fire from
artillery and musketry, the brigade or
our left, reduced almost to a line Of
skirmishers, gave way. Pettigrew's
and Archer's brigade advanced a little
further, and in perfect continuation Of
Pickett'S line, which arrived at the
works before we did, only because they
jutted out in his front, and because his
had to move over a considerably short
er distance. The right OF the line
formed by Archer's and Pettigrew's
brigades rested ON the works, while the
left was, of course, further removed,
say 40 to go yards. (The federal line
as seem above bent back here). Sub
jected to a fire even more fatal than
that which had driven back the brigade
on our left, and the men listening in
vain for the cheering commands Of Of
ficers, who had, alas, fallen, u brigade
gave way likewise and simultaneously
with it the whole line" lOur Living
and Dead.)
Captain Young is a gallant and ac-
complished Charlestonian, and was on
Pettigrew's staff. We read the proof
to the article from which the extract is
taken when editing the North Carolina
wal monthly ''Our Living and Our
Dead" The North Carolina loss vas
terrific. In the battle of three days,
Pettigrew's brigade went in with over
$500 men, and after the charge count
ed but 835. Cali the field officers, save
one who was captured, were killed or
wounded, and the brigade was COM
manded after the repulse at Cemetery
Hill by Major Jones, of the Twenty
sixth regiment, who had been struck
On the list by a fragment of a shell,
and was also knocked down and stun
ned on the 3rd."
Take Vance's old regiment, the
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS by the
young and gallant Harry Burgwyn,
who was alas, killed. Tuttle's company
had two ~lieutenants and "a men. All
the officers and SO men were killed and
wounded. Company c, of Eleventh
regiment lost two officers killed and
81 men out of SO men. All of Company
A, 38th regiment, were shot down but
two. "The losses wer equally great in
other companies Professor Hill says:
Almost uniformly Pickett's splendid
charge has been gloriied and Petit
crews equally splendid one disparaged.
No North Carolina soldier desires to de-
tract one scruple from the just fame
of Pickett and his V%irginians,' but he
does want 'Pettigrew and his North
Carolinians' and other troops to be &C.
corded their bloodily won laurels. Take
as an example, . writer quoted by
| Captain Bond: The right (Pickett)
behaved %gloriously; the left (Pettigrew)
faltered and fled. Each body acted &C.
| cording to it's nature, for they were
made of different stuff. The one Of
common earth the other of finest clay
| Pettigrew's men were North Carolin-
ians, Pickett's were superb Virgin
ians."
That is Infamous and ~dastardly. TIC
wantonly SANDER brave men, dead men,
is a crime. Pettigrew's brigade lost more
men in the battle than Pickett had in
his entire division. North Carolina
| dead were found farther in the enemy's
line sthan any of Pickett's men were
found. The ambulance corps Of the
federals so reported. If there were any
Il UldNCl llCA III IAC Wal vi az NVClyo
burg confederate generals never fount
| them. We have given before wha
| General A. P. Hill and General ]. H
Lane, Virginians; what General D. H
Hi and General Wade Hampton, South
Carolinians; what General Hood, Tex
an; what General Trimble, Marylander
have said of the bravery and excellence
of North Carolina soldiers. Genera
Hampton said to Senator Vance,
Vance, some how the best soldiers
saw in the war were from your state.
General Hood said at Raleigh: eff
had % give the boquet to the state tina
sent the most troops into the army o
Northern Virginia, I would have to Civ
it to North Carolina"
And yet the ~slanderers have don
their dirty work of defamation TO
thirty-fve years or more, and will con
tinue to do it until they make "histor,