The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-11-16
PART FOURTH.

Pettigrew's heaviest loss was his
own brigade of North Carolina: Kill
ed. 800; wounded, 915; total killed and
wounded, 1,105; prisoners -: four reg
iments and no prisoners. Killed and
wounded nearly 2 to l.
One regiment of this brigade, the
Twenty-sixth North Carolina, lost:
Killed, So; wounded, 5O2; killed and
wounded, 5SS; prisoners, =; grand TO-
ia, 5S8, or 13 more killed and
than Armistead's brigade.
Nearly half of Picket's loss was prls-
oners. whilst Pettigrew lost but one
sixth in prisoners, viz: Archer oI''
Scales 10, total 627.
These figures, obtained from volume
20 part 2 pages 339-343-4-5 Government
Record of the Union and Confederate
armies. show that Picket's charge dld
not fail because he was not supported
by Pettigrew, and that Pettigre" rear
ly did the fighting of the day.
North Carolinians were satisfied with
doing their duty and we envy not
others their merited glory.
Lee withdrew from the field on the
night of the 4th and remained at Hag-
erstown a week. On the 18th crossed
the Potomac at Failing Waters where
Lane acted as rear guard. The Eigh-
teenth and part of the Twenty-elghth
Severe deplOyed as skirmishers and those
Of the Twenty-eighth were the last to
- cross. a week was spent in camp near
C~ulpepper court house, when the army
returned to the line of the Rapidan,
the Eighteenth camping near orange
court house.
After the death of Major General
Pender from Wounds at Gettysburg,
Brigadier General Cadmus NJ. Wilcox
was promoted, and assigned to his
command. On the 22nd day of Septem-
Der the Eighteenth marched with the
and was at a skirmish at
T--J- CLO- naar Madison court hO1Qp
and, after that, camped at Liberty
Mills. the left of the army. On the 9Th
the army advanced, Hill marching by
Madison court house and Warrenton
to Bristow Station where Heth had a
fight with the enemy. Cook and Kirk
lands North Carolina brigades were
charged on a strong position on the
railroad, and CALAMITY went into a
slaughter pen. Before achievements
could go to their assistance they were
decimated. Wilcox was under shelllng,
from the enemy'S artillery, with slight
casualties. We again had a job on the
railroad, and destroyed it to he Rap
pahannock. and camped a week on its
south side
After leaving Brandy Station on the
Sth the Yankee cavalry pursued IN
force. We laid an ambush for them near
C%uIpeper, using one of the North Caro-
lima companies of the Eleventh Virginia
cavalry as decOys. 1t played it's part
well. fighting better than cavalry was
expected to, and nearly succeeded in
drawing a regiment of blue-cOat-caval-
nv into q field, where, covered by some
woods. the Eighteenth was placed to
get in their rear. The trap was dis
covered. in time to escape with a lot
of empty saddles, and a loss to the
Eighteenth of one killed and a hall
dozen
The Eighteenth returned to Liberty
Mills, and built comfortable winter
quarters. OR the 2Sth of November
marched to Mine-run, where Meade
had crossed, lay i'll line of battle, and
built breast works, but were not en-
gagged. more than IN the skirmiSh line.
The weather was fearfully cold, and
the piCketS were relieved every two
hours, as they could not stay longer
without fire. The skirmish lines were
not far apart, and exposure was n
GUS. In a thicket of old field pines. be
tween the lines, a flock of wild turkeys
lit down. a fine large gObbler lost his
life there, by this ~raShneSS, and lay IN
full view of both picket lines. Disre-
gard in the LANCER, each side determln-
ed to capture that turkey, and several
men were gOblerlzed during the Day.
After undown George w. COrbett in
charge of the Eighteenth skirmishes
played tactics to bring him in. PICK
ing a man to help him, they approach
ed in different directions, and succeeded
IN DdSSlLS lie SdIilt, Dis Z oo Ia 81
ting a new OVercOat and blanket, off or
an equally VentureSOme, but less sue
cessful blue-cOater hat lay near by.
The pot boiled that night. A. 7. Hills
division was maSsed Tuesday night the
LIST of December to attack next morn
ing but during the night Meade re-
crossed the river. We gladly returned
to our winter quarters at Liberty Mills
and spent the winter there.
Who that saw it, will ever forget the
SNOWFALL battle that started in fun,
and spread from regiment to brigade,
then division and corps, till the line
from Liberty Mill to Orange court
house was engaged in the eXhilarating
sport.
Some ~disgruntled spirit, at last. threw
a rock in his SNOWFALL, and brought
blood. This dastardly act, was
promptly resented, n went to such
an extent that the men rushed for their
arms. and it took the best efforts of the
officers and level-headed men for a
while to prevent the re~bel-yell. and
SNOWFALL, from being followed by real
powder-and-ball.
During the winter Governor Vance
made a tour of the army in his candi-
dacy for reelection as governor of
North Carolina. He received an ova-
ton wherever he went and captured
the army in toto
General Grants successes in the
western army, made him commander
of the armies Of the United States in
the field. During the winter he came
east, and personally assumed com
mand OF the army of the Potomac
most fav0rably situated, and with
arte-blanche he supplied his
with everything he wanted. 1t was a
spectacle worth beholding, and calcu-
lated to swell the bosom of any mar
with pride, to look upon the one hun
dred and forty thousand men, with
which he crossed the RaDi0an, on the
4th day of May 1864 as ~splendidly
equipped a body of men, as ever troC
the face of the earth. Well might M
have said:
Behold them, in their glory,
You will soon read our story,
On TO Richmond :
General Lee had sixty thousand me-
scantily supplied with everything, saw
. grit. with hich to meet this mighty
host.