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

After this, Gordon in command OF
Earlys division Joined our left. and the
line was advanced and held near the
apex OF the angle. On the left OF the
angle, Daniels North Carolina brigade
stopped the break Of Ewells line and
Ramseur's North Carolina brigade
taken from Daniels left re-took the
line to Daniels right Colonel r. T.
Benefits Fourteenth North Carolina
regiment was taken from Ramseur's
left and CALAMITY extended Ramseur's
right Harris Mississippi brigade un-
falteringly extended Benefits right,
McGowan's South Carolina brigade was
sent from Hills front near the court
Gus TO extend Harris line, and partly
Tapped upon il. McGCrr"n was wound
ed before getting to us rreastworks.
Harris and McGowan's brigades
fought Hancock n his reinforcements
over the breaStwork all day, snatching
h muskets from each other across
the works. There was an oak woods
to their rear, n al oak tree twenyy
inches in diameter was 50 Tddled with
minnie balls, some fifteen feet from the
ground, that it's t~op-weight wrung it
down. / saw the tree next day and
the many dead, on each side of the
breastworks, Were silent witnesses of
the fighting qualities Of both armies.
During the day a white flag appear
ed on h breastworks, firing ceased,
and each side began jumping over
claiming the other as prisoners. The
matter was settled by the blue-coats
and Johnnies getting back on their own
side and the fight began again. A new
line was built across the angle from
Daniels to Lanes, and word passed
down the line to Harris and Meow
ans men to fall back to it. After night
h firing slackened and about mid
night ceased; both sides had quietly
zone away and the fought-over works
were abandoned by both sides
Lanes brigade was taken off the line
to the right OF the angle, carried into
some woods ito the left of the court
house n got a few hours rest in the
middle of the day. In the afternoon it
was taken by Major General Malone
with his old brigade, Colonel Weisig-
er, to feel a force that was assembling
to the right of the salient, behind the
ranch above mentioned. Though
Weisiger has not been engaged that
day and Lane had been fighting all the
morning, Lanes small brigade was put
in front to attack and Weisiger to sup
port. When Lane advanced, Mahone
o back to h court house. Lanes
attack was successful. though Weisiger
did not support him and when sent for
did not come. Lane turned h captured
battery Upon the enemy. but had to
abandon it or be captured. He, how
ever, carried bac four or five hundred
prisoners and several flags.
The Eighteenth captured the flag of
the artillery.
When We got back to the lines, near
the court house, Malone rode out and
claimed the flags. which We're refused
him. He afterwards had a correspond
ence through army headquarters con
corning them, which was held up on
account of "unparliamentary language"
that got into it. General Lee and the
secretary of war acknowledged receipt
Of the flags, from Lanes brigade, a few
days after the battle.
The Richmond paper teemed with
accounts of Mahone's magnificent
achievements in the afternoon and ac-
credited to other Virginia commands
the honor OF stopping the break in the
lines of the morning.
Pertinent to this, though personal,
the following extract from the MARIA
tive of a Michigan colonel is inserted
here. After stating how his company
was captured Il r~ecaptured at Chan
cellorsville, May 3rd. 1863, and for sup
posed %gallantry, he was promoted ma
jor, which he protested, continuing,
says:
"As nothing else would do, I was, in
a manner, forced to accept this promo
ton and in a few days was commission
GU ~ SdlldIllIy lis
meritorious conduct in the presence of
the enemy In the following winter 1
was appointed to the cOlonelcy of a
crack" regiment. | would not be
speaking the truth. if l should say that
these promotions did not touch my
vanity and max me jealous, not only
to maintain but to acquire more of the
bubble reputation at the lannon's
mouth
1t was with an assumed feeling of ar
rogance and contempt OF danger that I
led my regiment to the attack on Lees
salient on the 18th IF May, 1864, at
! Spottsylvania Court House. By the
crack of dawn on that morning, before
the Johnnies were fully awake. we
were right in among them in a hand to
| hand encounter, capturing a great
number Of prisoners and quickly had
| possession of all, or nearly all of both
I wings of this famous salient, the
/ breastworks Of which faced to the
front and rear. We had Lees army
now practically cut in two, an advan-
tage which. if it had been followed up
| promptly, would, as 1 have thought,
have had the effect of terminating the
war at a much earlier date. While we
were engaged in arranging to hold our
newly acquired position in the cap
tured confederate works. M in re-
forming the troops tor a further ad-
vance an attack was maze on our flank
and rear, which by it's suddenness and
vigor struck panic to the troops be-
tween the position held by my regiment
and the attacking party. which sent
them pouring pell nell Jack upon my
men in a wild. confused mass. Every
soldier knows something of the demon
alizing effect of an cnfilade fire, such
as the confederates had on our line
and the further fact. that a stampede
Of panic-stricken troops is as uncon.
trollable as that of the herds on the
western plains. I was drawing out my
line at ar angle from their former pc.
sition in order to check the confederate
advance, when 1 was shot down, re.
ceivinS this wound in the hip, from III,
effects OF which in the opinion of nerv,
specialists. l will never fully recover
Ny own men, brave and tried soldiers
though they WERE, caught up the eonta
gion and joined n the headlong flight
for before a proper alignment could b
made, the c~onfederates were anon,
them, sweeping by and beyond me as
lay wounded upon the ground AM
shooting to kill. as was evidenced b,
the large number OF fallen federals Of
tho sD0f feIt mortified opd obo~rip