The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-11-23
PART FIFTH.

- ~ d. CA- 1AS~ 1900 @No@0
troops. and there were blue-black
birds lying or that battlefield. Colonel
Barbour was wounded. n Colonel
Spear of the Twenty-eighth succeeded
TO h command. We ~recrOssed the
James and were placed on the right of
the line near Battery 45. and were used
TO reinforce the cavalry. and retake po-
sitions that the "critter' companies
would retire from. Brigadier General
Common succeeded Colonel Spear in the
of the brigade by order of
General Lee, a few lays before the
battle of Ream's station, on the 18th
day of August, 1864. General Hancock,
who we had. on previous occasions.
found to be a good soldier, and deter
mined fighter. held a strong position
on the railroad against the attacks
made upon him, and was much encour-
aged by the previous success that day,
that he would hold the railroad.
Cooks, MacRae's and Lanes North
Carolina brigades were selected to
make the final attack. 1t was expect
ing much of them to make the assault
where greater numbers had been re-
pulsed, but that expectation was real
lied to the fullest extent.
Elated by their victories, neither
Hancock nor his men thought of cav
ing those b-reastworks till the Tar
Heels were crossing them, and Han
SOth It'll Ills tOdl Nd44 Ia ~ ~AAND -
James w. Atkinson. the gallant color
bearer of the Thirty-third North Caro-
lima regiment. and some 1000 OF his
command as prisoners
We thus more than evened up his
captures from the Eighteenth and
Twenty-eighth. and Johnson's division
at S~pOttsylvania Court House on the
18th of May 1864.
The Eighteenth was in the thick
woods on the left. and had a hard time
in getting through the abatis on that
part of the line
on the 18th. four days after, General
Lee wrote Governor Vance, L nave
been frequently called upon TO mention
the services Of North Carolina soldiers
in this army, but their gallantry and
conduct were never more deserving the
admiration than in the engagement at
Ream's station on the 18th instant.
The brigades of Generals Cook, Mac
Rae and Lane. the last under h tenn
pOrary command Of General Common.
advanced through a thick abatis OF
felled trees, under a heavy fire of mus
kerry and artillery. and carried the
enemy's works with a steady courage
that elected the warm commentator
of their corps and division commanders,
and the admiration of the army"
y few days afterward. in IN address
at Charlotte, N. c., President Davis
SGlLl ~ OAAl~ y
things. of North Carolina: Her sons
were foremost in the first battle of the
war. Great Bethel. and they were fore
most in the last fight, near Petersburg.
Ream's station.
We returned to Battery 40 at Peters
burg and were agar tO~ot-cavalry rein
fOrcements to the critter cavalry, in
resisting the extension of the lines of
the enemy to our right.
Or the eth of September a brisk fight
was had with the infantry and artl-
lery at the Davis house.
On the 30th we again passed through
Petersburg to go over the James, but
before reaching it were recalled and
found the enemy at the Jones house,
not far from our camp.
They were quickly Put to flight, leaV-
ing many prisoners In u hands
camped upon the field that night. On
the 1st of October we found the enemy
at the Pegram house. as if they had
come to stay in that neighbOrhOOd. A
REPETITION of the experience of the Goth
cause them to retire for a time.
The repeated efforts of Grant to eX-
tend his left, brought rOOpS to our
right. We returned to FOrty-fiVe, and
We're comparatively free from similar
expeditions during the next few months.
On the Sth December we went to ia
rats station where the Yankees were
in force in possession of the Weldon
road. They evacuated with little fight
ing. Again, We went to Stony Creek
further down the road. On each of
these the weather was very cold, and
ours was not a pleasure trip. We were
glad to return to our winter quarters
near FOrty-five and Fort Gregg.
After the battle of Spottsylvania,
Major Tho ]. Wooten, of the EIgh-
teenth, was in of the sharp
shooters Of Lanes brigade and made
an enviable reputation during n cam
paign. Around Petersburg, he was a
terror to the enemy's picket lines, and
had reputation in both armies.
Wooten's ''seine-haulings'' We're pro-
verbal, and he was literally used by
division, corps and army headquarters
for ascertaining the nemy's lines or
movements. His method was to re-
~cOnnoitre, during the day, the lines to
be gone through that night and at
such hour as would suit his purpose
would approach lin twos'' with his Sc
lect men, sufficiently near to make a
dash at them. At a signal the column
would go through h line with as little
noise as possible, halt, face out, and
each rank swing around right and left.
taking the skirmiSh line in the rear,
capturing the men with the minimum
of danger to his His sue
cess was phenominal, and he received
the commentator of Generals Lee and
Hill in congratulatory orders
At an armlstice to bury h dead, the
federalS were curious to see Major
HOOten." as they called him. Viewed
in his confederate garb, which was not
very elaborate, his appearance was not
"aS striking as an army with amer
and when pointed out TO a lot of officers
and men. a significant smile passed
round the group, which oun express
sion in h exclamation of an impresSi-
BILE teuton, Mine, Gotii! Is dot re
man what makes us Skeert, like Stone
wall ShackSon? heh!!i"
There was a generous rivalry among
the regiments OF the brigade, in keep
ing their quota of this corps to the
highest efficiency and it was deemed
an honor to secure a detail to fill a va
n in it. Several of it's members
refused to accept promotion to lieuten-
N and return to their companies to
command them
The story of Petersburgh will never
be written: volumes would be required
TO contain it, and ever those who went
through the trying ordeal, can not re-
call a satisfactory outline of the weird