The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-02-11
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THE TWO CRISES OF THE BAT
TT Il

! J.
! 1t will he seen that there were ;H.,
crises in the attic: one when Bridgcrs
made his brilliant charge and recaptnred
/ the redoubt from which our troops hhd
! withdrawn upon the advance OF Town
sends regiment and portion of Dur
yea :: the other when Company +. -
! infOrced by portions Of Companies {. 6
! and X. repulsed Winthrop's bold attack.
| 1t is probable that the failure Of either
i OF these splendid efforts OF the Norlh
| Carolinians would have given victory TO
the enemy The ordeal which those com
! panies underwent in running the gaunt.
let of the enemys concentrated fire. III
| passing in the open from the left to he
i right and from the right to the left.
was trying one for unseasoned trooi~.
hut from which not man hinchei.
4 SUMMARY.
Summing up the achievements Of hs
J command, Colonel Hill says: There
were not quite eight hundred on my rest
ment engaged in the fight. and not one
half Of these drew trigger during the
! day All remained ma nfully ut Ia.
posts assigned them. and not a Ran ~
the regiment behaved badly The ca5a-
panies not engaged were as much cx-
posed and rendered equal service wifk
those participating in the fight. They
deserve equally the thanks OF the cOi1
try. In fact. it is the most try.ng ..
deal to which soldiers can he subjected
TO receive 4 fire which their orders Tor
bid them to return. Had A single com,
pany left its post our works would have
, been exposed; and the constancy anA
! discipline Of the unengaged to,nla nice
cannot he too highly commended. =
| cannot speak in too high terms Of any
two field officers, Lieutenant Colonel I.ss
and Major Lane. Their services have
been Of tho highest Importance s,ncs
taking the field to the present moment.
In another part OF HE report, Colona
Hill says: We had never more hSn
three hundred actively engsg4i .r my
one time meaning, Of troops Of all
arms
For Colonel Hills acknowlAi- 'nts
to his staff and to his company ,ftic~rs
aud others in detail. the reader IS re-
: ferred to the extract from his p.it
given i'll the appendix to this artici,
/ After the battle was over and tn cas-
my had retreated, the Louisiana eri
= ment arrived after forced march from
Yorktown On the other hand. a.
set-off against this ex-post -facto reiAr
forcement, it is worth recording that IN
associated press dispatch, dated At For
! tress Monroe June 10TH stated that
| Colonel McChesney's regiment formed
reserve for General Pierce's army, ana
also that Colonel Hawkins's regiment
I had moved from Newport News dur
ing the day
| Yorktown being exposed, the battle
| field was occupied by cavalry. and tAe
remainder OF the troops. including the
Louisiana regiment, were marched Zach
tn the former place the Same night
THE DEATH OF WYATT.
The body OF the Carolinian whom Ma
jon Randolph saw lying thirty yards
in front OF the recovered battery, wns
! that OF Private Wyatt. OF Captsix
Pridgerss Company A Edgecombe
Guards Of the First North Carolina r&g1-
| ment. When Bridgers recapturei the
| battery he found III his front the house
mentioned by Major Randolph. used az
! a shelter for the enemy's sharpshooters.
as described. At Colonel Hills Sugses
/ ton. Captain Bridgers called for hve
volunteers to burn it. Corporal &c ,rss
! Williams and Privates Henry l.. Wyatt.
Thomas Falon, John H. Thorpe and r.
ii. Bradley responded. At "nc4 hey
leaped the works and went on thsir tap-
gerous mission. ''They behaved with
great gallantry, says Colonel Hill N his
| report On the way Wyatt Wis killed,
and the others were recalled
OF Wyatt, Colonel Magruier'. report
says: TOO much praise cannot be he
slowed upon the heroic soldier whom We
lost. He was one Of four who volun-
teered to set fire to a house in our 'front.'
which was thought to afford protection
10 our enemy, and advancing between
the two fires, he fell midway. pierced
IN the forehead by a musket ball neary
l.. wyatt is the name OF this brave sol
ner ana devoted patriot He wac
member OF the brave and gallant First
! North Carolina regiment
In. the virginia volume OF the 'sCoa-
federate Military History" Major JED
Hdchkiss, its author. says: 1T IL Sener
| ally admitted that young Wyatt wac the
| srst Confederate soldier killed in action
in Virginia during the Civil War" Az
) that was also the first battle Of the war
it may be recorded that Wyatt was th-
| first Confederate soldier killed ia battle
IN that war
Private John H. Thorpe an honor
graduate OF the University Of North
Carolina. one of the four companions OF
Wyatt, afterwards n captain in the 18th
Regiment, thus describe. the death "
Wyatt:
When we got there (the redoubt) |
saw Iouave regiment OF the enemy in
line Of battle about 800 yards away. Our
boys popped away at them, but the fire
was not returned. Then in good order,
they marched away down the New Mar
ket road. Probably the order TO retreat
had beer given the whole Federal army.
A few minutes latter Colonel Hell. passing
from our right through the company.
said: Captain BridgerS can't you have
that house burnedE' and Immediately
vert on. Captain Bridge1,s asked If five
OF the company would volunteer to burn
it, suggesting that one of the number
should be an officer Corporal George T.
Williams said he would be the officer and
four others said they would go. Matches
and Ratchet were provided at once, and
minute later the little party scrambled
ever the breastworks in the following
order: George T. Williams. Thomas Fal-
lon. John II. Thorpe Henry L. Wyatt