The National tribune., 1901-10-24

on any occasion gave way till they had
| lest as heavily, they were the superiors
of any in NapOleon's or WellingtOn's
armies. The loss in the British infantry
| at Salamanca was only IL per cent. That
of the Light Brigade" at Balaklava was
only 81. That of Pickett's only %, and
they were ruined for ever. 1t is true that
the North Carolina and Mississippi Bri-
gades of Heth's Division lost in the first
days battle about 30 and on the third
at least 60 per cent, and this without
having their morale seriously impaired
but, then, both of these organizations were
composed of exceptionally fine troops.
- HETH's DIVISION.
This division was composed of Archer's
Tennessee and Alabama regiments, Petit
Crews North Carolina, Dayis's Mississippi
and Brockenborough's Virginia Brigades.
Counting from right to left, Archer join
ing Pickett's left, this was the order in
which they were formed for the third
days assault. Soon after the order to ad-
vance was given the left brigade gave
way. The others advanced and did all
that flesh and blood could do. Gen. Hook
er, who has written the Confederate mil
itary history for the Mississippi troops,
quotes from DR.. Ward, Surgeon, who
witnessed the assault, who says that the
fire of Cemetery Hill, having been con-
centrated upon Heth's Division, he saw
no reason why North Carolina, Missis-
sippi, Tennessee and Alabama troops
should not participate in whatever honors
that were won on that day; for, says he,
all soldiers know that the number killed
is the one and only test for pluck and
endurance.
Gen Hooker then states: "The bri-
gades in the army which lost most heavily
in killed and wounded at Gettysburg were
~ Pettigrew's North Carolina, ~ Da-
vis's Mississippi and North Carolina, 90
Daniels's North Carolina and a. Banks
dale's Mississippi" These four had an
average Of S37 killed and wounded. Pick
cts three brigades had an average of
455.
PERCENTAGES.
Some have contended that the number
OF deaths and wounds is the test for ell
oGSance; others, that the percentage is
the true rest. 1t may be that neither the
one nor the other alone, but that rather
both together should be taken into ac-
count. The same percentage in large
regiment should count for more than that
in small one. For while only one Con
federate brigade is reported to have
reached as high as 63 per cent, the regi-
ment, the smaller organizations, more fire.
quently attained that rate. Thirteen are
known and several others are supposed
to have reached it.
And as to the company, there was
hardly a hard-fought battle in which at
least one did not have nearly every man
killed or wounded. The writer knows of
four in as many North Carolina regi-
ments which in one battle were almost
destroyed. In three of these the percent
age went from 81 to 90, and the fourth
had every officer and man struck.
Taking Col. FoX's tables for authority,
we find that Of the 81 regiments standing
highest Oh the percentage list six were
from North Carolina, and these six car
ried into battle 2,909; only two of the "a
were from Virginia, and their present
was 30 for one and 12S for the other. Ten
nessee, leading the list in number, has
seven, Georgia and Alabama each has
six. The two States whose soldiers Nir-
ginia historians with a show of generosity
were in the habit of so frequently com
plimenting, Texas and Louisiana, make
rather poor show; the former has only
one regiment on the list and the other
does not appear at all.
The 10Th n. G. had $50 officers and
men at Gettysburg, and their percentage
Of killed and wounded was exceeded by
that of only two Confederate and three
Union regiments during the whole war,
and those five were all small, ranging
from 16S to 2GS
AS Senator Vance's old regiment I'M
questionably stands head on the numeri-
cal list, so should it, in the opinion of
the writer, stand on that of percentages
Az, for reasons not necessary TO mention
here, this last relates almost entirely to
the early battles Of the war it is not as
satisfactory as il might be. Though
North Carolina should head the list in
the greatest percentage in any one regi-
ment, it does not in the number of regi-
ments.
Early in the war, when il was generally
believed that peace would come before
glory enough to 90 round had been OBJ
tanned, the North Carolina troops were,
10 Il certain extent, held back. For this
reason, however fattering to our State
pride Col. Fox's table is, as it stands,
it would have been vastly more so had it
covered the whole war, especially the last
year, when the fortunes Of the Confed-
eracy were held up by the bright bayo-
nets OF the soldiers from the Old North
State.
Carolina, Carolina, Heavens bless
ings attend her"