The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1902-03-20
ERRORS IN NORTH CAROLINA HISTORY
That There are Tlany No One Can
Doubt Who Will Properly investi-
gate

mat there are many errors III ouI
history no one can doubt. who will
properly investigate.
Wheelcr's history says the battle
| of Elzabethtown. n. G., was fought
| in July, 17Sl. without mentioning the
| date of the month; further, that the
| Wings were commanded by Colonel
Thomas Brown. Local traditions, |
| found, do not sustain these state
ments. In 1866 the writer saw state
| ment written in 1916, BY James Cain,
who was a participant in the engage
| ment in Eiizabet htown and who stated
positively that the battle occurred on
the morning Of September 30, ISL
Fanning's Narrative. secured from
| Nova Scotia by Colonel Wheeler in
! 1860. and published by him during
the war between the States, while the
date of the battle is not given, proves
| the fact that the battle did not occur
| in July, but during the month OF Sep
TENDER. subsequently obtained and
| published Gains account of the battle
| written in 1915 and intended for pub
| LEGATION in the Fayetteville Observer.
| In this account given by James Cain
| it is positively asserted that the battle
occurred on the morning of Septem-
| Der 80, 1891, reiterating is written
statement made in 1916. 1t is further
asserted by Cain that Colonel Thomas
| Robson commanded the Wings in the
engagement Incidentally, he men
toned the fact that the Wings wait
ed till the moon went down about an
hour before day before making the
attack.
AT the request OF this writer a cal
culation was made at the office Of the
! Nautical Almanac in the city of Wash
ington which proved the fact that the
moon went down at the time men
toned on the morning Of Septem Der
goth. The officer who made the labOri-
Gus investigation remarked that it
was strong corroborativc proof OF the
truth Of the soldiers statement.
In further Confederation of Cain 5
statement in regard to the command
ing officer in the battle | saw and
carefully noted the papers left by
Colonel Robson and among them
were various receipts given by the
| siNty-nine men of his command to
| Colonel Thomas Robson for money
paid them for services up to dis.
bandment.
| have in my possession a letter
from Colonel Sampson, dated Sampson
| Hall. September 10Th. (evidcatly old
stylc) 1891, written AT night to a
friend. stating that messenger had
just arrived announcing a great vic
| tory hy Colonel Robson at Elizabeth
town on the morning Of the l9th.
Adding ten days to the 10th as the
difference between old and new STYLES
! then, we have the date of the battle
| on September Goth. Colonel Brown
who was the ranking officer in Bladen
was incapacitated for service on ac-
count Of wounds received at Hood
Creek previous to the affair at Eliza
bethtOWn. He arrested Colonel Sings
by at Browns Landing Septe 30.
and sent him back to his residence
above Elizabethtown, where he died
on the night Of September 3lst, and
was buried near the Cape Fear River
Oh land now belonging to the estate
of the late Hon. J. W. Russ
We should have State pride enough
to fix the date Of the important en-
| gagement.
Up to a recent date no one disputed
the authenticity of the resolves OF
May 81, 40, ut Charlotte, but for
nearly 50 years the authenticity Of the
declaration of May 3Oth, was disputed
and there may be doubling Tkomases
yet. The investigation made by DR..
George Graham and Prof Alexander
Graham. Of Charlotte. resulted in
some astonishing facts. Not a single
particle OF evidence could be produced
10 show that any resolves were ever
passed at Charlotte on May 3Oth or
31st.
DIR. Hawks made a lengthy address
at Charlotte before the late war and
he speaks of the resolves as if passed
on May 3Oth, ANY one who can read
the proofs of authenticity made by the
MeSsrs. Graham any longer have any
doubt that the Scotchlrish held a
meeting on the 10th and goth of May,
100, and adopted the famous declara-
ton, would doubt any fact recorded
in history.
1t is amazing how ignorant some Of
our leading men are in regard to i'm
portant historical events. One Of the
orators ut the centennial al Charlotte
in 1879, spoke eloquently of our gal
| liant forefathers who threw the tea
overheard at Wilmington in l7715, Yet
no one seemed to know that the
| orators history was at fault
Histories differ as to the date of the
battle of Guilford Court House.
| Two Southern histories give different
| dates.
| | have seen il stated that Robert
| Rowan was the author of what is call
ed the Liberty Point Declaration pub
llshed at Cross Creek. June 20. l775.
That declaration was prepared by
the Wilmington committee of safety
and sent to several committees and
passed by them simultaneously on
June goth. (See proceedings of Will
mington Committee of Safety.)
Great injustice has been done TO
the memory Of Colonel Alexander
Ellington by giving to Colonel Cas-
we'll the honor of having commanded
the Wing forces at Moore's Creek
Bridge in l116. Our people make
history but do not record it. If
we write history let us write it cor
rectly.
LIE desperate straits to which the
! opponents OF Judge Clark are put to
work up opposition to him is anus
ing. Every attack they have so far
made on him has proven boomerang,
but they still keep up the fight. In
deed, such persistence exerted in a
better cause than attempting to
poison the minds of the people
against good man would be COM
msnda ble.-Wadesboro Messenger and