The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-12-06
THE CHALLENGE OF CARDINALS
CLAIMS BY JUDGE CHRISTIAN
1t is Not fertilization but Chiefly Different Con-
struction Placed Upon the
Acknowledged Facts

Carolina Literary anu iiloloilIoi <hSso-
citation at its recent meeting should have
aupointed a committee to investigate
Judge Christians challenge of certain
claims of this State to precedence in the
War for Southern Independence. But as
it will probably be some time before the
committee makes its report it may not
reader OF Confederate History to review
the questions involved.
l think it can be easily shown that
Judge Christians challenge does not re-
flute us on a single point. Two of our
claims, that is as to having gone farthest
to the front at Chickamauga and having
done the last fighting at Appomattox,
Judge Christian disposes of negatively
and with the faintest shadow OF rebuttal.
But I will take them consecutlvely.
Judge Christian meets North Carolina s
claims to have been first at Bethel with
the assertion that Virginia was there too
and that the commanding officer was hers,
ETC. Now, as | understand it, what we
mean by having been first is that the
first blood split in that, the first battle
of the war, was that of man belonging
a
always said explicitly that the first Con
federate soldier killed in line of battle
belonged to a North Carolina regiment,
not denying that the young man Wyatt
was originally from Virginia, and had
recently made his home in this State,
Most of us or our torbears are originally
from Virginia. Neither have we ever de-
MED that Capt Maar, Virginia officer,
hi u oirf.,
ten days before the battle of Bethel. But
Capt. Maar was not killed in line of bat
tie but while scouting, and if my memory
serves me, at night, and apparently
through mistake by his own men as
Stonewall Jackson fell.
We come next to Gettysburg and our
claim as to "Farthest to the front" there
rests on a fact which Judge Christian
does not deny, that Pettigrews North
Carolinians went nearer to hooker's rear
in the world famous charge on Cemetery
Ridge than any other troops. The conten-
ton is that to Pickett's Virginians, IN
that they entered the stone wall which
formed the Federal breast works, which
the North Carolinans did not penetrate,
belongs the honor of farthest to the
front. In other words he contends that
farthest within the enemy's lines nc
matter where this line may be situated
and no matter how far other troops may
penetrate and what perls they may en-
counter in reaching a remoter line of tie
enemy.
At the first view this assertion seems
weighty if not conclusive. But the con
ditions of this charge were exceptional
- no r,,air. n CT or
that the North Carolina troops did not
reach the stone wall was because just
in their front the wall receded or ran
on line some 80 yards nearer the Fed
eral rear than that part of the wall in
Pickett's front. Strange too as it ma,
appear, that 80 yards seems to have beer
the most perilous position on the whole
field, even more perilous owing to the
fire concentrated thereon, than was thu
81 yards which Pickets van covered aftel
passing their part of the wall. As vii
be remembered Brigader General Arm.
istead of Pickett's division is conceded tt
have gone farthest to the front of thai
command, falling dead by one of the FED
eral guns on which he had Just placed
his hand. The position of that gun !:
well known and it measures exactly B
yards inside the stone wall. Now Nortf
Carolinians of Pettigrew's Brigade were
found dead within yards of the stone
wall in their front. The gallant Maj
John T. Jones who came out of tie fight
as ranking officer of the 2Gth North Car
DINA and who afterwards fell fighting
in the wilderness, states explicitly in q
letter written shortly after the great
battle that his flag bearer actually
reached and placed the colors upon the
stone wall. This contemporary evidence
of the most prominent surviving partici-
pant of that part of the assaulting col
umn is of the very highest value. IL
proves conclusively that Pettigrew's far
thest to the front was exactly 40 yards
nearer Hooker's rear than Pickett's far.
thest to the front. But let us make
the matter clearer by a review OF the
circumstances of the great final charge
at Gettysburg There were other troops
engaged at the time besides Picketts Vlr-
ginians and Pettigrew's North Caroliniane
put it is with these that we are now
concerned and we will confne ourselves
almost solely to their movements. Picket
had several circumstances very much III
his favor. His division was fresh not
having been engaged IN the severe fight
ing of the first two days. On the other
hand Pettigrew's North Carolinians had
on the previous days done some of the
most desperate fighting that history re-
cords and had been severely cut up. More
over owing to the natural feature OF tia!
part of the field it had been practicabl,
to assign Pickett position preparatory
to the charge, much nearer the Fedora
lines than was Pettigrews. Then the
two hours heavy firing o fthe Confederate
artillery which preceded the charge hao
disabled many of the Federal guns. The
guns disabled were mostly those defend
ing the part of the line which Picket''
assaulted. Not only did Pickett have 6
shorter distance to go to reach the enc
my's line but the contour OF the hele
afforded him some protection from the
artillery fire opened upon the charging
line. AS soon as the start began Picket
was severely initiated from his right b.
the guns on Little Round Top, but the
range was longer and the fire much les
destructive than the artillery fire which
enf1iliaded Pettigrew on his lett. I'M
was the fire that broke Davis Mlss's
sppians and Brokenbrough's Vlrgnian