The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-12-06


But with these obstacles of difficulties
we are not really concerned. / was
tempted to speak of them simply because
they are of great interest to North Car
very glorious. The point with which we
are now concerned is that Pettigrew's
North Caronians sweeping forward to
| the charge fully abreast Of Plcketts Vr
ginians went 40 yarqS 1arther to the
'front.' than did their gallant comrades
from the Old Dominion. As Picketts line
or a part of it, went over the stone wall
PettigrewS men swept forward past their
left, banking the Angie" and probably
by this fianKlng movement to some eX
tent lessening the resistance TO Picket.
There, assaulted by InflIading artillery
fire on each flank by heavy bodies OF
Federal infantry massed on the Ridge
IN their immediate front, the charge spent
itself and Vlrginlans and Carohnlans, OF
those that survived, went back as pest
they could TO the Confederate lines.
we come next to Chickamauga. Judge
Christians only argument on this point
is that Gen. Bragg, the commanding oI-
fcer and North Carohnlan by birth,
made no mention OF special gallantry
performed by North Carolina troops ~
that battle. This is true but the evil
dence IS worse than negative for Gen.
Bragg's report makes special mention OF
troops from no state in that battle.
Against this negative evidence we nave
only to point to the report of the COM
mittee appointed in 1898 by Gov. Carr 10
investigate this matter. These gentle
men after thorough and exhaustive IN
vestigatIcn on the spot, aided by every
accessible report and by many particl-
pants in the battle, were OF the unani
nous opinion that the 5Sth and 60th
North Carolina infantry in their respec-
tive parts of the field penetrated nearest
to the enemy's rear IN the great charge
This fact has never, as tar as | have
heard, been disputed except negatively
by Judge Christian.
Ali thoughtful people agree with Judge
Christian in sympathy and honor for Vir-
gina as the battle-ground of war. And
her women and children and helpless ones
felt the bulk of hardshlps and of woe.
And she felt heaviest and lay longest I'M
Ger the iron hand of war. The primary OF
| fLffering for the cause cannot be denied
| her. And for that the whole South must
ever love and revere her.
As TO Appomattox Judge Christian
| holds that the scattered condition OF tic
| troops the confusion, etc, rendered it
difficult to ascertain with any degree OF
certainty which troops did the last fight
| ing He states that this honor has been
claimed by troops from different states
and intimates that Virginia's claim to
this honor is about as good as anyboy's
| Against this negative evidence we have
only to cite Gen Bryan Grimes report
that on the morning of the surrender his
! division charged and drove the enemy
until repeatedly ordered back prepare
| tory 10 surrender and that Gen. Cox 5
North Carolina brigade fired on and re-
pulsed the Federal counter stroke de-
livered as the division fell back to the
| place of surrender. Against this clear
and explicit report l have never seen
anything brought except negative eVi-
| dence
| Lastly as to North Carolna's having
! furnished more troops than any other
| in round numbers 10000 Judge Chris
| tian after some demurance seems willing
| 10 concede us that number but quotes
from the war records that Virginia furn-
| ished 1853, 600. But he makes no estimate
| in this 1913 900 of how many came from
| West Virginia. Probable enough came
| from there to reduce the quota OF Var
ginia to less than 10000. Here there
! would be grounds for argument as TO
whether the troops furnished by territory,
which early in the war formed two states,
should all be credited to Virginia. How
many troops West Virginia furnished to
the Confederacy / have not ascertained.
| Though not generally loyal to the South
some of her counties furnished US a good
many soldiers. AS will be remembered
Stonewall Jackson himself was a native
of Clarksburg Co., West Virginia
In conclusion | would say but for I'M
just depreciation 1t would probably never
have occurred to our good State to as
sert herself on the line of the claims
above mentioned. The provocation has
been great. All the Richmond papers dur
+, ing the war, and especially the brilliantly
edited Enquirer, We're VIGOROUSLY unfair
| to North Carolina troops in the published
accounts of battles. 1t was a Virglnian,
! if | am not mistaken, who in describing
| the great charge on Cemetery Ridge as
cribed the failure of Picket to the cow
ardice of his North Carolina supports,
contemptuously branding them as "Men
of baser clay Swinton. the historian,
asserts that Pettigrew's North Carolina
| troops were mostly green and that they
were induced to make the charge through
the assurance that they would encounter
only PENNSYLVANIA militia and that at
the first out-burst of rife fire from the
Federal lines convincing them of their
mistake, threw them into panic
and that they shouted Army of the Po-
tomac" army of the Potomac" and
fed inconsistently.
This too of a brigade which in the
fighting of the first day had single handed
met and virtually annihilated the famous
Iron Brigade" the crack command of
the army of the Potomac!
But even to enumerate all these asper-
sions ofs the fame of our troops would
take me too far afield. Therefore I will
| discuss them no further.
| o. w. BLACKNALL, Kittrell, N. c.