The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-11-08
HELPED OIL V|RC|NNY
How a Lot of Buncomba BOYS
Rallied TO Her Call
in 1861.

The following story OF the civil war is
good enough to be preserved IN the ar
cl.ives of history, and we commend it to
Judge Christian of Richmond as going
to show the kindly and brotherly feeling
entertained by North Carolinians towards
Virginia from 81 to 65.
Here is the story referred to:
The late Frank Coke, of Asheville, n.
c.. at the end of the Civil War owned a
farm on the French Broad river, a few
miles from Asheville on which there vas
large accumulation of small game, as
there had been very little hunting OF game
done during the war while the boys We're
facing bombshels and minnie balls in The
Army of Northern Virginia:
At the beginning of the hunting season
of 1865. Frank Coke invited some yct.ne
men of the North, of his acquaintance,
TO come down South and hunt on his
farm. They came. Frank Coke In com
rany with his guest. drove out to his
farm, and they frat went to the farm
house and stopped at the house prepara,
tory to hunting While at the house, they
looked down the road leading TO the
house, and Coke remarked to his guests:
'Yonder comes one Of my tenants, nam
ed John Matthews. and he IS a typical
mountaineer."
Matthews approached the house, and
coming within speaking distance the for
lowing salutation between Coke and his
tenant occurred:
Coke: Good morning John"
Matthews: "Howdy Frank
The young Northern gentlemen were
surprised to hear tenant speak so fami-
liarly to his landlord
Introductions of Matthews to the young
gentlemen of the North followed, and the
war having 90 recently ended, the con-
versation naturally in a general way turn
ed to the war and the following colloquy
ensued:
Yank: ''Mr Matthews, were you in the
war;"
Matthews: ri ruther kalkulate were"
Yank: 1--WE, ourselves didn't go into
it, tell us something OF your own expert
ence"
Matthews: well, there amt so much
to tell about it. 10 1861, it were norated
in my neighborhood that there was gwine
to be a spcakin' down at the Poplar
Spring, and ] went down thar. A man
made a speech. l never seed him afore
He sroke about hour and 1 couldu';
understand much of what he said But
he said some Northern fellers were a
comm down inter Virginny a bearin
arms. Now what he meant by 'bearin
arms 7 didn't know. but from the way
he told it, l thought it must "a bin some
thing powerful bad. He wound up his
speech by sayn' Let's form a Company
and go and drive them Northern fellers
back, and all that ar North Calliniaus
fall in and We'll raise company right
here Well, l was boy about nineteen
year old, and 1 was "a North Callnian,
so | drapped in line with the rest of EN-
and, as fast as the names could be writ
down. we formed our Company, and then
elected our officers and notified Govner
Ellis we were ready to go wharever he
minded to send us.
"In about two weeks we lett
Raleigh armed and equipped, ana
jined our Regiment and welt
over to Virginny whar we spent
about three year and half followin'
Stonewall Jackson and old man Bob Lee.
About six months before the war ended
our Regiment was sent back to North
Calling to Fort Fisher on Cape Fear River
down below Wilmington
Yank: Were you at the big fight at
Fort Fisher?"
Matthews: 81 ruther kalkulate I were.
And my fren', let me tell you anuthe1
the powder and the bumbshells
hadn't give ou. we'd bin thar yit."
w A. GUTHRIE.
Durham NJ c. Nov Z