The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-03-29
THE SOUTHERN CONFEDERACY
It's Brilliant FrontisDiece--On to Bethel. Back
from ApDomattox.

SpIinS ana early Summer OF 1861.
marched with exultant steps to the
battleplains Of Virginia and the North.
waving his slouched hat in his hand. a
light in MS J and a cheer on his
Ilps-even as the b~lue-eyed, tawny-
haired. but terrible gladiator, Jeb
Stuart, went singing. with his banjo
on his sadddiebow to mis- death at yell
low Tavern; even as the magnificent
household troops OF Louis XIV. O d on
with flashing sword in hand to the
carnage OF the field of ~Steinkirk, with
a laugh and a Jest on the tongue.
Those who. in wild enthusiasm. feast
8 ed their eyes on the first pictures OF
the great civil war-glowing with col
or, thrilling with life. vibrant with
hope-could hardly realize the same
material emerging from the smoke OF
conflict with the fall of the curtain at
Appomattox. locked in the grip Of the
last struggle the grim figures of the
supreme tragedy. But the soldier was
there still. One could hardly forbear
the apostrophe:
Shrine OF the mighty, can il be,
That this is all remains of thee?"
! Doubtless ever in these first throes
OF the fearful struggle, there were as
tute politicians and wise statesmen in
the South-such men as George Davis,
OF Wilmington, and Warren Winslow,
or Fayetteville-who smiled paternally
at the war meetings. where the crowds
sang Dixie" and the women's socie-
ties, where they made harelocks and
moulded bullets, and then in the SOL
itude OF their Offices bent their heads,
sighed and whispered. God help them"
BY such men the earthquake shocks
and the volcanic fires under the sit
uation had long been felt and they had
counted the cost.
But to the masses of the Southern
people these first days OF a beautiful
summer-where the flowers budded and
bloomed as il their seeds were never to
spring into life again on dead mems
graves; where the birds sang
as if they were not soon
to be whirled along on the
lowering smoke-flled clouds OF bloody
fields like leaves tossed in a storm
were but the fair days of holiday in
war. only the more interesting and
piquant hat back OF it all was the
shine OF the g~un-barrel and the glitter
of the bayonet.
No people entered on this first act
of the great drama of four years, with
steps so springy. cheeks so flushed, and
hearts SO aglow, as the people of Fay
etteville; and I have thought 1 might
interest the readers of the Sunday Mes
senger by my recollections OF the de-
lure Oh the TWO luIdAlIy companies
of this city for the front, with a mar
ration of a few incidents OF their six
months service on the Yorktown Pc
ninsula.
There was great rivalry between the
Independent and Lafayette Light In
fantry companies, the former COM
manded by the late Major Wright
Huske, and the latter by Captain ].
B. Starr. afterwards Colonel
ing light artillery and today a hale and
honored Confederate veteran. The first
/ man then was SCARED with the service
of siEty-eight years; the second was
a military fiedgeling OF five or six years.
But youth is ambitious, and new blood
dared attack wen old age in it's stand
off dignity-so that by the time the
two commands had been accepted for
service and were ready to depart. they
were as large as the regiments OF
1854. and were SO superbly equipped
nat one who remembers it all cannot
fail to enjoy the caustic remark of
Colonel, afterwards General, D. H.
Hill. as they marched into the Ra-
leigh camp of instruction: Why. upon
my soul, yonder comes a battalion of
~brigadier generals" The Lafayette
company had a splendid cornet band,
which became the band of the Bethel
regiment at yorktown, and it got off
first by steamer to Wilmington, es-
4. corted to the landing by the Indepen-
dent company, Strange's cavalry, mag
~nificently MOUNTED and pretty much
the whole town. There on the
wharves, while the whistles snorted
and the smokestacks puffed and the
gangways were crowded with the bus
tie of storing baggage and camp equip
age. the wives and sweethearts pre-
ented a touching picture Of beauty in
tears, but it was beauty unadorned'
for the plumes and ribbons of their
Sunday bonnets and dresses were
\ aIo~oipr +ha nrn1I6 araCtc and Cfa1-
wart warriors, whom the captain OF the
steamer was already sternly warn
ing to come aboard"
The Independent Light Infantry took
it's departure very shortly afterwards.
and the two corps became companies
F. and II in the famous First regiment,
which had not ten but twelve full COM
panies, and was first commanded by
D. H. Hill, who was succeeded by
Charles C. Lee I doubt if from 1861
to 1866. anything in all the armies sur
passed the appearance OF this regi-
ment on evening dress parade at York
town, with the lower camp forming
the background. and the crash of mar
tial music stirring the picture with
! life as the brilliantly uniformed La
Fayette band took the line from right
to left, and back again.
The men had their trunks n their
body servants, and their fine linen and
some of them even their citizens
clothes. though even a rather lax dis
cipline would seldom permit them to
wear them. The business and profession
! al men OF Fayetteville, and farmer of
: Cumberland. came in crowds to visit
the soldier boys" as they sophomor-
ically called them. and the boxes OF
good eating which they carried with
them make a mans lips smack even to
this day. The first box which L got
from home would have filled out a
bill of-fare for Delmonico's; the last.
which was smuggled to me some way.
I never knew how, about the time OF
the battle of B~entonsville. contained a
thin side of North Carolina bacon. a
small bag of COW peas, and two PODS
OF red pepper to give them zest. In