The farmer and mechanic., 1906-10-02
SOME WAR EXPERIENCES
Patriotic North Caronian by Request Gives Series
o. AbsorbngEy Interesting Incidents.

'"..a.. will be found recital by
." +hc first men in North Caro-
.l a'-"rics of incidents that hap
f.rlH-four years ago. They are
...sr.E personal that the writer
a.- them for publication only
...naicon that his name is with
}:o2r~tfUIIy this request is com
. for the story is one that
... .unt De kept from the public
....-. forty-four years ago, began
.... Of Incidents that. / can never
81. Net long since l narrated
#.. Of them To a friend, who urged
... r'-"rIt1 them out for publication.
was the third and last day Of
..t .rnuud bdttiG Of Manassas. POpe's
T.. I~I been to crush Jackson's
=. tuEu it. and drive him off the
..| Having signally failed twice,
I.s.5er~ fresh corps was now brought
.t ard that afternoon made the most
..HIned onslaught Of the battle.
.s.ard Porter did then as heavy, hard,
#s..E fighting as ever was done at
..fue by any Federal force.
eI. brigade, was on the extreme left
..1 Jarhsons lire, ana that day was in
-trNv. In our immediate front and
..tcuding TO the left was an old field
5.ou came the fOrest-thick woods
- Lcrc half a mile distant the bat
-... Mus rigging. Porter resOIutely
....s,.d' back the weak Confederate
|ue- every foot was contested, but
ua.a it came:-until at length the
.uruy's bullets began to fall thick and
fast where we were. Our men lay
H.su. each intent on what was going
un at the front. and awaiting with inn
patience THE order to move i'll. The
rae. Of battle kept rolling back to-
#aIa+. us. apparently our men would
.uuu BE driven out of the woods into
r... open. Were that to happen-the
1.u.luces were that the FederalS would
.u.CepG--Our position would be lost.
The contemplation of that probability
gave me great. pain-after that long
and. terrific. struggle-three days
With such loss of life, such suffering
al last to be driven off! MY heart was
.u my. boots. Just then some men in
u@Uc ne came up from the marrow
alley or raVine in our rear and passed
.lr left-kept on across the field;
aua still they .came-tfty-a hun
arej--; and there was the battle flag!
-i.ongstreet was up, Good heavens
srtat q reVulSiOn, The ecstacy of that
moment cannot be described. The eX-
"totion was supreme.
Quietly LOngStreetS men took posi-
..eu mt the edge of the forest: and
.uau the order came for us to go in
With what alacrity it was obeyed!
oauurd-uto the forest-throuGh it
0, the open field beyond. The woods
..crr cleared. There we halted-and
~n,u our whole line was Withdrawn.
We fen back to the railroad cut-and
-.sin waited orders. Finally the tor
ward movement was renewed. On
emerging into the open field, our brl-
..adc-With other trOops-made
-f1 n n
.tred Il dozen or more pieces of artil-
Iry. We now were in another piece
of woodland that jutted out into the
uIuu field Twice we moved forward,
nlr to be driven back:-the third |
....e We re1ched the edge of the wood |
--.ui for a moment halted. Several
M.avy bodies of Federal troops were
u the held-On our right; in front
.u.. To our left. Quickly the determl-
uHtjon was reached where we should
..GIt. 1t was at a mass towards our
..CJ-.o remove the danger OF 1lank-
ing. But in that moment, an incident
occurred which as a truthful historian
T must narrate / wore fiannel
Hmucr.' shirt; and a straw hat.
Something struck me on my chest
..aa a@ain-and again. But l felt no
Thought Of the old fable-Of the |
.s..I maker who passed his sharp |
."J So quickly through the body OF
armorer as to give no pain; but ,
when the armOrer shook himself, he |
t1 pieces I shook myself: ana |
.Hiur no evidence of bullet wound, !
.-."Eered that l was being struck
.# HG1Dlc-bees. 'Bumble-bees,
..l: and mcontinently ran. But not
.. ta. rear: along the line. The line !
uItdneously advanced. and / with /
IL I. INV hight I had lost my hat. We |
of Federal troops :
..# then after night-fall some pri- !
.... approached me, saying: "Captaln, /
..es sour hat. [ picked it up for
was about half past nine when
drove off the last of the enemy we
-"" We were then near house /
.'".. the Federals had established j
"..|Ia}-not very distant from Bun
&a hour later I was directed to re
" lo the old headquarters, report
aa. position. get orders and bring up |
". belongings. IN returning I took |
"....l note of the headlands and
".."tlN arrived at my destination.
'""lNo o'clock / took a cup of col
with General A. p. Hill-had my |
r." .lrtl1us and started forward with |
ooHriers. a negro cook and a led
.Htou with headquarter baggage.
.I night LOng9treets divisions
. messed all along our old front
ID my route [ ran into some OF
troops. After some parley they
- that they had occupied that
.'t the year before and knew the
q" the land perfectly; that a ROAD
bowed me would go to the mousse
making for. It led to thelr
J followed it about hundred
here it crossed little run ana
a- pine thicket-and then rose
On reaching the crest, L saw
dozen or more camp fires III
49,. and knew that it was no
t '"" me. Turning at once 1 leo
,..... .# back. My duties had begun
mat morning-and [ was greatly