The semi-weekly messenger., 1907-11-22
For The Messenger.

10th of June 1861, on the Peninsula Of
yorktown, some miles below that old
time town, does not and will not take
conflicts OF either ancient or modern
times But is was 4 mere important
engagement than it VAS perhaps given
credit for. It's moral effect was ex-
traordinary and far-reaching.
The army Of Italy. small in num-
bers, not amounting to more than
80 900 men badly equipped, and new
to battle, saw themselves surpass II
victories and conquasts the veteran
legiOns of Massena and Moscow, and
inspired by the genius Of Napoleon
carved republics OUT of subjugated
kingdoms, while they dictated terms
to even the supreme head of the church
in the sacred city of Rome.
So the COnfederates at Bethel,
routing a numerically superior. better
armed, and better f, finished federal
force, marched back to Yorktown, nat
urally eIate and triumphant but not
'dIjISo IDl iOtlA HSE IIdu hlC"u 1IO1l
the beg ginning that they were willing 20
fight. At Bethel they found out thai
better still, they knew how to fight
The great majority Of them had, new
er before seen battery Of light artil~
lery or a uniformed trooper. They
went into that baptism. of fire vOlun-
teers, they came out If it soldiers
Tbs IrSt regiment Of North carroll
ia infantry which constituted tha
greater part Of the southern force a.
BetheL was doubtless, in numbers.
PERSONAL and equipment, the finest
regiment organized throughout the
Civil War. Increased to twelve com
paniea soon after its arrival at York
numbering from 100 to 12O men rank
and file, its appearance on drill and
dress parade was splendid almost
spectacular and kaleidO scOpic, for all
the companies were very handsomely
but differently uniformed. It's field
officers were D. H. Hill, colonel; C.
G. Lee, lieutenant colonel; J. H Lane,
Major, J NJ. Poteat, adjutant.
The First regiment furnished some
Of the best soldier material of the an
mics of the Confederacy Hill became
lieutenant general, Cne of the
hardest fighters in Tie service; Lee
was killed on the field, and was one
of the most daring and graceful rid
ers THAT | saw from the beginning O,
the war. 10 the end, not excepting ev-
en- General RObt. Ransom; Lane be-
came OnehOf the finest general officers
in the Army Of Northern Virginia; r.
F. HOke, lieutenant in the Lincoln
South Germ Stars, became the superb gen
eral Of division; W, q. Lewis, a
lieutenant in the Edgeconbe Guards,
became brigadier general.
The Louisiana Zouaves did not reach
yorktown sallltil late at night after
{ the battle Of Bethel, and have won
dered lust what sort of factors they
would have been in that fight if they
had been on the field. IN camp and
off of duty they were the worst set
of soldiers ever got together. From
Wilmington TO Richmond they were
fighting among themselves on the train
like wild beasts, and were treated like
wild beasts by their commissioned
and nOn-commissiOned officers-knsck-
eG in the,head and beaten into submits
sion by sword ililts and the baltts or
muskets. At Richmond they broke
bounds during the night and tex~oriz-
ed a part of that city by their row
dyism, as desperate . mob as that
of Paris during the strife of the Az
magnaes and the BuIgundians dun in g
the reign of the French King Charles
VII. Shortly after their arrival at
Yorktown they muJinied on account
of a delay in the distribution OF s-
tiOns left camp and went to shooting
the. cattle of farmers in the ReighbOr-
hood. General j. B. Magruder, that
superb soldier, commanding al York
town, surrounded the mutineeIsS with
ether troops of the garrison anG conf
1nanded their instant return to quar-
ters on pain of being shot down with
out mercy.
But the Zouaves would fight, and it
has been stated do not know wheth-
'er or not it is histOry-that they af-
terwards met the New York Zouaves
ON the field, and the two corps fought
to determination. Would they have
marred or still more brilliantly made
the hattie Of Bethel
Well, to return 20 our nuttOnS,
with such material among the Off
GERS it is not strange that the men
of the First North Carolina infantry
had the backbone and the esprit du
corps to respond with alarcrity to Gen
eraI Magruder's call for volunteers on
a memorial occasion not long after the