Goldsboro semi-weekly argus., 1909-05-26
Yesterdays Sham Battle at
Wilson Is Won By
Our Boys.
The Old Military Spirit That Made
GsldSbOr0 First In War of Old
Is Sill tIgOrsss In the
Ysuth of Our Town.
From Fridays Daily.

lions here, Companies d and e, un
der command of Capt. J. Wash. Biz
ze1l, proceeded by rail to Wilson to at
tack and dislodge, if possible, from
strongly entrenched. position, the Vii
son Company under command of it
captain. The boys, as they left tn
armory to march to the union station
looked like warriors "for fair" For
ty-five men composed the command
Captain Bizzell having with him hi
two ~lieutenants, E. c.. Prince and A. @
Clements, and also Lieutenant W.. S
Granger of Company d. Capt. S
Cohen, who acted as one of the UNI
pires, accompanied the local troops
to observe all movements and render
decisions.
The boys were in high spirits ane
eager for the fray, and the officers
who had previously mapped out their
campaign from military maps fur
nished of the vicinity of the battle
ground, felt confident of victory
Everyone was on the "qui-vive," but
so was the enemy, the Wilson contin-
gent. These had spies at Black Creek
| C~ontentnea and Wilson to find gu
where the Goldsboro troops would de
train. However, Captain Bizzell stole
a march on them from the start, for
instead of detraining. at either OF
these three places, he impressed upon
the train conductor the necessity OF
strategy, and this obliging individual
stopped the train for them at a point
midway. between Contentnea and Will
son.
Here the men were quickly and
quietly ~detrained, a strong advance
guard was sen out and the march to
locate h enemy was begun. The ma
tives along the line of march were
an astonished lot and eagerly inquired
as to the meaning of the invasion.
However, all were considered hostile
and given various and evasiye am
sWers to their many and often ridic-
ulous inquiries. However, one glib
tongued individual, who volunteered
probably too much information CON
corning the enemy, was Immediately
placed under arrest and forced to ac-
company the troops as guide, which he
did rather willingly. The weather,
which had been threatening all morn
ing, had up to this time been rather
favorable to the marchers. The
march continued without special Incl
dent and at about $50 o'clock a
point about a mile from where tbs
enemy was supposed to be encamp-
ed was reached and a temporary halt
was made. The officers held a coun-
maps and decided upon the further
course of action, the men in the mean
time, getting a little rest.
1t was part Of the program that cul-
tivated fields were to be considered
impossible and as this part of Will
son county is in the highest state of
cultivation, it was no easy. matter to
select routes and avoid neutral terri
tory. The council of war ended, the
company was divided into two pIa-
toons, and an advance guard sent out
and the move on the enemy again be-
gum. 1t was understood that no at
tack vas to be made before nine
O'Clock and it was just nearing this
time. In h entire march public
roads were as far as was possible
avoided and thus the enemy could
gain no information of the wherea-
bouts of the army of invasion. Soon
the scouts reported that the enemy
had been sighted in a swamp about a
mile distant. immediately interest
rose to fever heat. 1t was no easy
matter to make the proper DISPOSE
lions as a thick and impossible
swamp was between the camp of the
Wilson forces and the army of inva-
sion. By this time, too. the rain had
begun to fall and it became necessary
for the men to don their rubber pom
chos. The enemy, too, had sighted the
invaders, though the opposing sides
We're out of range of each other and
firing was out OF the question.
The Wilson contingent had left
nothing to guess. Knowing their willy
adversary, they had established pick
cts on all sides and the swamp or
every side of their camp made ap-
preach almost impossible. The only
normal way of reaching their camI
was along a public road with cult
waited fields on each side and swamps
beyond. For the invaders to have ap.
preached in this way, would have
meant humiliation for all as a full
sweep was afforded over this oper
country from the slightly elevated po
sition the Wilson troops held in tn.
swamps beyond. And now it was tina
the finer instincts of the soldier, hi,
initiative and strategic powers, had t,
be brought into play. And here tn,
officers of the Go1dsboro troops proves
themselves, as always, equal to the oc
casion. Pickets were sent u in al
directions, and it was not long be
fore these came in contact with tn
outposts of the enemy, as was eviden
by the occasional shots heard fror
different directions.
While the pickets were keeping til