The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1909-05-13

fords and the capture of that
Army with Lee, Jackson and
Longstreet would doubtless have
ended the war and Sharpsburg
would have taken its place in the
history Of our race with the bat
ties Of Hastings and Flodden Field
those great days which chang
ed the course of History.
In the gallant Light Division
which thus saved the day and
the Confederacy at Sharpsburg,
were two North Carolina Brig
AIDES -Pender and Branch. In the
latter was Co. D., of the 18th
regiment, from Robson county.
They thus helped to save the
Confederacy. Their general of
Brigade, L. OBJ. Branch, was
killed there and the brigade was
commanded the rest of the war
by Gen. James H. Lane, except
for short while when Gen. Jno.
D. Barry, of Wilmington, COM
manded it.
We fell back across the river
the night of the 18th and on the
goth the enemy attempted to fol-
low when they were charged by
Hills Light Division and driven
into the Potomac at Shepherds
town. The 18th Regiment, in
Guiding Co. D., charging to the
bluff, shot those whoi attempted
to cross and captured numbers
who had huddled under the bluff
for safety.
On 18th December 1862 the
18th was at Fredericksburg and
aided to drive Burnsides, who had
succeeded to the command of the
Federal Army, in headlong and
disastrous retreat across the
Rappahannock.
In May 1863, the 18th N. G..
was in the Charlottesville cam
paign where Stonewall Jackson
was mortally wounded and whose
death 46 years ago today so i'm
pressed North Carolina that we
have adopted that anniversary
90 May to be observed in honor
of all the Confederate Dead.
Gen. Jackson had gone out in
front of our lines with a numer-
Gus staff and, returning without
giving notice, his retinue was
mistaken for the enemy's cavalry.
The Eighteenth fired a terrific
volley, several of their bullets
struck Gen. Jackson, who thus
died before the war was more
than half over and by the bullets
of his own men, who would glad.
ly have died to save him. His
death was the heaviest blow
which befell the Confederacy
! His fall saved the Union Army,
who were cut off from the ford'
, and with ''one hour more of Jack
} son" must have surrendered. Tht
regiment had only three officer
not killed or wounded.
! The next month, June 1868
t saw the 18th N. C. with our Robe
: son county company in full marcF
4 for the Potomac again. Thougl
y the Brigade had lost 800 killet
: and wounded at Chancellcrsvill,
3. in little over thirty days it wa
: hunting the enemy on his ow1
d ground. They crossed at Shep
Y erdstoWn, marched through thei
3 old battle ground of Sharpsbur
+ and in the first three days of Jul
g were engaged in the great battl
: of Gettysburg. On the 3rd da,
n their brigade was in the worl
It famous charge of Longstreet an
It went further than any of Pick
{ ettt' S men in that charge, and re
q giment for regiment, by the offic
e al reports, had twice as many Kill
}. ed and wounded. The 18th N. {
Il was the last regiment to recros
e the Potomac on retreat.
n The 18th N. C.was in the Min
IS Run campaign, which was tn
J. coolest weather during the wal
1t When Grant crossed the Rap
J, dan 4 May 1864, the 18th N. c.
IL with our brave Robson count
e company, was in the first colum
g that he struck. The bloody fight
IS in the Wilderness and aroun
at Spottsylvania followed and tt
$ 18th was engaged with the en'
5 my almost daily for go days whi
IS Grant was Swinging round tn
1 circle" (as he called it) from tt
y Rapidan down to the James. Du
at ing that time, Grant by his ow
W returns lost more men than Lt
u had in his whole army. But /
rs had the exhaustless resources
IS the North to recruit from ar
III indeed the whole world to dra
g. from while we were wholly u
I. able to fill up our ranks. The en-
~ my deliberately entered upon tt
~ brutal policy of stopping all e
m changes of prisoners, deemil
IS one Confederate more than equi
st alent to one Union soldier. !
ge the Bloody Angle" or "Salien
40 on IL May the enemy overwhell
eo ed our lines and nearly half
n the 18th were captured, includi
IN some of the Robson county DO.
.n- In those 60sdays the 18th capt.
as ed more prisoners than it h
men, besides those of the ener
eo whom they killed and wounde
", The rest of 1864 and in 1866, t
NO 18th were in the entrenchmel
my in front of Petersburg and Ri