The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-05-24
THE ANNIVERSARY
OF BEN TONV|LLE
1t Was Forty-five Years
Ago ThatIt Was Fought
It BEGAN On SUNDAY

A Vivid and Realistic Account OF the
Fighting and the Events Are Given
NV One WHO Took Part in it and
Who Gives Facts That Are Full OF
Interest in the Contest in Which the
Odds We're Five TO one Against the
Confcderates.
Sunday the 18th of March, 1855,
was BEGUN the battle OF Be~ntonFilie.
n. G. Fighting and skirmishing CON
tinuesi till the night of the list men
Johnson's army from the presence OF
five yankees to one s~outherner re
treated. Sherman had present 10000
men, johnson had $4,000 men.
| belonged to the II regiment, Col.
John W. Hinsdale commanding, At
that time this regiment was known as
the Sd regiment of Junior Reserves,
HOke's division, Hardee'S corps.
This battlefield was on Willis Coles
farm. General Hampton on Saturday
18th selected these grounds for battle,
and managed to interest Shefman's
left Wing under Slocum till Gen. John
son could concentrate mis- army on
the grounds selected. General Ohm
son reached the vicinity late OF the
evening Of the 18th.
Early Sunday morning, the 10th,
Hoke's division formed line Of battle
on the east side of this old farm. the
line crossing a public road known as
the Fayetteville and GoldsbOro
Colonel Hinsdale's regiment to
which | belonged, WAS on the right of
Hoke's division, and behind an old
worm fence. The rails of this fence
were placed in some hastily made
breast works.
There was a clear field in front of
hinsdale's regiment In the midst of
This farm, some three or four hundred
yards in our front. stood Willis Coles
farm house, With other out-buildings
and negro cabins. These buildings
afforded the Yankee sharp shooters a
splendid advantage TO get in their
deadly work. A few feet from where
l was standing, a young man by name
Of Wau. from the Iradell Co, was
killed by these sharp shooters in these
buildings. Many others were in il
while throwing up these BREAST works.
Colonel Starts Battery on our right
began to she'll these buildings. The
houses Immediately took fire. This
ended the sharp shooting from these
buildings
A Yankee gun replied to STAIRS
battery, The first shell from this
Yankee gun pierced a pine tree about
elghL 1eeS from the ground. A1toF
going through the tree the shell ex-
ploded, killing two OF the battery
horses.
Saturday. 18th of March, 1910. for
ty-five years after the battle. l was Or
his old battlefield. L went to tins
pine stump the tree Of which had been
pierced by the shell above mentioned
The tree was dead twenty q age
when | first visited this field after the
battle. The tree bad broke Of at tbs
upper edge Of the perforatton, and
that part of the tree on the ground
was nearly one The stump, how
ever, still stands. a mute witness tc
the n there enacted that day.
! looked at the old earth works
now overgroWn With small trees, and
endeaVored to picture the scenes Of
forty-Gve years ago. Then I was six.
teen years old, second lieutenant ant
in command Of my company from Ca,
tawba county. The captain and frs
lieutenant had been captured at thu
fall of Fort Fisher AT Fisher, sever
non-commissioned officers and thirty
nine privates of this Catawba com
pany were captured and carried Il
POINT Lookout. Here private Caleb
Rudisell Of this same company wa.
killed.
In trying to repeople this scene with
the many who there met on this Ben
tO1Si1iS OdSLICuC1o iCtSi W hICSt agar
on earth, many who, like Tulla.s war
riors are sleeping in death, far ava.
from home and loved ones, and hea.
of vars no more, our feelings are in
describable. You are nightly move
TO acknowledge the mercy Of God whs
still permits you to be an actor il
life's fi6ul drama.
Yes, / walked among the pine
which are still chanting their solem,
requierns over the. dead who lie Their
in unknown and neglected graves. n.
kind hand Of friend or foe to plac
q small tribute OF affection over thei
silent ashes. History does not unrol
= their CLASSY eyes her ample pag
n record their names. Both tn
8 'e and the Gray await alike tn
9gment Day.