Year: 1863

October oath. 1863.
Mr.. EDITOR Being one in the number of Cooks
brigade that was reported through the Richmond
papers Sy its knowing correspondent to have be-
come demoralized and fled in confusion in the en-
gagement of the 14th inst, at Bristow Station,
desire through your paper to give to candid, gen.
erous and unbiased public fair and candd state
ment OF the facts, and let them judge of the good
or bad conduct of the brigade Now l suppose
this correspondent well to the rear where they
generally are, and did not know any thing about
what was going on, but what he heard from strag-
glers who knew no more than he did, at his
spectacle and safe distance He says, early in the
engagement our gallant and esteemed commander
was wounded. That is so; and he says next, that
we became demoralized. That is a falsehood,
grounded on prejudice, and not in truth honesty,
nor any good feeling toward US as North-Car
lnians. 1t was the purpose of the correspondent
| to cast reproach on the troops of our State. l
would advise these army correspondents to come to
the front with their musketS, instead of staying to
the rear with their pencils; and stay there as long
as we do; and they will be better posted the next
time they attempt to write, and will not have to
rely upon stragglers for information but if their
| shooting is not more correct than their writing
| they will be of but little use to the service. We
will now drop this seemingly knowing correspond
ent for the present. and proceed to the fight.


| On the 18th instant we left WaTrenton where
| we had camped the previous night While leaving
| camp we could hear the booming cannon of what
| we supposed to be Ewells advance on the enemy's
rear. We did not travel far, until we commenced
picking up Yankee stragglers, besides seeing other
signs that We were pushing them very closely
| We did not pursue very far until it reported
that the enemy had made stand at Bristol, about
one mile in front. Our brigade was in front of our
(HilrS) corps. On its being reported that the ene
my had halted, our brigade was filed out of the
road to the right, through a very dense thcket of
pines &c, and formed line of BATTLE and were
Immediately ordered forward. We moved forward
until within about half mile of the enemys posi-
ton, when Col Hall CT the 46th n. G. T., reported
that we were being fanked on the right. Wehalt-
ed few minutes until examination was made, and
then moved on throug Oh a skirt Of woods, and COM
ing into the open field the enemy were in full view
on the opposite hill. We moved steadily forward
until within two hundred PAGES, when. we halted
and opened fire-belieying the men on the hill th'
enemy's line of battle, but soon ascertained tina
their real line was posted behind the embankment
and in the cuts of the railroad in the hollow. W.
kept up the fight one hour against this disadyan
tage, and were ordered to charge the position
which was done in the most noble and spiritet
manner. At the command, each man sprang for
ward to the charge, and not being supported OF
the right and left we got an enflading fire Q
grape, canister, shell and shrapneH; yet we move
forward until within sixty PAGES of the enemy, find
ing that we were being fanked on the right, WI
we're ordered to fall back, which we did withou
confusion, the men loading and firing as they fel
back, and as the best proof that there was con
fusion, the men halted when the command wa
given little in rear Of the line which the fgh
was commenced, faced to the enemy, all beIny
present but the killed and wounded, we formed
line, moved up to the original line of battle expec
ting to make second charge; but for some reasor
not known to me, we halted on the original lint
and remained all night, taking our wounded off tht
field. Now, wish to know if this seeming to bt
knowing correspondent calls this demoralization
| he I fo,
judging, but it was enough for him to know thai
it was North. Carolina brigade all failures, dis
asters, .an6 bad conduct attributable to them
and all the gallant brilliant and successful charges
to the Virginia boys. l don't think our kind cor.
respondent will give another glowing account o
one of their brilliant charges soon unless they
should conclude to charge out of the civil depart
ments of the government, and out Of the railroad
depots into the service, and give place to those who
have been disabled for field service. Such charge
as this, in the language of Webster, would shed
halo of glory all around the Powhatan name. W.
hope soon to hear of this brilliant charge and hop
that our correspondent will be in the charge, anC
then he will be better posted when he gives us al
account of it l think it i'll becomes these CORES
pondents to talk about State and her soldier
that have done much, and sacrificed many live
as North Carolina has in defence of their capita
and State. While these correspondents are talking
about North Carolina and the conduct of her sol
diers, l wish them to remember that few if an.
North Carolinans answer roll-call in the Lincoln
dom camps, draw beef from his slaughter pens, an,
bread from his Dutch ovens that though no incon
siderable portion of Eastern North Carolina is
run by the enemy, while her soldiers are beedn,
and dying in Virginia, they have no Governo
elected by them, serving Abraham that they hav
no representative in the Federal Congress votin
money and means for the subj ugation Of the South
4 and the overthrow of her institutions.


am, very respectfully, &C., A.
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