68 Norte Carorina Troops, 1861-'60.

fight, that might be related, if time and space semeete
yan brigade camped at a place aoe ae re ace
seven days’ fight, called “Howard’s sso fs dase
ing a few days See ve snd ie : a meptno
August, 1862, fell in wl Lee
fe eae were immediately put — - : sm
had : hot time in more ways than one. Se ar Heo
filled the “gap” made vacant by the falling ~ ee
brated “Stonewall Brigade” and held it to : ae §
the enemy and ee ik Oa beh as . ce
r this fight and victory General Jacksor ae
oe our bxigide and “dropped” his hat in Panne ep 5
edgment of our deed, in holding an -*icgetaaee 2 > @ en"
the old “Stonewall Brigade” had failed to eee tty se
order from corps headquarters a fapdsome ae wee
paid to the “gallant soldiers of Branch’s brigac 7 HPA
following while resting upon our arms, a staff ° ae Aa
to General Branch and asked him ‘‘how he felt, a Paar?
General Branch replied that “he was delighted wi pani
sults of the day and was proud of the manner = : > bia
brigade had acted.” Our loss was comparatively _— ea
sidering the deadly work in which we were = ; si
left some noble and true men on that field, whie serv iy
remind us that in the next battle we fought it might be sp .
to fill a soldier’s grave. From Cedar Run we a nae
Warrenton Springs, where it was rumored General = Ww ee
eross the river. The enemy were in full force on 0 at
side, for they “shelled the woods” where we were all day, a
we felt that “something was up” or would be soon.
Late in the afternoon of the next day, we were on t .
march, with Jackson’s corps, to which we were now sere
nently attached, for what point we knew not, for it ee : as
son’s way” to keep his movements a profound secret, but a :
a long forced march and before we were aware of it, we oe
in possession of immense stores of great value, captured ee :
the enemy at Manassas Junction, our rear fighting the és
vance guard of the enemy, so close to the army supply train
of the foe as to make it uncomfortable as well as “unhealthy
to those of us who, by religious training, if any there were,

E1igHTeenta Recimenr. 69

might be indisposed to shed human blood. The Eighteenth
North Carolina under Colonel Thos. J. Purdie, of Bladen
County, a gallant soul, was detailed to guard the train. We
were told that the train was to be fired, and a tacit con
was given us to replenish our empty haversacks.
tents of several cars were distributed and the residu
Some of our men secured a very fine saddle for Col.
die, of the Eighteenth, which was intended for t
General Siegel, sent him by his friends
nobler man than he for whom it was i
and the saddle is now, or was a few year.
sion of the Purdie family of Bladen, treasured as a precious
relic and memento of Colonel Thomas J. Purdie, as noble
a man and gallant a soldier as ever faced a foe, and who in a
short while, following the events here narrated, fell while

sent
The con-

e burned.
onel Pur-

he Dutch
and admirers, but a

ntended, bestrode it,
8 since, in the posses-

federate soldier will always remember the beauty
noble women and the brave chiy

gallantly leading his regiment to victory.

We left Manassas Junction about dark and rested a few
hours the next day at Centreville, where some works had
been thrown up at the commencement of the war, and that
evening, which I think was 27 August, we commenced
the “big” Manassas battle, which lasted until the
night following the 29th. Here were more of the enemy
killed than at any other fight or on any one field—certainly
in our front, during the entire war. The enemy began to
fall back the last day of the fight ; it was a most disastrous and
complete rout. Here we had to contend with McClellan’s
army, that we had fought around Richmond and the Valley
forces, all combined. The pursuit was kept up all day Sun-
day and the day following, when they were overtaken at Ox

Hill, when we had a fight of four or five hours, in an almost

continuous rain; but we again repulsed the enemy and drove

them before us, thus again acknowledging the prowess of
Branch’s brigade, which for a great part was composed of the
“flower of the Cape Fear section.” That night the enemy

vacated our front, and in a few days we resumed our march,

crossing the Potomac at the “Point of Rocks,” and we were
told that we were in “Maryland, my M aryland.” The Con-

of the fair,
alric men of Maryland. The