70 Norro Carotina Troops, 1861-’65.

ri ve knew it, but
ee eo
ee tex ‘his is the place made fa-
Frederick City, for a few days. This is the p agssoete
s by the touching poem of John Greenlea: i ;
called TM Freitchie, oe er sia SS : ~ » ¥
-haired woman, who in her attic win !
ae at the Confederates, and was shot at — me
stopped by General Jackson. ‘There is not a word 0 : rw we
this tale—no Confederate soldier can be found, or - : :
living or dead, who ever knowingly fired at a womatt; i V
have it from a gentleman who lived in Frederick or . pee!
time Jackson’s men passed through, who says our mare : "
not carry us within three or four blocks of the house w oe .
Barbara lived—that no such thing was heard of as related by
Mr. Whittier and no such thing happened. This —
my informant, is a native of Maryland, and lived —_ -
erick City during the war and since, and has held hig office
under the State Government of Maryland. I met —
Washington a few years since and he confirmed my be .
respecting the “facts” as given by, the poet, that : was ;
myth, a pure invention of the imaginative mind of the poet.
The only real fact in the poem, is that there was a woman
named Barbara Freitchie, living in Frederick City at the
time Jackson passed through. But I must proceed. :
We again marched through Frederick City, re-crossed t .
Potomae at Williamsport, and were back in os an
“hovering with stealthy steps” (as was Jackson’s way)
around Harpers Ferry. Here we operated several days,
climbing precipitous mountains trying to get into position.
We had literally to pull ourselves up by bushes, roots, or any-
thing projecting from the mountain sides, some of us actually
having to brace ourselves against trees, so as to hold our guns
in position and ready to fire at the word given. Early the
next morning the artillery opened on the enemy, receiving a
very weak reply, and in a short time the white emblem of sur-
render went up and “the boys in blue” walked out and stacked
their arms.
Here again we captured valuable stores of immense value,
and thousands of stand of arms, and eleven thousand pris-

EIGHTf£ENTH REGIMENT. 71

oners, according to the figures published. Here again “Old
Stonewall” left his “book mark” with the enemy, as a gen-
tle reminder that he and his corps were around, and requested
a generous (?) remembrance by the Federal Government at
Washington.

After being supplied with Enfield riflee—of which we
stood in great need—we crossed the Potomac again, and for
the second time were in Maryland, and we were soon in the

Sharpsburg fight (called by the Federals, Antietam). This
was what might be called a “draw fight,”

that our brigade commander, the noble
yielded up his life as a holocaust to his country’s need! “No
country ever had a truer son, no cause a nobler champion,
no principle a bolder defender” than the noble and gallant
soldier, General Lawrence O’Brien Branch!

After quitting the field at Sharpsburg, we crossed the Po-
tomac again at Shepherdstown, took again to the Old Domin-
ion. The winter was coming on. The chill blasts from the
North were beginning to tell heavily upon the exhausted
frames and shattered energies of our men, all of whom were
unused to such rough lives, and we did hope for a rest in win-
ter quarters, where, for a while at least, we might sleep and
dream of home and comforts, without the thought of war with
its dreadful realities.

But vain hope! Taking up our march on the Shepherds-
town road, we soon knew that we were approaching the enemy
by the skirmishing in our front. We formed line of battle
and drove the enemy into the river, despite the heavy guns
that had been planted on the Maryland side to protect them.
We lay that day on the river bank under a heavy fire from the
enemy’s guns of grape, canister and shell.

Our regiment camped near Berryville and were called out
several times to meet the enemy at Snicker’s Gap, but never
engaged them there. We then marched up the Valley pike,
crossing the Blue Ridge at New Market Gap, and camped
near Fredericksburg. The enemy crossed the Rappahan-
nock and we were ordered to meet them. Our brigade (now
Lane’s) were not in front of the city, but almost the ex-
treme right of Lee’s army. We formed line of battle at the

and it was here
and chivalrous Branch