254 Norto Carortina Troops, 1861-’65.

He was shot through the forehead, and Pegram told us that
General B. F. Davis had just been killed on the other side
by the self same wound. He and I were classmates and
close friends at West Point, and yet his death reached me
without a pang of regret, for he was fighting under the wrong
flag, being a Mississippian.

Gallant Sol. Williams had only been married a week or
two to the daughter of Captain Pegram, who won lasting
honor in the Confederate States Navy. Singular coinci-
dence her cousin and another old classmate of mine, General
John Pegram, was killed in front of Petersburg after the
same brief nuptials. He married the beautiful and brilliant
Hettie Cary, of Baltimore.

General J. E. B. Stuart (another classmate) repulsed the
enemy that day after a hard day’s fight, although he had been
taken by surprise in the morning. He, too, was killed later
on in front of Richmond. Here let it be remarked by way
of parenthesis, that nine out of twelve of that glorious class
(that of 1850) who espoused our side were killed in battle, all
with one exception, wearing the insignia of General, Stuart,
Pender, Gracie, Pegram, Deshler, Villipique, Mercer, Ran-
dall and one other whose name now escapes me. Was there
ever a nobler holocaust of young heroes on the altar of patri-
otism, each thirty or thereabouts? Generals Stephen D.
Lee and Custis Lee are the sole survivors, as far as I am able

to ascertain.

ON THE MAROH FOR PENNSYLVANIA.

From Brandy the division moved on towards the Potomac,
passing through Front Royal, Winchester and Berryville.
At the last place came near capturing Brute Milroy and his
entire force, but with the coward’s instinct he saved his vile
neck by precipitate flight. He was one of the three who
were made infamously immortal by Confederate executive
mandate that they were not to be accorded the rights of pris-
oners of war if captured. Beast Butler and Turchin, the
barbarian, were the two others. Let the triumvirate of gold
laced felons stand pilloried where they were put, in the scorn
of all true soldiers through all time to come, to teach would-

Seconp Barra ion. 255

be imitators that wars must henceforth be conducted by gen-

‘erous and humane rules instead of barbaric. Moving on

through Martinsburg we forded the river at Williamsport
and camped a couple of days at Hagerstown, Md. There
Lieutenant-Colonel Shober resigned and on the promotion of
Major Andrews, Captain Jno. M. Hancock, of Company F.
became Major. Thence on to Greencastle, Pa., where there
was another halt for a day. ‘Thence to Carlisle where we
took possession of the Government barracks.

The next day (Sunday) the flag pole which had been cut

down by the enemy, was replaced and the “Stars and Bars”
wafted to the breeze.

GETTYSBURG.

30 June made an early start and a forced march to Heidel-
berg, eleven miles short of Gettysburg. The next morning
bright and early started again. Had proceeded but a short
distance when the opening guns of that momentous conflict
fell upon the ear. On arrival were deployed in line of battle
in a skirt of woods. The enemy at once began to shell us.
General Daniel ordered the brigade to lie down until ready to
advance. While he and I were standing just in front of the
Second Battalion holding our horses, a shell exploded in a
few feet of the left killing and wounding nine men. Proba-
bly no one missile occasioned more loss to life during the war.
A little later the men were ordered to rise and advance. The
enemy were some five or six hundred yards in front, and re-
sults showed had set a most deadly trap for us. When half
way between our starting point and their line, were ordered
to lie down whilst our guns in the rear played on their ranks.
Then rose and charged to the brink of the deep cut of the rail-
road, beyond which at some hundred paces the enemy were
drawn up in line.

The men in their ardor slid down the almost precipitous
bank and attempted to scale the opposite, but to no effect. An
enfilading battery to our right then opened sweeping “the
eut”’ with terrible effect. Suggesting to Colonel Brabble, the
senior officer, to face to the left and clear the gap, I scram-
bled to the top and got one shot at the advancing foe with a