rere een rae TET -

 

28 Norra Carona Troops, 1861-’65.

ters “in consequence of the discovery of repeated attempts to

communicate with his government.”

Officers and men worked with vigor to mount guns and pre-
pare for defence, and the work never ceased until the fall of
Fort Fisher in 1865, and the necessary abandonment of the
defences of the lower harbor. The Wilmington Light In-
fantry were soon after sent to Federal Point, where, in Bat-
tery Bolles, they began the first defensive works which af-
terward grew into Fort Fisher, and its outlying batteries.

Thus was war inaugurated in North Carolina more than
a month prior to the act of secession, and it is a noteworthy
fact that the news of the act dissolving its connection with the
Union, and the call upon her sons to arm themselves was first
made known to the pioneer troops of the Cape Fear on the
parade ground at Fort Caswell.

Joun L. CantTweE tt.

Wimineton, N. C.,
10 January, 1901.

THE BATTLE OF MANASSAS.

Zl JULI; 1661,

By BRIGADIER-GENERAL THOMAS L. CLINGMAN.

On that day, General Beauregard was kind enough to lend
me one of his horses, and during the entire battle, I was
either with him or General Joseph E. Johnston. I will now
confine my statement to the narration merely of some facts
connected with the conduct of Colonel Fisher’s regiment.
Between two and three a. m., our army seemed to be most
pressed, the enemy then having gotten farthest in his ad-
vance, on our left flank. Besides large masses of the enemy
which had driven back our small force there engaged, Rick-
ett’s six-gun battery was pushed far forward to a point on
the left of General Johnston’s position, concealed, however,
by a skirt of pine trees. Its shots passed by us and went
many of them nearly a mile to the rear. Its rapid firing
from this advanced position, indicated to every one the ad-
vantage our adversaries had gained, and the situation seemed
most critical. I felt confident that if the enemy could long
maiftain that position, dur center would give way. General
Johnston evidently impressed with the gravity of the situa-
tion, exclaimed in a loud, earnest voice, “If I just had three
regiments! Just three regiments!”

I looked to the rear through the open field and said, “Here
they are, General.” He took a hasty glance to the rear and
said, “They are too far off. I want them now!” The near-
est of the regiments was within less than a quarter of a mile.
The men were bending forward, marching up the hill as fast
as possible. They passed seventy or eighty yards to the left
and entered the pines, moving by the flank, directly towards
Rickett’s Battery. The other two regiments were slower in
getting forward, and passed some hundreds of yards to our
left. As the regiment which had marched so near went out
of view among the pines, an officer left it and came up to me.