Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 27.djvu/52

 44 Southern Historical Society Papers.

fearless eye, he will a tale unfold that will damn the authors of this diabolical scheme and consign them to eternal obliquity of the blackest pages of the world's eternal history.

CORRECTIONS AND FURTHER PARTICULARS BY C. T. ALLEN.

MEXICO, Mo., November 25, 1800. To the Editor of the Dispatch :

In your weekly issue of November 2ist I have read with pleasing interest an article by Dr. Henry M. Price, late of the 44th Virginia Volunteers, touching the incidents and occurrences of July 10, u, and 12, 1861, at and about Rich mountain, the scene of the second battle of the late war the first being the battle of Big Bethel, on June loth.

I remember with remarkable distinctness many occurrences of that time, and I recall this day, after the lapse of thirty-eight and one- third years, many little incidents of that terrific battle on the summit of Rich mountain, in which over 25 per cent, of the brave boys who went into it on the Confederate side "bit the dust." Well and dis- tinctly do I recall this day the fact that Colonel William C. Scott and his full and brave regiment was close by almost in sight and that our cry of distress, as our comrades fell " like leaves in wintry weather," was unheeded by him. I recall also the fact that one of our men, Waddy S. Bacon (one of Walker's Nicarauga campaigners and filibusters, as brave a man as ever trod the earth), in some way "ran the gauntlet" of shot and shell on that ever-memorable July n, 1861, and went to Colonel Scott in person, told him of the situa- tion, begged him to go to our help, showed him how an attack in the Federal rear would demoralize the whole Federal force and cause them to flee as if " from the wrath to come," and offered to go side by side with him in leading the rear attack. No, Colonel Scott didn't "budge" one inch! Pegram's heroes only about 250 actually engaged confronted by General Rosecrans with three full regiments at least 3,000 men stood like a "stonewall" on that mountain summit, fighting to the death, hoping, waiting, praying that Colonel Scott would come to their help and rescue. They fought and hoped and waited and prayed in vain. Finally, as they were about to be surrounded by the Federals "lapping" all around them, they fell back, leaving seventy-odd dead on the field of honor.