Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 29.djvu/216

 200 Southern Historical Society Papers.

they were annoying the Confederates. Five men of the First North Carolina volunteered to burn the house, and, provided with matches and a hatchet, leaped over the works and started for the building, when a volley was fired at them from the road, and young Henry L. Wyatt fell mortally wounded. The rest of the party returned to the Confederate lines, and the house was afterwards fired by a shell from a howitzer.

WINTHROP'S CHARGE.

The fighting then shifted to the right, and was kept up two or three hours longer, the Federals several times attempting to carry the Confederate works by assault, but in every instance they were met with such a deadly fire they fell back. During one of these assaults a gallant young officer, Major Theodore Winthrop, of New Haven, Conn., who was General Butler's private secretary, and who volunteered as an aid on General Pierce' s staff for this expedition, while attempting to rally a wavering column, drew his sword, waved it aloft, leaped on the trunk of a fallen tree, and shouted to his men: "One more charge, boys, and the day is ours !" Alas, for poor Winthrop ! It was his last charge. A North Carolinian sent a bul- let crashing through his heart, and he fell dead at the head of the column, which retired in great confusion. This practically ended the battle, after four or five hours of fighting, and the Federals re- turned to Fortress Monroe.

A gathering up of the wounded and a summary of the casualties showed a loss of:

Killed. Wounded. Missing. Total.

Federals, 18 53 5 76

Confederates, i 9 10

The small loss of the Confederates was due probably to the fact that they were fighting for the most part behind works.

During the battle a prisoner was taken by the Confederates, which was considered a great feat in those early days of the war, and so fearful was his captor that he would escape he tied him to a tree dur- ing the battle, in rear of Bethel Church, in line of fire. I'll never forget the look of fright upon his countenance while thus exposed, nor did he ever forget his experience, I am sure.

Here's to you, old friend, if this should meet your eye. If I were as near you to-day as I was on that memorable loth of June I would shake vou by the hand.