Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 31.djvu/362

 354 Southern Historical Society Papers.

ing few we went forward until the right of the brigade touched the enemy 's line of breastworks as we marched in rather an oblique line. Now the pieces in our front were silenced. Here many were shot down, being then exposed to a heavy fire of grape and mtisketry upon our right flank. Now all, apparently, had forsaken us."

Now the troops in front of Lowrence were those of Pettigrew, and he says they gave way a third of a mile before they got to the enemy's works. But be this as it may, he no where says that any of his men entered the enemy' s works; and none of the reports, that we have seen, say that any North Carolina troops did this, which, as we have seen, is the real point at issue. We have already shown, and will do so more conclusively later, that Pickett's men (or some of them) certainly did this. The report of Major Joseph A. Engle- hard, Assistant Adjutant-General of Fender's Division, then com- manded by Trimble, is to the same effect, as those of General Lane and Colonel Lowrence, and for that reason we do not quote what he says. That of Colonel Shephard, of Archer's Brigade, says, after describing the charge, and saying our lines, both right and left, gave way:

" Archer's Brigade remained at the works fighting as long as any other troops either on their right or left, so far as I could observe. Every flag in the brigade, excepting one, was captured at or within the works of the enemy. ' '

This is the only official statement we have found which claims that any other troops than those of Pickett entered the enemy's works. But since Archer's Brigade, who, General Heth says, were the "heroes of Chancellorsville," was composed entirely of Ten- nesseeans and Alabamians, we hardly think our North Carolina friends can mean their claim to be mistaken for what this brigade did. .

The report of Major J. Jones, of the 26th North Carolina, who commanded Pettigrew' s Brigade after Colonel Marshall was wounded, says:

behind which the enemy was posted, we were met with a perfect hailstorm of lead from their small arms. The brigade dashed on, and many had reached the wall, when we received a deadly volley from the left. The whole line on the left had given away, and we were being rapidly flanked. With our thinned ranks and in such a position, it would have been folly to stand and fight against such
 * * * i when within about 250 or 300 yards of the stone wall,