A detail was made to execute the sentence of retaliation, for the condemned soldiers were to be carried to the Valley, and were to be executed in the neighborhood of Winchester. As the party was passing through Ashby's Gap, they were met by Captain Mountjoy, who was returning from the Valley with an additional supply of prisoners taken from General Custer's command. Among the men condemned to death he recognized the artillery officer and one of his companions to be Freemasons, and on his own responsibility substituted in their places two of his own prisoners. The melancholy procession again set forward. Owing to the darkness, the road was lost, and at daylight S―, who was in command of the party, found himself at Rosemont, on the edge of Berryville, and he there determined to execute the sentence, for one prisoner had already escaped and had not been missed until then. The man who was first called up begged for delay, and said he was not ready to die. His request was granted, and he was postponed till the last. Three were hung and the others shot. But the last prisoner, when his turn came, was not then prepared to die, and striking the guard who held him by the collar a blow which felled him to the ground, rushed passed him, and, screened by the misty dawn, was soon lost to view. When the substitution made by Captain Mountjoy was reported to Mosby, he was much offended, and with severity told him he must remember in future that his command was not a Masonic lodge. A few days after this execution, Colonel Mosby transmitted to General Sheridan the following communication: "MAJOR-GENERAL P. H. SHERIDAN, NOVEMBER II, 1864. ab Commanding U. S. Forces in the Valley: "General,-Sometime in the month of September, during my sence from my command, six of my men, who had been captured by your forces, were hung and shot in the street of Front Royal, by the order and in the immediate presence of Brigadier-General Custer. Since then, another (captured by a Colonel Powell, on a plundering expedition into Rappahannock), shared a similar fate. A label affixed to the coat of one of the murdered men declared that this would be the fate of Mosby and all his men. Since the murder of my men, not less than 700 prisoners, including many officers of high rank, captured from your army by this command, have been forwarded to Richmond; but the execution of my purpose of retaliation was deferred, in order, as far as possible, to confine its operation to the men of Custer and Powell. Accordingly, on the 6th instant, seven of your men were, by my order, executed on the Valley turnpike-your highway of travel. Hereafter, any prisoners falling into my hands will be treated with the kindness due to their condition, unless some new act of barbarity shall compel me reluctantly to adopt a line of policy repugnant to humanity. "Very respectfully, your obedient servant, "JOHN S. MOSBY, We, the committee appointed by Mosby Camp to solicit subscriptions to erect a monument at Front Royal, Va., to the memory of our six comrades-Anderson, Carter, Jones, Overby, Love and Rhodes-who, while prisoners of war, were hung or shot to death, by the order of General Custer, in the year 1864. The memory of these brave boys, who met an untimely death in defence of their country, deserves to be perpetuated, and we earnestly appeal to all survivors of the 43rd Battalion, Virginia Cavalry, to aid in rendering long-delayed justice to our fallen comrades. All subscriptions should be sent to the Treasurer, W. Ben. Palmer, No. 1321 Cary street, Richmond, Va., or to any member of the committee. W. BEN. PALMER, Richmond, Va., J. W. HAMMOND, Alexandria, Va., ROBERT M. HARROVER, Washington, D. C., Committee. [From the Charlotte (N. C.) Observer, March 31, 1895.] THE THIRTY-EIGHTH N. C. REGIMENT. ITS HISTORY IN THE CIVIL WAR. Lieutenant-Colonel George W. Flowers, of this Regiment, writes its History. The 38th regiment of North Carolina troops, was formed of volunteers who enlisted for twelve months, and was organized at Camp Mangum, near Raleigh, North Carolina, January 17, 1862, under the command of Major J. J. Iredell, commander of the post. The regiment was composed of the following companies: Company A, "Spartan Band," Duplin county-A. G. Mosely, captain. First Lieutenant, D. G. Morrisey; second lieutenant, Alsa J. Brown; junior second lieutenant, D. M. Pearsall. Company B, Men of Yadkin," Yadkin county-C. L. Cook, captain. First lieutenant, R. F. Armfield; second lieutenant, A. W. Blackburn; junior second lieutenant, L. F. Haynes. Company C, "Sampson Farmers," Sampson county-Peter B. Troublefield, captain. First lieutenant, R. F. Allen; second lieutenant, John F. Wilson; junior second lieutenant, Hinton J. Hudson. Company B, Sampson Plowboys," Sampson county - John Ashford, captain. First lieutenant, R. Bell; second lieutenant, A. D. King; junior second lieutenant, H. C. Darden. Company E, "Richmond Boys," Richmond county-Oliver H. Dockery, captain. First lieutenant, S. M. Ingraham; second lieutenant, D. G. McRae; junior second lieutenant, M. W. Covington. Company F, "Catawba Wildcats," Catawba county-Joshua B. Little, captain. First lieutenant, D. McD. Yount; second lieutenant, H. L. Roberts; junior second lieutenant, F. D. Roseman. Company G, "Rocky Face Rangers," Alexander county-G. W. Sharpe, captain. First lieutenant, John E. Rheim; second lieutenant, George W. Flowers; junior second lieutenant, James W. Stephenson. Company H, "Uwharrie Boys," Randolph county-Noah Rush, captain. First lieutenant, L. D. Andrews; second lieutenant, J. N. Kearns; second junior lieutenant, N. H. Hopkins. Company I, Cleveland Marksmen," Cleveland county-O. P. Gardiner, captain. First lieutenant, G. Blanton; second lieutenant, D. Magness; junior second lieutenant, O. Beam. Company K, "Carolina Boys," Cumberland county-M. McR. McLaughlin, captain. First lieutenant, Angus Shaw; second lieutenant, A. M. Smith; junior second lieutenant, D. A. Moore. The regiment was organized (Company K being absent) by electing William J. Hoke, Lincoln county (Captain of Company K, Bethel Regiment), colonel. Captain Oliver H. Dockery, Richmond county, lieutenant-colonel; Captain George W. Sharpe, Alexander county, major. The following officers were then appointed: Horace L. Robards, Lincoln county, quartermaster; Benjamin H. Sumner, Lincoln county, commissary; Miles M. Cowles, Yadkin county, adjutant; Peter W. Young, Granville county, surgeon; J. Stuart Devane, Duplin county, assistant surgeon; D. M. McIntyre, Duplin county, sergeant-major; Marion Roseman, Catawba county, quartermaster sergeant; William C. Webb, Cleveland county, commissary sergeant; John O. Waters, Cleveland county, color sergeant; J. J. Johnson, Co. H, S. B. Herring, Co. C, F. A. Clifton, Co. C, J. H. Irving, Co. G, D. A. Black, Co. K, color guard; Rev. Julian P. Faison, Co. A, chaplain; Lieutenant R. W. Copell was elected captain of Co. E, to succeed Captain Dockery; Lieutenant John E. Rheim, Co. G, was elected to succeed Captain Sharpe; George M. Yoder, Co. F, was elected second lieutenant to succeed H. L. Robards; George W. Flowers, Co. G, was elected first lieutenant to succeed Lieutenant Rheim; Oliver H. Patterson, second lieutenant to succeed G. W. Flowers; D. G. McRae, Co. E, was elected second lieutenant to succeed Lieutenant Copell. On the 10th of February, 1823, the regiment was ordered to proceed to Washington, N. C., but on reaching Goldsboro the order was changed and the regiment ordered to Halifax, thence to Hamilton. On February 12, under orders from General Gatlin, the troops returned to Halifax, and then proceeded to Weldon to defend the bridge at that point, reaching Camp Leavenworth, on the east side of the river near Garysburg, on the 14th. The regiment remained here until the 18th, when it was ordered to Camp Floyd, on the west side of the river, near Weldon. While in camp at this place there was much sickness and many deaths. On the 21st the regiment was ordered to Camp Vance, two miles east of Goldsboro, on the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad, and on the 22nd was attached to the 3rd Brigade, Army of North Carolina, commanded by General Joseph R. Anderson. This brigade was composed of the 1st South Carolina Regiment, Colonel Hamilton; 34th North Carolina, Colonel Leaventhorpe; 38th North Carolina, Colonel Hoke; 2nd Georgia Battalion, Captain Doyle; 3rd Louisiana Battalion, Lieutenant-Colonel Bridford. On April 8th, the 45th Georgia, Colonel Hardiman, and on April 10th, 49th Georgia, Colonel Lane, were attached to the brigade. While here the troops received news of the passage of the conscript law, which gave some dissatisfaction, because they thought it unfair to hold twelve-month troops for a longer time, but after careful consideration they cheerfully acquiesced. On the 18th of April, 1862, General Holmes, in command at Goldsboro, ordered the regiment at Camp Mason to re-organize for the war. The result was as follows: Thos. S. Kenan, colonel (did not accept); Wm. J. Hoke, elected on 24th; R. F. Armfield, lieutenant-colonel; L. D. Andrews, major. Company A-A. G. Mosely, captain; D. D. Morrisey, first lieutenant; N. E. Armstrong, second lieutenant; A. J. Brown, junior second lieutenant. Company B-C. L. Cook, captain; A. W. Blackburn, first lieutenant; L. F. Haynes, second lieutenant; J. B. Hare, junior second lieutenant. Company C-J. T. Wilson, captain; R. F. Allen, first lieutenant; Hudson, second lieutenant: J. W. Darden, junior second lieuten ant. Company D-John Ashford, captain' R. R. Bell, first lieutenant; H. C. Darden, second lieutenant; J. W. Darden, junior second lieu tenant. Company E-D. C. McRae, captain; S. M. Ingram, first lieutenant; Alfred Dockery, second lieutenant; M. T. Covington, junior second lieutenant. Company F-D. McD. Yount, captain; F. D. Roseman, first lieutenant; J. A. Yount, second lieutenant; Alonzo Deal, junior second lieutenant. Company G-G. W. Flowers, captain; O. H. Patterson, first lieutenant; W. A. Stephenson, second lieutenant; Abner Harrington, junior second lieutenant. |