made by the waters of the lagoon, breaking through to the gulf, thereby endangering the Fort (Pickens) by undermining. This had baffled the efforts of several engineers, who had attempted to close it, at great expense to the government.

Ordered next to Fort McHenry, then under the command of Colonel Robert E. Lee, he was transferred shortly after to Fort Point, California, at San Francisco, thence to Wilmington, N. C., and from that point to Fort Pulaski, Georgia, and Fort Clinch, Florida. Upon her secession, Georgia made him Major of Engineers, and on March 29, he received the same rank in the Confederate Army.

Then began the long line of services, in many capacities and at many points, to the Southern cause, much of which was devoted to North Carolina, and the closing years of his career wholly so.

He

Sent to Charleston, S. C., to inspect the works being constructed against Fort Sumter, he recognized at once the faults of location and construction, and reported the danger to President Davis. showed the letter to Beauregard, and ordered him to take charge. General Beuregard, recognizing the truth of the situation, proceeded to change the entire location, and, to use his language:

"I determined to alter the system, but gradually, so as not to dampen the ardor or touch the pride of the gallant and sensitive gentlemen who had left their homes, at the call of the State, to vindicate its honor."

General Beauregard, in his report of the capture of Fort Sumter, April 12, 1861, said:

"The engineers, Majors Whiting and Gwynn and others, on whom too much praise cannot be bestowed for their untiring zeal, energy and gallantry, and to whose labors is greatly due the unprecedented example of taking such an important work, after thirty-three hours' firing, without having to report the loss of a single life, and but four slightly wounded.

"From Major W. H. C. Whiting I derived also much assistance, not only as an engineer, in selecting the sites and laying out the channel batteries on Morris Island, but as Acting Assistant-Adjutant and Inspector-General, in arranging and stationing the troops on said island."

Major Whiting was made Adjutant-General, and brought his great abilities into service on Morris Island, to prepare for the attack upon Sumter, which was successful April 11, 1861.

An Englishman, and an accomplished critic of military men and

measures, speaks in exalted terms of praise of Major Whiting's operations there; and long after, General Gist writes of his ardent desire that Whiting should return to Charleston in complete command.

Leaving Charleston now for the field, he remains in North Carolina long enough to advise as to the defences of the Cape Fear, at the following request of the Governor, the lamented John W. Ellis, who fell a victim to disease early in the war. He writes:

46

'WM. H. WHITING:

"EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, 'RALEIGH, N. C., April 21, 1861.

"Sir,-You are hereby appointed Inspector-General in charge of the defences of North Carolina.

"Your attention will be particularly directed to Forts Caswell and Johnston, and the mouth of the Cape Fear River, Beaufort harbor and Fort Macon, Ocracoke and the coast generally.

"Exercise all the powers necessary to the public defence; extinguish lights, seize vessels belonging to the enemy, and do whatever may seem necessary.

Given under my hand,

"By the Governor:

"GRAHAM DAVES, Private Secretary."

JOHN W. ELLIS.

Seeing the forts in North Carolina in Confederate hands, he advised a system of defence, especially of the important Cape Fear region, after examining the condition of the forts and harbors; but there being no reason to anticipate immediate attack, he obeyed a call to duty in Virginia, whither he repaired to report for service to General Joseph E. Johnston, in command at Harper's Ferry of the Confederate forces protecting the Shenandoah Valley.

With his usual activity, he grasped the situation at Harper's Ferry, and we find General Joseph E. Johnston saying, in his "Narrative of the War," page 17:

"A careful examination of the position and its environs, made on the 25th May, with the assistance of an engineer of great ability, Major Whiting, convinced me that it could not be held against equal numbers," etc.

In correspondencé, years afterwards, Johnston refers to this period

and to Whiting's judicious aid upon his staff with the highest commendation.

Now the first great conflict came on at Bull Run. Anticipating the event, Whiting was entrusted with the charge of arrangements for the moving of the army at Harper's Ferry, to the aid of Beauregard at Manassas, and had the railroad authorities kept their repeated pledges to him, reinforcements would have reached the field of Manassas in time to have crushed McDowell earlier in the day, spared much Confederate blood, and possibly cut off the retreat of the United States forces to Washington. General Whiting had in charge the blowing up of Harper's Ferry, which General Johnston pronounced a "masterly piece of work."

Whiting was with the troops whose opportune arrival at Manassas saved the day, including the gallant 6th North Carolina, whose colonel (Fisher) gave up his life on the field of battle. His name is immortalized by the fortress where North Carolinians withstood the greatest bombardment that the world has ever known.

In General Joseph E. Johnston's official report of the battle of Manassas, he mentions Whiting first, of all of his staff, and declares:

"Major W. H. C. Whiting, Chief Engineer, was invaluable to me for his signal ability in his profession, and for his indefatigable activity before and in the battle."

For his brilliant service on the field, President Davis, who was on the ground, wrote the following order (which I hold in my hand), entire as to text and signature:

"GEN. J. E. JOHNSTON,

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"MANASSAS, VA., July 21, 1861.

"C. S. Army.

'Sir,-Major Sam. Jones and Major W. H. C. Whiting, of the Army of the Confederate States of America, are assigned to duty with 'Volunteers,' with the temporary rank of Brigadier-Generals, and will be obeyed and respected accordingly.

JEFFERSON DAVIS.'"'

The permanent commission was dated by the Secretary of War, August 28th, to rank from the glorious 21st July, the day of Ma

nassas.

He was ordered at first to the command of Bee's brigade, their general having been killed at Manassas.

It will be remembered that, after that collision, both sides began to realize the magnitude of the impending struggle, and to raise, equip and discipline their armies with more military order and detail. And in the South, preparations for better defences than the batteries. hastily thrown up, were going forward.

General Whiting gave his best efforts, as a trained soldier, to the equipment and training of the troops, while his engineering skill was freely drawn upon for the public welfare.

General Whiting was assigned the command of the brigade of General Bee, killed at Manassas. This was composed of the 6th North Carolina, 4th Alabama, 2d and 11th Mississippi. Major J. S. Fairly, now Lieutenant-Colonel J. S. Fairly, of Charleston, S. C., who served with distinguished ability on the staff of General Whiting, says, in a letter to the speaker:

"With Bee's and the Texas Brigade, under General Wigfall, the division went into winter quarters near Dumfries, Va., and built heavy batteries, commanding the Potomac river, sometimes inflicting loss upon the enemy attempting its navigation; but his great work and constant care during the whole winter, was, first to have his troops make themselves comfortable winter quarters; next, to organize them for the victories they were to win, by thorough drill-constant drill-by squad, by company, by regiment, by brigade, by division, or as the troops called the last, neighborhood drill;' thus accustoming the troops to act in concert, and in the presence of each other, so giving them confidence in each other and in their officers. 'Little Billy,' as the troops endearingly called him, was indefatigable.

"With the opening spring, our retreat from Dumfries, and march from Fredericksburg began, aud was accomplished without loss, although the roads were indescribably bad. We encamped near Fredericksburg and thence went to the Peninsular to await General Johnston's further movements."

When spring opened, Johnston determined to evacuate Norfolk and Yorktown, and retire upon Richmond, there to meet the enormous army gathering under General McClellan. The evacuation was skilfully performed, and the enemy checked in direct pursuit at Williamsburg, largely by the sacrifice of the 5th North Carolina,

under McRae, whose losses were so frightful and bravery so heroic, as to win for it the sobriquet of the "Bloody 5th."

It was next found that the enemy had landed in force at West Point, and had occupied a thick woods between the New Kent road and Eltham's Landing, threatening the column on the march, with a fatal attack upon its flank. General Johnston reports:

"The security of our march required that he should be disloged, and General G. W. Smith was entrusted with this service. He performed it very handsomely, with Hampton's and Hood's Brigades, under Whiting, who drove the enemy, in about two hours, a mile and a half through the woods to the protection of their vessels of war. If the statements published in the Northern papers at the time are accurate, their losses were ten times as great as ours.

So much for prompt and timely action at a critical moment. The whole of Franklin's superb division was routed by Whiting's two small brigades.

This repulse occurred May 6th, and inspired the troops anew with devoted confidence in their indomitable leader.

In token of this General Whiting was surprised at the reception of a letter from the officers of the 4th Alabama, of his brigade, tendering to him a present of a noble charger, which on May 22nd was formally presented at dress-parade, "as an evidence of high esteem and appreciation of you as a soldier and a gentleman, by the regiment."

On the last day of the same month, occurred the famous engagement of the Seven Pines. It will be remembered by veterans that this bloody conflict has gone into history as a drawn battle. The victory of Seven Pines for the Confederates being followed by inaction at Fair Oaks the next day, and the result a check, but not an overwhelming defeat for the United States troops as it might have

been.

The testimony of the "Records of the Rebellion," in which is all the evidence of reports of commanders throughout the field, shows unmistakably that the same sluggishness and want of response to orders, which lost the battle of Gettysburg, by the failure of Longstreet to move in time to the support of Pickett and Pettigrew, was at fault there.

General G. W. Smith shows (Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, Vol. II, 241) that Whiting's division, advancing at 6 A. M., was blocked by Longstreet's troops, and in spite of herculean efforts,