- Title
- Histories of the several regiments and battalions from North Carolina, in the great war 1861-'65 [v.1]
-
-
- Date
- 1901
-
-
- Creator
- ["Clark, Walter, 1846-1924."]
-
- Place
- ["North Carolina, United States"]
-
Histories of the several regiments and battalions from North Carolina, in the great war 1861-'65 [v.1]
Hits:
(0)
























Fifth Regiment.
289
Brigade, it recaptured a battery which had been taken by a
division of Federals and drove back the Federal troops with
great slaughter. In this fight there was a good deal of bayonet
fighting, and Colonel Garrett was conspicuous for his bravery.
On the 12th came the great battle of Spottsyl vania. In the
early morning, before daylight, the brigade was awakened by
sharp firing and, hurrying to the front, found that the entire
division of General Edward Johnson had been captured, and
that the brigade was expected to fill the gap and arrest the
onward assault of the enemy, which was in great force, being
the corps of General Hancock. This was in the “augle” or
“ horse-shoe,” as it has been called from its shape, a place made
memorable by the fierceness of the conflict which raged there
all the day. Into the breach the brigade went, the morning fog
being so thick that at ten paces one could not distinguish friend
from foe, and was subjected to an enfilading fire from right and
left. In less than fifteen minutes after going into action five
officers were killed, including Colonel Garrett, shot through the
head, and Lieutenant Edward Smedes, a gallant yonng officer
from Raleigh. Colonel Garrett was a gallant soldier and had
won for himself an enviable reputation for conspicuous personal
courage and capacity for commanding troops. Many others
were killed and many captured, among the latter being Lieu-
tenaut Anderson, of Fayetteville, and Sergeant-major Busbec,
of Raleigh. During the day’s battle the regiment bore a con¬
spicuous part and maintained its reputation as the “Bloody
Fifth.” It carried into the fight about four hundred and fifty,
and at the evening roll-call only forty-two answered. It is said
that in this battle and in the “horse-shoe” the fiercest musketry
fighting of the war occurred. In the War Department at Wash¬
ington, among the relics, is a section of the trunk of a whiteoak
tree which was cut down iu this fight at the “angle” by minie-
balis alone.
Lientenant-Colonel John W. Lea now became Colonel of the
Fifth. Major Hill was made Lieutenant-Colonel, aud Captain
J. M. Taylor acting as Major, aud as part of Johnston’s Brigade,
19
Select what you would like to download. If choosing to download an image, please select the file format you wish to download.
The Original File option allows download of the source file (including any features or enhancements included in the original file) and may take several minutes.
Certain download types may have been restricted by the site administrator.