From The Greensborough Patriot
Jan. 9, 1862 – Pg. 3
Correspondence of the Patriot.
From the Twelfth Regiment.
Camp Holmes, Evansport,
Va., Dec. 27, 1861.
Mr. Editor:--Perhaps it would be a
source of some little pleasure to give your readers a short sketch of Christmas
as we spent it in camp; so as it is almost over, I will spend a short time for
their special benefit. On the morning of
the 24th an order from our much beloved Colonel was sent around
recommending that every company in the regiment should decorate their
respective streets with evergreens of such other things as suit their fancy;
and as there is a great amount of cedar, pine, holly, &c. growing here,
every man, perfectly willing to do with alacrity anything that Col. Pettigrew
should even hint at, commenced taxing their ingenuity to invent some little
trick of fancy which could be constructed from such material. Some made beautiful arches over their streets
and hung numerous little fancies around them; while others fabricated large
letters representing their companies.
Others set their streets with hedges in labyrinthian
order, while many of the individual tents were beautifully ornamented. One of company A, I will mention as being the
most fantastically wrought ornament I ever saw.
It was constructed on the plan of a windmill, though its beauty I cannot
describe. By night everything in and
around this regiment was beautifully set off.
Everything was arranged in beauty, taste and order, and every man was in
fine spirits, while in this harmless but pleasant work we spent Christmas
Eve. The dawn of Christmas morning was
beautiful and we were only disturbed in its solemn quietness by being saluted
about day with harmless shells from the Yankee battery.
At
guard mounting the Orderly Sergeants of each company were informed by the
Adjutant that the Colonel had determined to have a little amusement that day,
and for this purpose had purchased a nice pig, which would be shot for at 10
o’clock, and that the whole regiment should be marched out in full uniform,
with every man a bunch of evergreen on his cap, and one in the muzzle of his
gun, to witness the shooting, the marksmen—five from each company—to be marched
on the left. The shooting was to be at
the distance of one hundred and fifty paces without rest. Lieut. Col. Long and Major Galloway were to
decide who was the victor, and after firing two rounds, fifty shots each round,
it was decided that Oliver Pike of company L, commanded by Capt. R. L. Gray, of
Randolph, was the man who had won the prize, he having made the best shot. The target was an elliptical circle in the
centre of a square. The shooting was as
follows: Shots in the square, co. A none, B 1, E 5, F 3, G 1, H none, I 1, K 1,
L 2, and M 2. L, E, M and F were the
only companies which struck the circle, one shot from company L being nearly a
centre shot won the pig which weighed 239 pounds net. The sports being thus ended, the regiment was
formed in line of battle and marched to an open place, where it was formed into
a hollow square. The Colonel then called
for the Captain of company I, when Captain Gray came forward and was addressed
in a humorous and witty little speech from Col. Long who formally delivered
“his majesty” to company I.
Col.
Pettigrew, after wishing the boys a merry Christmas, dismissed the regiment,
when they all returned to camp, and spent the remainder of the day in singing
merry songs, music, long yarns, dinners, egg nog,
&c.; but in honor to the boys may it be said that very few of them were
made limber in the knees that day.
But
the best part is to come yet. At night,
the whole regiment formed in procession and marched down to the Colonel’s tent
to serenade the Colonel, and after playing several popular airs, closed with
Dixie, and called for the Colonel, who immediately came forth and addressed the
soldiers in a manner that was truly eloquent pathetic and sublime. And when he was through, we were not only
satisfied of the fact that he is one of the best and wisest commanders, but in
the true sense of the term an orator. In
the course of his remarks, Col. Pettigrew said: “Fellow Soldiers, when I
received the intelligence of my election to the command of the Twelfth N. C.
Volunteers, I hesitated not one moment in accepting it. I had then never seen one of your faces,
neither had you ever seen mine. I knew
it was from no party feeling or party prejudice that caused my election, but
that your sole motive was to serve your oppressed country, and for this
purpose, and this alone, we came together.
And I am proud to say that I believe there is no regiment in the service
more willing and more capable of doing their full duty than the one that now
stands around me.” And again he said, “I
regard a war between Great Britain and the United States as inevitable and though
the present Mason and Slidell affair may pass off for the present, yet it will
come, and perhaps upon an event of much less importance than that. Then the blockade of Southern ports must be
raised; then forty thousand soldiers now on our coast can be sent here; then the invading tyrants shall be driven
from Maryland, and the Maryland Artillery, now our comrades in battle, shall be
our brothers in State, and there will be nothing to stop our onward course this
side of Pennsylvania.” The Colonel through,
and a tune, when Col. Long, Major Galloway, the Adjutant and Quartermaster were
called who made a few brief and appropriate remarks. So ended our sports on Christmas day, which
every one admits was spent very pleasantly.
There is nothing new here. We
have no fighting as yet, nor do I suppose we will soon.
REPRAK.
