Mobile Register
June 21, 1861
Page 1
The
Battle of Bethel
The
Northern papers have extraordinary accounts of the battle of Bethel. The New York Herald says the “rebels” had
constructed an entrenched camp, comprising six batteries of rifled cannon and
sixty-eight twelve-pound howitzers, and in another place the same paper alludes
to the “capture of 12,000 rebels,” and shouts joyously—“Butler is evidently the
right man in the right place!” Later
issues of the New York papers contain articles betraying the profoundest
mortification, apparent amid all the falsifications in which they endeavor to
find consolation in their distress.
From
various accounts published by Virginia papers we compile the following
interesting items:
The
howitzer rifle cannon did dreadful work; the shots striking on the right flank
would go entirely through the left. (The
enemy advanced by right flank, and never formed line of battle.) One of these shots went through and through a
farmhouse, and through a Yankee on the other side, and then cut a fine tree
half down. The hole in the man was about
the size of a common water bucket. In
the first of the battle the enemy threw forward four companies of New York Zouaves to cross the creek at a ford a mile below. Colonel Magruder
then ordered the Chatham Grays, 85 strong, with one Naval howitzer, under
command of Captain W. H. Werth, to defend the ford to the very last extremity. Captain Werth,
with his command, left their redoubt on the right, and crossed a wide open
field within four hundred yards of the enemy’s battery, which was then pouring
shot of all kinds and shell around them, about as fast as hail down the side of
the stream at a double quick, whilst the Zouave
regiment was at the same speed going down on the opposite side, both aiming for
the ford. The Virginians trotted the
mile first, got possession of the ford, planted their gun, ambushed the
infantry, and waited for an attack; but the Zouaves
did not like the looks of things, and put back to the main body without once
getting in range. All the trees around
Bethel Church are cut all to pieces, and the foliage stripped off by the musket
balls. The fire was terrible, and shot
fell about as fast as any man would like.
Not more than seven hundred of our troops got into the fight, owing to
the fact that the enemy confined his attack chiefly to the centre, thus leaving
all the troops posted to defend the flanks nothing to do but to play a quiet
game of seven up.
During
the engagement, a howitzer, under command of Capt. J. Thompson Brown, of
Richmond, became disabled, from accident, the primer breaking off in the touch
hole and striking the gun. It was
removed from its position and carried into the woods about 150 yards beyond the
entrenchments. This was discovered by
the enemy, and a party of 200 Zouaves rallied out and
seized it. They were dragging it off,
when Col. Hill ordered two of his companies to charge bayonet and recover the
gun. Wild with enthusiasm, the gallant
Carolinians escaped the entrenchments, and at a bound or two, rushed towards
the famous Zouaves with bayonets fixed. So many glittering steel points, in the hands
of such sturdy sons of Carolina, struck terror to the already frightened
wretches, and they rushed pell-mell from the spot, leaving their imagined
trophy in the hands of the Confederates.
The Yankees will not cross bayonets under any circumstances—not even to
defend the “stars and stripes.”
The residence of a
widow lady, residing on the vicinity of Hampton, was visited Monday afternoon
and the building demanded for a hospital.
The lady protested against its appropriation for any such purpose. The cowards then demanded material for
bandages, which being refused, they laid violent hands on every sheet,
counterpane, pillow case and table cloth, tearing them up into suitable
widths. Beds were taken, and a large
dining table. The table was carried into
the yard, beneath the thick branches of a pleasant grove, and here the surgeons
relieved many a poor fellow of a broken arm or a shattered leg.
A lady living in
the vicinity and near the road says the affrightened
creatures left the scene of their exploits in the wildest confusion. Some were crying with pain, others screaming
with terror, and still others yelling like demons, in the hope, probably, of frightening
back all pursuers. Twenty-five
haversacks were found in one pile, and other accoutrements without
numbers. A letter was found, written by
one of these thieving Yankees to his mother.
He informed her that he had secured some twenty-five horses and several
negroes, but had met with no opportunity to dispose of them. The mother was requested to forward some
funds until the writer could realize something from his horses and negroes,
when she would be repaid with interest.
Another
letter was penned in beautiful, delicate style.
It was from a sister to a brother.
It breathed the most ardent affection, and enjoined upon him to kill a
thousand slave-breeders if possible, and by all means to avenge the death of
the handsome and brave young Elmer Ellsworth.
An
old trapper of respectability who has resided in Hampton for many years, named
Benj. Phillips, was coming on the road near Hampton in the afternoon, armed
with a double-barreled gun. Seeing a
buggy some distance ahead of him, he slipped into the woods and waited its
approach. He soon discovered two
officers seated in the buggy, and saw from their distressed appearance that
they were in no condition to do him much damage. They hailed him as they passed, asking who he
was? He replied by telling them to pass
on. As soon as they did so, the old man
let fly both barrels of his gun in rapid succession into the back of the
buggy. A shriek was heard, and one of
the officers leaped out and took to the woods.
The other fell forward and the buggy passed on. Mr. Phillips is of the impression that the
shriek was the death-yell of the individual who remained in the vehicle. Mr. Phillips had previously killed at
different times nine of the Federal scouts.
The
day on which the battle was fought, (last Monday), our informant states, was
one of the loveliest he ever witnessed.
Not a speck was to be seen in the blue skies overhead, and a more
delightful temperature was never vouchsafed to patriot hearts.
Col.
Magruder placed the men in position, and with great
coolness went around, delivering to each company a few spirited remarks. To one he closed with the encouraging
language of Rev. Mr. Adams, a Baptist minister, who had preached to the troops
at Bethel Church the night previous, saying, “God is with us, and victory is
sure.” To another Col. Magruder said, in the language of the patriot Garibaldi,
“God never made a more beautiful day for men to die in defence
of their country.” And lastly, Col. Magruder addressed the Hampton Brigade, commanded by Maj.
John B. Cary, and after a few spirited remarks, closed by telling them that Hamptonians had the strongest incentives to nerve their
strong arms in this struggle, “for they had deep and grievous wrongs of their
own to avenge.”
[Transcribed by: Sharon Strout]
