Dr. F. M. Garret, of Edgecombe, was commissioned Surgeon of the Thirtieth North Carolina Troops, on 23 August, 1862, in place of Surgeon Henry Joyner, resigned.

After remaining in camp near Richmond, D. H. Hill's division marched to join the army in Northern Virginia, and reached the field of Second Manassas the day after that battle had been won.

With the Army of Northern Virginia, we crossed into Maryland. At the battle of South Mountain, 14 September, 1862, the division did the hardest service of any one day of the war. Hill's small division kept at bay the entire army of McClellan until nightfall, when we moved in the direction of Sharpsburg.

Anderson's Brigade occupied different positions on the field of Sharpsburg, on 15 and 16 September, 1862. On the night of the 16th, we occupied the historic "bloody lane," and held it during the battle of the 17th, until driven by a direct and cross fire from either flank. The terrible slaughter of the enemy in our immediate front, as witnessed by our own men, who were taken prisoners when we changed front, tells of the good work done by our brigade. The Thirtieth held the right of the brigade, and was much exposed by reason of our position on the crest of the hill.

While the firing was very hot, Courier Baggarly, from brigade headquarters, reported to me that General Anderson was wounded and had left the field; that he was unable to find Colonel Tew, of the Second North Carolina, the Senior Colonel of the brigade, and that he made this report to me, being next in command. I then instructed my Adjutant, Lieutenant Phillips, to proceed cautiously down the line, observe what was going on, and if possible, to find Colonel Tew, and carry to him Baggarly's report.

Lieutenant Philips undertook this perilous duty, receiving several shots through his clothing, came in hailing distance of Colonel Tew and reported to that officer. And to be sure that his message was understood, asked Colonel Tew to give him some intimation that he was heard. Colonel Tew, who was standing erect, lifted his hat and made Philips a polite bow, and fell immediately from a wound in the head.

While Lieutenant Philips was returning, he received a severe wound on the head, which caused him to leave the field, much to the loss of the command. I at once attempted to go to the left of the brigade, and had not proceeded ten paces, when I was struck by a minie ball on the head and was taken from the field. In a recent correspondence with an officer of the Sixty-fourth New York Regiment, he says "I remember very well what a warm reception you gave us, when you left the Bloody Lane, and we moved in."

 

And then suddenly and without warning, the Wilmington, Columbia, and Augusta Road threw up the lease, and the Wilmington and Weldon Road came again under the management of its own directors.

This action was taken by the Baltimore parties holding a controlling interest in both roads. The change caused great excitement and uneasiness among the local stockholders in Wilmington, where most of the stock, exclusive of that owned in Baltimore, was held. All sorts of conjectures as to the purpose and effect of this change were flying about. Some thought that it was a move of the Baltimore stockholders to depress the value of the stock that they might purchase it all at a low figure. The price of the stock fell greatly. I believe very little actually changed hands, but some, I know, was sold as low as fifty dollars, and I heard that it went even lower.

But there was a very general feeling that the stock was good and that it ought to maintain its value. The stockholders in Wilmington held a meeting and appointed a committee to go to Baltimore and interview Messrs. Shoemaker, Newcomer, and Walters, and endeavor to find out their purpose in their late action, that the local stockholders might understand its bearing upon the future prospects of the Road. This committee consisted of Mr. William H. McCrary, Mr. Donald MacRae, two local capitalists, and Captain Grainger, president of the Bank of New Hanover. Telegrams from the meeting were sent to Judge George Howard and Judge Frederick Philips of Tarborough, large stockholders, asking that one of them, representing the Tarborough stockholders, should join the Wilmington committee in their visit to the Baltimore men.

It happened that business engagements made it impossible for either Judge Howard or Captain Philips to leave Tarborough at that time; and they suggested that I should go to represent the Tarborough stockholders. But as I owned only fifteen shares of the stock, I did not feel that I would be a very weighty representative; and indeed I could not very well afford the expense of the trip. They, however, insisted that I should go as their representative, and as such should let them pay my expenses. They said they wished to be represented at the proposed conference, and they wished to know all that might be said in regard to the purposes of the men who controlled the Road. I therefore joined Messrs. McCrary and MacRae at Rocky Mount and proceeded with them to Baltimore. Captain Grainger was in New York, but he joined us the next morning in Baltimore.

 

Vine Hill Academy in Halifax County offered courses in science and languages, preparatory for college entrance. In 1811, Daniel Adams of Connecticut was secured as principal, and a Mr. Hawkins had charge of the English department. The price of board was $50 per year, and the tuition rates were $12 for reading, writing, and arithmetic, $15 for grammar, and $25 each for geography and the languages. The academy prospered until in 1837 it had a male and a female department and offered a wide range of courses. C. L. Coon, op. cit., 175-177.

 

90 In 1812, Exum Lewis of Mount Prospect advertised for a man to teach English, writing, and arithmetic, giving assurance that “should any person undertake a school at this place calculated to please, he may expect on a birth for several years.” C. L. Coon, op. cit., 806. Turner and Bridgers (pp. 364-365) state that “in 1820 Mount Prospect was erected by Exum Lewis on his plantation about seven miles from Tarboro. This was a mixed school of importance. The early teachers were James C. Cary, George Pendleton, both of Virginia, Philip Wiley, an Episcopal minister, Eugene Casey, of Ireland, Alexander Bellamy, of Florida, and Frederick Philips, grandfather of the late Judge Philips.”

 

In 1793, John Leigh, Ethelred Philips, Amos Johnson, Edward Hall, Jacob Battle, John Ingles, and Blake Baker were designated as trustees of the Academy of Tarborough, though nothing further is known of this school. Laws of North Carolina, 1793, ch. 43. In 1813, F. L. Dancy, E. D. McNair, Jeremiah Battle, Robert Joyner, Bennett Barrow, J. W. Clark, Joel Battle, James Southerland, H. A. Donaldson, Peter Evans, and Carey Whitaker were appointed trustees of the Tarborough Academy. Laws of North Carolina, 1813, ch. 48. A building was erected and the institution opened its doors, January 1, 1815. Robert Hall, a graduate of the University who had taught in the Raleigh Academy, was in charge. Later teachers were Mr. Griswold, Eugene Farnan, Moses Hamilton, Miss Anna Maria Ragsdale, and James I. Sanford. There was a male and a female department. In the female department in 1826, courses were offered in chemistry, astronomy, natural philosophy, rhetoric, history, needle work, music, and painting on paper and velvet. From 1815 to 1826, the average enrollment was from 60 to 80 students per year. Board was obtainable in private homes for $7 per month. The academy evidently lapsed, for in 1847 a legislative act revived the act of 1813 and appointed new trustees. Laws of North Carolina, 1846-47, ch. 114; C. L. Coon, op. cit., 77-79, Turner and Bridgers, op. cit., 360-365.