By Michael D. Martin, E.C.P.D.
Retired
About the author...Michael Martin (pictured front row, far right in the 1981 photo) is a retired veteran of 25 years on the Eden City Police Department, and has penned a number of anecdotal writings recalling his experiences.
LX. Gettysburg July 1st, 2nd and 3rd. 1863
Gettysburg July 1st, 2nd and 3rd. 1863
As I have previously written, the recruiters for
the Marshall Field company traveled into the mountains of Virginia, looking
for workers in the mills in Spray about 1900. Men in Patrick County
were living on three dollars a week. They were promised the fine salary of
$14.00 a week and housing and accounts at the company store. Recruiters went
into Henry County, Floyd County, and Patrick County in Virginia. Many of our
ancestors took the offer and came to Spray, N.C. and went to work. These men
became the backbone of the Marshall-Field Company and their fathers and
grandfathers had been the backbone of General Robert E. Lee's Army of
Northern Virginia.
My grandfather, Nick Martin worked in the mills 42
years, His daddy, Andrew "Dick Martin was with Company H of the
24th Virginia, The Mountain Regiment of Kemper''s Brigade of Pickett's
Division. Poppa Dick survived the charge of Pickett's Division at Gettysburg
and four months later, he was wounded on Lookout Mountain,Tennessee and
spent the rest of the war guarding federal prisoners at Danville,
Virginia.Uncle Roy Martin told me, fifty years ago, his poppa Dick came home
from the civil war with a cap and ball Colt pistol he took off a yankee he
killed in battle and was known as the meanest man in Patrick County,
Virginia. If you cheated Dick Martin, you were not going to be wasting a
whole lot more air.
My grandfather, Nick Married Rosie DeHart of
Patrick County. Her uncle Jesse Greene DeHart was at Gettysburg with Company
A of the 24th Virginia. Jesse was killed as the 24th crossed the Emmitsburg
Road, My Grandmother's Brother, was his namesake and Uncle jess was a
supervisor in the Spray mills all his life. Grandmother Rosie's Uncle was
Stephen Hubbard Dehart who was named for the reverend Stephen Hubbard, His
uncle. Stephen was at Gettysburg with Co.-I of the 53rd Virginia Volunteers,
"The Chatham Greys" of General Lou Armistead's Brigade of
Pickett's Division. The sergeant of Company I was Sgt. Robert Tyler
Jones, the grandson of former president James Tyler. seventy-five
yards from the stone wall at Gettysburg, the yankee balls were flying as
thick as honeybees at a nest and General Louis Armistead screamed over the
sounds of battle to Colonel R.W. Martin and said "colonel, we can not
stay here" Colonel "Billy Martin screamed back "then
sir, we must go foreward...if you see the beautiful Don Trioni painting of
the battle of Gettysburg you will see an accurate depiction showing General
Armistead leading his men to the stone wall with his hat on the tip of his
sword, look close and behind him you will see the fluttering battle flags of
the 53rd and 57th Virginia. For a few brief seconds in history, The
"Chatham Greys" held the stone wall and Sgt. Robert Tyler jones
fell, Colonel Whitehead fell, Colonel R.W. "Billy" Martin fell
with a shattered leg and General Louis Armistead was mortally wounded by the
cannon and our boys grudgingly retreated.
My great great grandfather, James Madison Carter
served in Co-F of the 57th Virginia and was in the thick of the fight (he's
your poppa too, Kenny) and survived the charge but saw two of his brother's
sons fall that day.
My great great grandfather William Davis Brammer
and uncle Paul Dehart was there with company-D of the 12th Virginia of
Mahoney's Brigade of A.P. Hill's 3rd corps. They fought the first two days
and ran the yankees out of Gettysburg to cemetery ridge......which, looking
back at it all,might not have been too good.Now, for kinsmen who are
interested.....I actually have photographs of most of these fellas. I have a
photo of Dick Martin in his old age, I have a photograph of James Madison
Carter in his uniform, he went to battle wearing a bowtie, he was conducting
the business of the commonwealth of Virginia. I have a photo of poppa Davis
Brammer in his old age, I have a picture of Henry Dehart (whose daughter
married Ed Mabrey in 1891 and ran Mabrey's mill on the Blue Ridge Parkway)
Henry served in Co-D 51st Virginia and was captured at the fighting at
Frederick, MD in 1864..I have a photo of Uncle Stephen Dehart and Will
Dehart who served with the 51st Virginia and was captured at Waynesboro, Virginia
when 809 of our lads fought 7,500 Yankees...thru some miscalculation on
General Gabriel Wharton's part...we lost that fight. I actually have a photo
of my great great grandfather Giles Martin and his wife, Sarah Arnold
Martin, Poppa Giles commanded troops in the war of 1812. I have traveled all
over southwestern Virginia gathering these pictures and will let anyone with
a camera with a close up lens copy them, but I will not let them leave my
home.
Michael D. Martin