Newton-Dekalb-Terrell County GaArchives News.....THE CHARGE AT APPOMATTOX February 3 1899 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Phyllis Thompson http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00011.html#0002524 December 1, 2004, 8:25 am The Georgia Enterprise The Last Lining Up of General Gordon’s Hitherto Victorious Legion. ONLY FIVE SURVIVORS KNOWN OF As Follows: Capt. Kaigler, R. M. Robinson, Polk Wiggins, S. W. Cochran and J. T. Austin. On Sunday morning, April 9, 1865, General Gordon formed his hitherto victorious legion for the last charge. The preceding night had been chilly and cold and we had been on the move until nearly midnight, when we halted on the courthouse square, built fires and remained until day. We then reformed, marched out of Appomattox in a southwesterly direction, passing Carter’s, Starke’s and Poague’s battalions of artillery, which were then in position and firing, the former to the right, the latter to the left at the long lines of Sheridan’s columns which had come up the night previous and had thrown themselves across our only avenue of escape. General Gordon was commanding 2nd Stonewall Jackson’s corps, then the advance of the Confederate army. General C. A. Evans was commanding General Gordon’s old division, Colonel Lowe, of the 31st Georgia Regiment, was commanding General Evans old brigade, which numbered 890 men, all told. The brigade was composed of the following commands: 13th, 26th, 31st, 60th, 61st, Georgia Regiments, the 12th Georgia battalion and a sharpshooter’s battalion numbering 26 men and 3 officers- Captain William Kaigler commanding and Lieutenants Hogan and Gwynn- 29 men in all. Gwynn, since the war was elected sheriff of Pike county and was killed by the Delks. Our thin lines were now advancing rapidly and the continued roar of Carter’s, Starke’s and Poague’s guns, seemed to indicate that we were driving the long lines of blue infantry, which could be plainly seen in the gray mist of the early morning, and it seemed that fortune was going to favor us and we would surely drive all opposition from our front and escape, but our hopes of success were short lived, for suddenly there appeared a line of blue infantry moving down on right with fixed bayonets and flags gaily flying in the breeze. General C. A. Evans came riding down his thin line eyeing the federals as they advanced until he reached Kaigler’s battalion of sharp-shooter’s and ordered them to “deploy and charge”. The very idea of this battalion charging such an army corps and them flushed with victory, none but Generals Gordon and Evans would have thought of and I am equally sure that none but men who followed Lee, Stonewall Jackson and Joe Johnson would have complied with such an order. Presently the roar of musketry told that Kaigler had engaged the enemy, as that good soldier knew how. Under the fire of Carter’s, Starke’s and Poague’s guns the federal line seemed to halt. Kaigler was now returning to our line, bringing with him 71 federal soldiers who had surrendered. Just as our commanding officers were getting ready to surrender one of the saddest things that I have to mention is that the gallant Lieutenant Hogan was lost and he has never been heard of since. After Captain Kaigler and his battalion returned with the prisoners we formed a new line south of the courthouse and General G. A. Custer, commanding the United States cavalry rode over to our line with a flag of truce and asked to see some general officer. He was directed to General Gordon, and soon we received orders to uncap our guns and march out and stack arms. the 1st Virginia Artillery that we were supporting, and who fired the first gun in the civil war, were ordered to cease firing- they now had fired the last. We remained at Appomattox Courthouse from the 9th until the morning of the 12th of April. All the terms of the surrender, now being agreed upon, Gibbons division of the 5th corps of the United States army, was drawn up on the North side of the road leading into the village to receive our surrender. General Chamberlin, commanding the 1st brigade, as we came opposite to them, ordered his men to present arms, this being the highest compliment from the victor to his defeated foe. We now halted, fronted, stacked arms, furled our banner forever which we had carried to victory from Cold Harbor to Appomattox. On the 18th we received our paroles and then came that long, tedious, homeward march, to find this once happy land nothing but a wilderness, left desolate by the torch of Sherman on his march to the sea. The men who made the last charge at Appomattox were only a fair sample of the Confederate army, and were not afraid to charge though out numbered a thousand to one. Or the survivors of this gallant band of heroes I know of only five. Captain Kaigler, the brave commander now resides at Dawson, Terrell Co., Ga. The other tour claim DeKalb as their native county, viz: Sergeant R. M. Robinson, Polk Wiggins, S. W. Cochran and J. T. Austin. Let us cherish the memory of our heroes and hope that their last days, may be as calm and serene as the former ones were stormy. -New Era. 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