Mortally wounded,
and was captured.
In speaking of his conduct upon this occasion,
General Early says: ‘
Major-General Ramseur has often proved his courage and his capacity to command, but never did these qualities shine more conspicuous than on the afternoon of the 19th of this month, when, after two divisions on his left had given away and his own was doing the same thing, he rallied a small band, and for one hour and a quarter held in check the enemy, until he was shot down himself.
In endeavoring to stop those who were retiring from the field, I had occasion to point them to the gallant stand made by
Ramseur with his small party, and if his spirit could have animated those who left him thus battling the 19th of October would have had a far different history.
He met the death of a hero,
and with his fall the last hope of saving the day was lost!
General Ramseur was a soldier of whom his State has reason to be proud—he was brave, chivalrous, and capable.’
General Grimes says, in his report of this battle: ‘Up to the hour of 4 P. M. the troops of this division, both officers and men, with a few exceptions, behaved most admirably,
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and were kept well in hand.
But little plundering, and only a few shirking their duty.
After that hour all was confusion and disorder.
The brigade commanders conducted themselves, each and all, with great coolness and judgment, and are deserving of especial mention for using all possible efforts to check their troops, but without success.
The death of the brave and heroic soldier,
General Ramseur, is not only a loss to this division, but to his State and country at large.
No truer and nobler spirit has been sacrificed in this unjust and unholy war.’
Colonel Winston, at the time commanding the Forty-third and Forty-fifth North Carolina regiments, says that ‘only one man of those regiments in passing through the rich spoils of the enemy's camp fell out of ranks, and he did it to get a hat, and was court-martialed.’
And so far as I observed, the charge of
General Early, that the loss of the fruits of our victory in the morning was ascribable to the plundering of the soldiers, is a great injustice.
Certainly it is so as applicable to that large body of North Carolinians who were then in his corps, and who upon this, as upon prior and subsequent occasions, proved themselves to be among the best soldiers in the Army of Northern Virginia.
What
General Lee said in his letter to
General Early, dated September 22, 1864, in regard to his strategy as a separate commander, was clear to all, and in the main led to his want of success.
Lee said: * * ‘As far as I can judge from this distance, you have operated more with your divisions than with your constituted strength.
Circumstances may have rendered it necessary, but such a course is to be avoided if possible.’
When
General Forest was asked the cause of his uniform success, he replied: ‘I get there first with the most men.’
If not classic, this is at least epigrammatic.
We cheerfully accept the well merited tribute
General Early pays the chivalrous and knightly
Ramseur, but it is insisted he is entitled to one still higher.
Instead of fighting with a few hundred men, as
Early elsewhere says, we see him, in the language of
General Grimes, ‘holding his division well in hand,’ officers and men doing their duty faithfully, while the disorder and confusion in other parts of the field hastens the disaster which with troops skillfully handled should not have occurred.
It will be asked if the criticisms of
Early's valley campaign are just, why did not
General Lee remove him?
There are several good reasons why
General Lee should have been slow to pursue such a course.
Early was a man of superior intelligence, he was earnest in
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the cause, and as a brigadier and division commander a hard fighter and successful officer.
There is, however, a marked difference between a chief and subordinate commander, and
Lee had never known him otherwise than as a subordinate.
It is true that
Lee was finally compelled to remove him, and we may presume it was his reluctance to wound that caused him to unwillingly take the step which soon became necessary.
This forbearance was in keeping with
Lee's general character, as known to those who served under him. It is so well expressed by
Colonel W. H. Taylor of his staff, in his book entitled ‘Four Years with
General Lee,’ that we can but quote from him. He says:
If it shall be the verdict of posterity that General Lee in any respect fell short of perfection as a military leader it may perhaps be claimed: First, that he was too careful of the personal feelings of his subordinate commanders, too fearful of wounding their pride, and too solicitous of their reputation.
Probably it was this that caused him sometimes to continue in command those of whose personal fitness for their position he was not convinced, and often avowedly or tacitly assumed responsibility for mishaps clearly attributable to the inefficiency, neglect or carelessness of others.
Through the courtesy of the family of
General Ramseur, I am placed in the possession of a personal letter from
R. R. Hutchinson, an able and accomplished officer, who before the
battle of Cedar Creek had long served as major and acting adjutant-general to the division.
Major Hutchinson was with
General Ramseur when he received his fatal wound, was captured while endeavoring to remove him from the field, and by his bedside during his last moments.
His account of the sad occasion is so vivid and touching that no apology is deemed due for introducing his letter in this monograph:
dear
Madam: I do not know how to write to you; how to express my deep sympathy in your grievous affliction; but the
Christian soldier who has gone before us to that other world has asked me to do it, and I must not shrink from the performance of this duty, however painful.
I am writing by the side of him whose last thought was of you and his God, his country and his duty.
He died this day at twenty-seven minutes past 10 o'clock A. M., and
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had at least the consolation of having by his side some who wore the same uniform and served in the same holy cause as himself.
His last moments were peaceful; his wounds were painful, but his hope in
Christ led him to endure
all patiently.
He received his mortal wound yesterday afternoon (October 19th) between the hours of 5 and 6 P. M. at the post of honor and of danger, where he always was. Our troops had fallen back a short distance but had reformed, and were stubbornly contesting a position on a hill which the enemy attacked from three sides.
He exposed himself to every shot, cheering and encouraging all. I was not far from him when I saw his horse shot; he procured another, which was shot also, and immediately after he received his fatal wound (the second), all in the space of a very few minutes.
I ran over to him, got some men, and bore him to the rear, your brother joining us on the way. I then went off after an ambulance, found it, but saw on returning with it that he had been left, as I thought, in the enemy's lines.
This fear was soon after dissipated, however, by seeing him on
Captain Randolph's horse, the captain running along side and supporting him. We got him then to the ambulance I had brought up. I thought he was safe then, not knowing how dangerous was his wound, and remained with the rear guard.
When I was subsequently captured by the enemy's cavalry, I was carried to
General Sheridan's headquarters, and learning that
General Ramseur had been captured, asked and obtained permission to remain with him. The road had been blocked up by wagons, causing a delay, that gave the enemy time to get up and take him prisoner, just south of
Strasburg.
Many of his former friends (West Pointers) called to see him yesterday and to-day, and offered every assistance in their power,
General Sheridan among the number.
He was taken to
General Sheridan's headquarters and made as comfortable as circumstances would permit.
Dr. James Gillespie (
Cutshaw's battalion of artillery), a Confederate surgeon, assisted by the enemy's surgeons, attended to him and did all that could be done under the circumstances.
He suffered a good deal from his wound, the ball having entered his right side, penetrating the right and left lung, and lodging near the left side.
But the end was peaceful and quiet.
He spoke continually of you, and sent very many messages to his family, but above all, to his wife.
He told the ambulance driver to tell
General Hoke that he “died a Christian and had done his duty.”
He told me to “give his love and send some of his hair to his darling wife” ; and often wished he could “see his
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wife and little child before he died.”
He told me to tell you he had a “firm hope in
Christ, and hoped to meet you hereafter.”
He died as became a Confederate soldier and a firm believer.
I inclose the lock of hair he desired sent you.
Respectfully,
