Rabbit Death at Manassas July 22, 2016
Author: Beach Combing | in : Modern , trackback
In 1863 some Confederate troops had a horrific experience at Manassas: this is important for understanding the rabbit incident that follows. So steel yourself, reader.
On the morning of July 21, 1863, our regiment, the 5th North Carolina State Troops, under Col. Duncan K. McRae. ordered to double-quick across Bull Run and charge a Battery which had been shelling us for more than twenty four hours. We had not advanced more than a third of the distance when the order came to fall flat on the ground. Our colonel had learned that there were many thousands of Yankees between us and the battery. Young James Manning, of Company C, from Johnson County, stood behind a tree instead of obeying the order. A solid cannon ball weighing twelve pounds cut the tree down and cut him in two. He was the first man of our company killed.
Enter a preacher from left stage, and a very foolish rabbit from the ground.
Many of our men saw this shocking sight, and among them was the captain of a company from Wilson County, a wonderfully good man and a Methodist preacher. During the commotion a rabbit had been frightened out of his hiding place and was running hither and thither and at last jumped with all force against this captain’s side. He whirled over and cried that a ball had killed him and asked his men to send his body home. They told him that nothing had touched him hut a rabbit. This did not convince him, and he did his level best to die anyway. Failing in the effort, he just disappeared, and we never saw him again.
The poor old preacher probably wanted to curl up and die. His achievement though was not forgotten
It was most natural after the war was over, in general conversation at home or in traveling, for the subject of war to come up. In the summer of 1868 I met some very pleasant gentlemen on the train and entered into conversation with them. One of them asked me in what command I had served; and when I told him he asked me if I knew anything of that rabbit scrape up there at Manassas, to which I responded in the affirmative, laughing heartily. He said: ‘Young man. that preacher is still living, but that rabbit affair will live long after he is gone.’
Other rabbit horror stories: drbeachcombing At yahoo DOT com
Source: Confederate veteran (1890), 267
