Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2014 All Rights Reserved USGenNet Data Repository Please read USGenNet Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the USGenNet Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ =========================================================================== Formatted by USGenNet Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== Biographical History of North Carolina, Vol 7 by Samuel A'Court Ashe pub. Charles L. Van Noppen, Greensboro, N.C. - 1908 [pp. 14-17] ISAAC ERWIN AVERY ----------------- COLONEL ISAAC ERWIN AVERY was the son of COLONEL ISAAC T. AVERY, and was born December 20, 1828. He took a regular course at the University of North Carolina, and after leaving college was engaged for several years in supervising a large stock farm owned by his father in Yancey, now Mitchell, County, and in dealing in cattle, as the partner of COLONEL MONTFORD E. STOKES, of Wilkes. He was when the war began a contractor on the Western North Carolina Rail- road, in partnership with COLONEL C. F. FISHER and S. McD. TATE, and had shown himself a most efficient manager of work of that kind. He undertook to raise a company as soon as his friend COLONEL FISHER was appointed by the governor to organize the Sixth North Carolina regiment of state troops to serve for three years or dur- ing the war, and was successful in enlisting, with the assistance of his brother, A. C. AVERY, the largest company in the regiment. While COLONEL AVERY was a patient, amiable and most agreeable man, he believed in discipline, and had the firmness in a quiet way to enforce the strictest obedience to authority and orders. He sustained COLONEL PENDER, who succeeded FISHER, in his efforts to bring the Sixth regiment up to the highest degree of efficiency, and when PENDER was made brigadier-general, just after the battle of Seven Pines, he recommended AVERY to succeed him, having already induced the governor to appoint him, over others who ranked higher, lieutenant-colonel to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of LIGHTFOOT. COLONEL (then captain) AVERY received a slight flesh wound in the charge upon RICKETT'S battery at Manasas, which charge was made upon his suggestion. When it appeared that the battery was silenced and the horses, artillery, and a number of the sup- porting Zouaves had fallen, CAPTAIN AVERY said, "Colonel, let us charge!" COLONEL FISHER said in reply, "That is right, captain," and gave the command to his men, "Charge!" FISHER led, but veered to the left, and fell fifty yards in advance of his line. His regiment drove back the New York Zouaves and captured RICKETT'S battery. COLONEL AVERY was again wounded, more seriously, at Gaines' Farm, in 1862. As senior colonel he was in command of what had been HOKE'S brigade, which was composed of the Sixth, Twenty-first, Fifty-fourth and Fifty-seventh North Carolina regiments, at Gettys- burg. He fell mortally wounded in the advance upon Cemetery Heights late in the afternoon of the second day. CAPTAIN J. A. McPHERSON, first lieutenant and afterward captain of Company E, Sixth North Carolina, who was acting as aide-de-camp to COLONEL AVERY, gives the following account of the movements and conduct of the brigade and the fall of COLONEL AVERY: ". . . The brigade attacked a portion of REYNOLD'S command, en- trenched with a strong wire fence in front of the trenches, and after marching across the open wheat field, they drove REYNOLDS from his position and through the town to the wall on Cemetery Hill . . . "The brigade halted in a wheat field near, and just to the right of Culp House, where it remained all night and until just before sundown on the next day, when it was ordered to move forward with his brigade and attack Cemetery Heights." In this attack COLONEL AVERY led the brigade on horseback, being the only mounted man of the advancing column, until he fell from his horse mortally wounded by a ball which passed through his neck and shoulder. After falling from his horse he took from his pocket and pencil and piece of paper, on which he wrote in indistinct characters with his left hand (his right being paralyzed) the fol- lowing message: "Major: Tell my father I fell with my face to the enemy. I. E. AVERY." "In June, 1896, I visited Gettysburg and located the place where COLONEL AVERY fell, which was marked by order of the commissioners. The brigade moved forward, scaling the heights and occupying the entrenchments of the enemy." (North Carolina Regiments," vol. i., pp. 354, 355.) Of this charge CHIEF JUSTICE CLARK wrote in "Five Points in the Record of North Carolina in the Great War of 1861-65" as follows: "That the soldiers of this State went somewhat farther at Gettysburg than any others in the third day's battle is so suc- cinctly and clearly shown by JUDGE MONTGOMERY and CAPTAIN W. R. BOND in the articles by them that is not necessary to recapitulate. The controverted point . . . was only as to that charge, else we could have referred to the undisputed fact that on the evening of the second day HOKE'S brigade, commanded by COLONEL ISAAC E. AVERY (who lost his life in the assault), together with Louisianians from HAY'S brigade, climbed Cemetery Heights, being farther than any other troops ventured during the three days. The following in- scriptions placed upon tablets, locating the position and stating the services of HOKE'S brigade on the second day and PETTIGREW'S on the third day amply vindicate the justice of our claim. (The tab- lets also record their glorious services on the other days, which are omitted here.) HOKE'S Brigade "Second of July. Skirmished all day and at eight p.m. . . . charged East Cemetery Hill. Severely enfiladed on the left by artillery and musketry, it pushed over the infantry line in front, scaled the hill, planted its colors on the lunettes, and captured several guns. But assailed by fresh forces and having no supports, it was soon compelled to relinquish what it had gained, and with- drew. Its commander, COLONEL ISAAC E. AVERY, was mortally wounded leading the charge." GENERAL EARLY said in his report: "Accordingly, as soon as JOHNSON became warmly engaged, which was a little before dusk, I ordered HAY and AVERY to advance and carry the works on the Heights in front. These troops advanced in gallant style for the attack, passing over the bridge in front of them under a heavy artillery fire, and then, crossing a hollow be- tween that and Cemetery Heights, moved up the hill in the face of at least two lines of infantry posted behind plank and stone fences; but this they drove back, and passing over all obstacles, they reached the crest of the hill and entered the enemy's breast- works, and crossing it, gained the position of one of the batter- ies. But no attack was made on the immediate right, as was ex- pected, and not meeting that support from that quarter, these bri- gades could not hold the positions that they had attained, because the heavy force of the enemy was turned against them from that part of the line, which the divisions on the right were to have attacked, and these two brigades had, therefore, to fall back, which they did with comparatively small loss considering the nature of the ground over which they had passed and the immense odds op- posed to them. ". . . I had to regret the absence of BRIGADIER-GENERAL HOKE, who was severly wounded in the action of May 6th at Fredericksburg and did not recover, but his place was worthily filled by COLONEL AVERY, of the Sixth North Carolina regiment, who fell mortally wounded while leading the charge on Cemetery Hill at Gettysburg on the afternoon of July 2d. In his death the Confederacy lost a brave and good soldier." The body of COLONEL AVERY was brought by his faithful servant, ELIJAH AVERY, in a cart ot Williamsport, where it was buried. But some of the over-zealous Confederates, after the war, had it dis- interred and removed to some Confederate cemetery. His friends have tried in vain to trace the removing party so as to bring his remains to North Carolina for final burial. A. C. AVERY =========================================================================== If you've reached this file through a SEARCH, you can access more of our growing collection of FREE online information by going to the following URL: http://www.us-data.org/ ===========================================================================