One of Alfred Iverson's bitterest enemies was Col. Duncan K. McRae from the 5th North Carolina, who temporarily commanded the brigade after Brig. Gen. Samuel Garland was mortally wounded at South Mountain on Sept. 14, 1862. A letter that was recently posted by Time Ware on his excellent blog "Bloody Prelude: The Battle of South Mountain" clearly shows that McRae's resentment toward Iverson continued unabated well after the war. This item was new to me and provided some valuable insights on the fighting there.
On Aug. 21, 1885, McRae wrote to his former division commander, Daniel Harvey Hill, describing his actions at South Mountain. He briefly outlined the final Federal attack that led to their hurried retreat from the ridgeline they were defending. "By this time the Enemy in very heavy force came on with a yell, surrounding the 23rd Regiment, which was made the more easy by the fact that the 12th broke and fled," McRae explained. "The 20th [Iverson's regiment] made some resistance and gave way fighting and in order, but was obliged to retreat, accompanied by its Colonel and Officers."
McRae argued that the brigade continued to fight for more than two hours under his command after Garland was killed. He further minimized the number of men captured there. Some of his harshest words were aimed at Iverson. McRae insisted that the 20th North Carolina was not surrounded. He noted that the men fled "with some show or order and fight" According to McRae, "Colonel Iverson retreated along with his men, as he did at Sharpsburg, leaving me on the field in both instances."
McRae's resentment over losing the permanent brigade command to Iverson was readily apparent. With some justification, he reported to his former division commander that Iverson had performed so badly that he "was fortunate to secure the promotion."
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