The Sixty-Sixth Regiment of
North Carolina
Troops was organized at Winston, N. C.,
in
August, 1863, by General James G.
Martin, at that
time commanding the District of North
Carolina, by combining the Eighth
Battalion of
Partisan Rangers, consisting of six
companies, which. had done faithful and
gallant
service in the eastern part of the State
as an
independent command under Major J. E.
Nethercutt,
and which had for more than a year
been of great service to the army in
that portion of
North Carolina, doing scouting and
outpost service, almost every man in the
battalion
being from that section of the State and
perfectly familiar with the character of
the country
and the positions occupied by the enemy,
and the Fourth Battalion of four
companies which had
been doing service as bridge guards
and, also, doing scouting service under
the command
of Major Clement G. Wright, of
Cumberland county.
Upon the organization of these ten
companies
into the Sixty-Sixth Regiment, A. Duncan
Moore, who commanded a battery of light
infantry
from Wilmington, then stationed at or
near
Kinston, was made its Colonel. Colonel
Moore was a
brilliant young officer who had been at
the West Point Military Academy and was
an officer
of remarkable appearance and soldierly
bearing. J. E. Nethercutt was made
Lieutenant
Colonel, and Clement G. Wright was
appointed Major of the Regiment. W. G.
Williams
Adjutant and J. H. Kinyoun,
Surgeon.
COMPANY A -- Was largely from
Orange county,
and was commanded by Joseph W.
Latta,
Captain;. Albert C. Faucett, First
Lieutenant; James
G. Latta and J. C. Lynch, Second
Lieutenants.
COMPANY B -- Was mostly from the
counties of
Nash and Franklin, and at the time of
the
organization of the regiment W. S.
Mitchell was its
Captain; W. A. Moore, First Lieutenant;
D.
N. Sills and J. B. Bunting, Jr., Second
Lielltenants.
COMPANY C
-- Captain, David S. Davis; First
Lieutenant,
R. E. Davis; Second
Lieutenants,
James Williams, Jr., and Jesse Holland.
This company
was from the counties of Wayne and
Lenoir.
COMPANY D -- W. T. Robinson,
Captain; T. H.
Kerney, First Lieutenant; W. A.
W. Askew
and Lewis Bynum, Second Lieutenants.
This company
was from the counties of Jones and
Lenoir.
COMPANY E -- Steven S. Quinnerly,
Captain; I.
K. Witherington, First Lieutenant; W. M.
Dennis and John Hall, Second
Lieutenants. This
company was from the counties of Lenoir
and Carteret.
COMPANY F -- Willis J. Raspberry,
Captain;
Chris. D. Foy, First Lieutenant; Frank
Foy and
S. Sidney Carter, Second Lieutenants.
This company
was from Jones and Lenoir.
COMPANY G -- E. B. Blackmer,
Captain; W. J.
Williams, First Lieutenant; W.
C. Brandon
and J. W. Walker, Second Lieutenants.
This company
was from Lenoir county,
largely.
COMPANY H. -- James G. Davis,
Captain; Willis
W. Cherry, First Lieutenant;
Robert J.
Swinson and Edward Williamson, Second
Lieutenants.
This company was from Duplin and
Onslow counties.
COMPANY I -- Jesse P. Williams,
Captain;
Josiah W. Smith, First Lieutenant;
Silas W.
Venters and Luby Harper, Second
Lieutenants. This
company was largely from Wayne,
Onslow and Jones counties.
COMPANY K -- John P. Sykes,
Captain; Alvin
Bagley, First Lieutenant; D. J.
Knowles,
Second Lieutenant. This company was
largely from
Wayne and New Hanover counties.
The appointment of Colonel Moore
caused, at the
time, some friction among the officers,
as he was unknown to allof them, but he
had not been
long in the regiment before they
recognized him as a good soldier, a fine
disciplinarian and as brave an officer
as ever
fought
for the cause of his country, and after
they had
witnessed his conspicuous courage,
before
his death in Virginia shortly
afterwards, he became
the idol of his
regiment.
IN EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA
Shortly after its organization, the
Regiment was
ordered to Wilmington, where it remained
some time around the city, doing light
picket duty
and perfecting the officers and men in
drill, and in fitting them for the
arduous and
dangerous duties which they were very
soon to
assume.
In the latter part of March,
1864, the
Regiment was ordered to Weldon and from
there to Plymouth ; remaining at the
latter place
about two or three weeks. It was then
ordered to Tarboro, by way of
Washington, and thence
to Virginia, reaching Petersburg about
12 May, 1864, and was immediately
assigned to picket
duty beyond that City, and on
13 and 16 May it was first exposed, as a
Regiment,
to fire, at Port Walthal Junction, where
the Regiment, or part thereof, was sent
forward to
dislodge one or two pieces of artillery
which was doing effective service for
the enemy upon
our lines. The Regiment acted
gallantly in its first "baptism of fire"
as an
organized regiment. That portion of it
which had
belonged to Nethercutt's Rangers had
long since
heard the sound of "shot and shell" and
knew the dangers of a soldier's life,
but this was
the first occasion on wwhich the
regiment, as
such, had taken part in battle, and its
gallantry
was conspicuous and favorably commented
upon by commanding officers.
PETERSBURG
Upon its arrival at. Petersburg, it was assigned to Kirkland's Brigade, Hoke's
Division, and ever afterwards formed a part of the division so long commanded
by that heroic soldier and remained a part of his division until the final roll
was called.
After this fight, the regiment was ordered back to Petersburg, and the next
day took part in the engagement at Bermuda Hundreds, on the north side of the
James. Here it was engaged through three days with heavy skirmishing with the
enemy; the third day of which the enemy was driven to its fortifications, with
heavy loss in killed and wounded. The loss to the regiment was also heavy. Having
repulsed the force with which it was engaged, temporary fortifications were
then thrown up, the men using bayonets, tin plates and anything available and
which they could put to immediate use. The enemy soon advanced again in heavy
force and the charge made by them proved little better then a slaughter pen
for them. Lieutenant Davis, of Company C, was disabled while assisting in getting
a piece of artillery into position, and was so badly wounded that he was never
afterwards able to return to the service.
The regiment remained here and near Bermuda Hundreds until about 1 June, picketing
and skirmishing almost every day, Hoke's Division having been ordered to reinforce
Lee's army, which had just engaged in the battles of the Wilderness and Spottsylvania,
it marched to form this junction, and on 1 June reached the bloody field of
Cold Harbor in time to take a very memorable part in that battle. On the first
day of that fight, the enemy charged our front with three columns, but in a
few moments the ground was covered with their dead and wounded, and the few
survivors falling back to the woods, could not be forced to the front any more
on that day.
In the series of fights which ended on 3 June, Colonel A. D. Moore was mortally
wounded by a ball striking him in the neck and he died in a very few minutes
thereafter. The writer of this sketch did not have the pleasure of knowing Colonel
Moore personally, as he was not assigned to the regiment until after he had
given up his life to the cause, but so long as he remained with the regiment,
and he did so until it was finally disbanded, the memory of his heroic courage
was ever present to the officers and men of his command, and oftimes has he
heard them comment upon his gallantry and the soldierly qualities he had always
exhibited the short time it was given him to command the regiment.
Upon his death, Lieutenant-Colonel J. E. Nethercutt became Colonel of the regiment;
Clement G. Wright, Lieutenant-Colonel; and David S. Davis, Captain of Company
C, was promoted to Major, their commissions bearing date 3 June, 1864, the day
of the memorable battle of Second Cold Harbor.
The regiment, with Hoke's Division, remained in the neighborhood of the battlefield
some ten or twelve days, exposed to the sharpshooters and mortar shells of the
enemy, but on the 14th was ordered with the rest of Hoke's Division back to
Petersburg. The regiment arrived there two days afterwards, about the 16th,
after a hurried march to get ahead of the enemy. When the division reached Petersburg,
late at night, it found the army of General Grant had gotten in possession of
the outer works before the division could get there; but we immediately went
to work and established another line as best We could in the dark.
16 MAY, 1864
The next morning the enemy came on in force; our pickets were driven in, and
the line assaulted and hardly pressed. The assault on the right wing was made
in such force and pressed so far back that it was necessary for a part of the
line to retire and a break was made, but the division was ordered to assist
in driving the enemy out of the breach which had been made, and it was quickly
done and the line reestablished. Here the troops entrenched themselves and remained
for some considerable time, exposed to hardships and privations common at that
time to the whole army in front of Petersburg. The troops virtually lived under
ground, and it was dangerous for a person's head at any time to be exposed,
so near together were the two lines, in some places hardly more than a hundred
yards apart. AII cooking had to be done in the rear or in trenches; and all
rations brought to the officers from their messes had to be brought in the night
time. The soldiers frequently, as a matter of amusement, would place their hats
on the end of their bayonets or ramrods and raise them a little above the top
of the ground and in a few minutes the would be perforated with bullets from
the Yankee sharpshooters; and woe to the man who exposed himself within range
or within sight of one of those sharpshooters. The picket lines of the two armies
were within speaking distance of each other, and frequent conversations were
had between them when the officers would permit it to be done; and at all times,
both day and night, solid shot or mortar shells fell in the midst of our line.
Here both armies settled for the rest of the summer, and the regiment remained
on Mortar Hill and near the memorable crater, until the latter part of August,
when it was moved to the right of Petersburg, where it remained until about
29 or 30 September, when Hoke's Division took up its line of march back to Richmond
and down the river to take part in the memorable fight of Fort Harrison. The
brigade to which the Sixty-sixth was attached was not actually engaged in that
fight, but remained in supporting distance and was ready, if it had been ordered
so to do, to take part in the assault.
Upon the resignation of W. G. Williams, who was Adjutant of the regiment up
to that time, the writer, who had been a cadet at The Virginia Military Institute,
and who had recently been appointed First Lieutenant in the regular Confederate
Army, was assigned to duty as adjutant of this regiment. The facts given above
were related to him by the officers with whom he was associated ever afterwards
in the regiment until the surrender it or near High Point It is to be regretted
that some one who was familiar with the gallant part the regiment took up to
that time in the battles around Petersburg and Richmond, had not been selected
to do full justice to the gallant officers and men of this regiment than whom
there were no better in the Confederate Army. He has no personal knowledge,
and has only gathered these tales and facts from the records or traditions in
the regiment at the time of his assignment to it, and from facts gathered since
he was called upon to write a sketch of this regiment. He joined the troops
while in winter quarters on the Darbytown road in September, 1864, and from
that day until 2 May, 1865, was with the command the whole time, not being absent
a single day, and the facts given hereafter in the sketch are of his own knowledge,
and the matters are known to him.
NORTH OF THE JAMES
Hoke's Division after the battle of
Fort Harrison,
was kept on the north side of the James,
between what is known as the Darbytown
and the
Charles City roads, and was left there
for
the purpose of watching the movements of
Grant on
that side of the river and for the
purpose
of holding a considerable part of his
command there,
and preventing it from taking part in
the
siege of Petersburg. It was assigned to
the work of
throwing up breastworks, strengthening
the approaches, occasionally making
demonstrations
upon the enemy and repelling assaults
upon our line, though no very serious
action took
place while occupying this position. The
division was composed of the brigades of
Colquitt,
Clingman, Haygood and Kirkland, the
Sixty-sixth being part of Kirkland's
Brigade.
New and comfortable winter quarters
had been
built; the line had been greatly
strengthened;
abatis had been placed in front of the
breastworks, and the men were not only
ready, but
anxious for an attack to be made upon
them. Several demonstrations were made
and easily
and gallantly repulsed.
While
occupying these lines in November, 1864,
word
frequently came that our division was to
he
ordered to North Carolina. Whenever it
became the
duty, as was often the case, of the
officers to wake up the men at the sound
of the long
roll in the night time and an order was
given to prepare rations for three days,
word would
be given out along the line that we were
going to North Carolina. A shout along
the whole
line would be raised and Gaston's grand
old
song, "Tbe Old North State," could be
heard from
every North Carolina mouth in that
division. On more than one occasion,
however,
instead of going to North Carolina as a
division, the order was given to
"Unsling knapsacks
and go over the breastworks" upon some
demonstration, or to engage in some
skirmish to
direct Grant's attention in that
direction.
On 27 October, or about that time, a
strong
demonstration was made against us, and
with a
shout and a cheer the enemy were easily
repulsed,
leaving a arge number of dead and
wounded in our front, and not a man in
our whole
line hurt.
RETURN TO NORTH CAROLINA
On 22 December, howeer, an order came in the night time arousing the division
for the purpose, really, this time, of going to North Carolina Hoke's Division
having been ordered to Wilmington.
The Sixty-sixth Regiment broke camp on the morning of 22 December, marched to
Richmond and crossed the river to Manchester where it remained several hours
in the snow and sleet waiting for transportation to Danville. We were placed
on and in box cars and flat cars, and the train made its way slowly from Richmond
to Danville amid snow, sleet and rain, and the severest bitter cold we had ever
experienced. There was no opportunity to have fires, no way to keep ourselves
warm and the train worked its way along, the men frequently having to get off
and run alongside of it to keep themselves warm, and to fill the tender with
water, by buckets, from the mud holes on the side of the track, and to gather
wood to keep the fire in the engine burning. In this way we reached Danville
about 23 December, and made our way to Greensboro with such transportation as
we could get and there took the train for Wilmington. The Colonel of the regiment
noting the suffering of his men, telegraphed to the Governor at Raleigh that
it was necessary that some stimulant should be furnished his troops for them
to stand the bitter cold, and when the regiment reached the city of Rraleigh,
it found on the old depot a barrel of corn, persimmon or some other sort of
"juice" ready for their consumption. It also found that the Iegislature of North
Carolina had just adjourned, and some of the members were at the depot waiting
for transportation home and were willing to take any means of conveyance that
vvas furnished than. The soldiers very soon left nothing in the barrel but "an
empty sound," and a more jolly crowd from there to Goldsboro, along with the
members of the legislature, was never seen in North Carolina, I expect, before
nor since. The "Solons" did not seem to appreciate their surroundings, and the
men had their fun with them. On reaching Goldsboro the train was boarded for
Wilmington, and all along the line from Goldsboro to Wilmington, especially
at Magnolia and Mt Olive, the ladies hearing of our coming, had such provisions
as they could spare from their scanty store to give to the regiment as it passed
by, the Sixty-sixth being on the foremost train and getting the best share of
all that was prepared for us.
WILMINGTON
Our regiment reached Wilmington during the night of the 24th, and on the morning
of the 25th, Christmas day, took up its weary march along the sandy road below
Wilmington in the direction of Sugar Loaf Hill. As it went along and drew nearer
and nearer to Fort Fisher, the sound of the shelling from the gunboats assembled
there could be more and more distinctly heard, and as we reached a point just
below Sugar Loaf Hill and near where "Carolina Beach" now is, the shelling from
the gunboats became terrific, but as it was impossible to land troops with transports
and keep up the shelling at the same time, we were very soon engaged in quite
a strong skirmish with those of the enemy who had landed and were about to land
and they were soon driven back. Immediately after this first shelling was over,
the division commenced to build a line of breastworks from the top of Sugar
Loaf Hill diagonally across the strip of land between it and the ocean and in
the direction of a battery which was located on the beach.
Here we remained for some days, throwing up the fortifications which we made
strong and, to us, seemed impregnable for any land attack that could be made
by land forces; but we were not long allowed to remain. General Bragg having
been assigned to the command in that locality, we were ordered back to Wilmington
and went into camp a mile or two east of Wilmington for the purpose of holding
a grand review.
WHY FORT FISHER FELL
We remained in that camp some days, and while on review the enemy again made
his appearance in front of Fort Fisher; this time not in command of "Beast Butler,"
but General Terry. We were ordered back to our old line, but before we wee able
to make the weary march from Wilmington down, the enemy had succeeded in making
a lodgment upon the shorn, and had thrown up a line of breast works which General
Hoke considered it was impracticable for his men to attack, as his division
would be exposed to an enfilade fire from the enemy's gunboats. It has always
been the opinion of most of the officers connected with Hoke's Division, so
far as I have been able to ascertain those opinions, that if his division had
been allowed to remain at Sugar Loaf and not have been carried to Wilmington
1or the purposes of review, that the troops of the enemy could never have made
a landing and Fort Fisher would never have fallen into their hands. It is well
known that it fell by reason of the land attack and not by reason of the fire
from the gunboats. If Hoke's division had been where, it seemed to the officers,
it ought to have been, this landing of troops could never have been made and
there never would have been a land attack upon Fort Fisher. It is useless, however,
to speculate upon what might have been and what might not have been, under such
circumstances. General Sherman was going in are direction of the centre of North
Carolina and if he had kept on his march, his army would have been in the rear
of Fisher and it would necessarily have been abandoned any way, but we would
have been saved the loss of the gallant soldiers who met their death at Fisher
and would have been spared the humiliation of having had that fort, even after
a gallant defense, taken from us.
On the night after its fall, the scene was brilliant; rockets and Roman candles
were thrown in every direction from the gunboats in the front, and the soldiers
of Hoke's Division had to grind their teeth and hear the humiliation of not
having "been there" to prevent the fall of Fisher, and to listen in silence
to the shouts and huzzas of the enemy over their victory.
The division, after the fall of Fort Fisher, remained on the Sugar Loaf lines,
strengthening the same, living amidst sand and dust and on unsifted corn meal
and spoiled Nassau bacon until life became almost unendurable, but the spirit
of the troops never flagged; they were always willing to do their full duty,
and always glad to see the enemy in their front. Almost every day there would
be fighting upon the skirmish line; and sometime in February, I do not now know
the date, an attack in considerable force eras made upon us by a negro regiment
in command of white officers. The fact of seeing those negro troops in front
of us exasperated the men and they fought with great gallantry and easily repulsed
the attack made upon us. While here, almost every day the gunboats of the enemy
were shelling our line, and we could see the shells about the size of file hoop
of a barrel, as they left the mouth of the cannon on the gunboat and came bouncing
over the water toward our lines. The men exposed themselves frequently in claiming
the parts of the shells when they had burst, so as to make rings and other ornaments
out of the brass parts connected therewith. As soon as the missile burst you
would see men running in every direction toward the place for the purpose of
finding the broken parts. We here buried ourselves literally under the ground,
and the shelling had little or no effect upon us.
About 18 February, the division received orders to move back to Wilmington.
This we did, and occupied for a day or so a line much nearer to Wilmington -
the breastworks of which can now he seen on riding from Wilmington to the beach
on the Seacoast Railroad. About the 21st or 22d, the regiment marched to Wilmington,
disheartened and dispirited because we were falling back and leaving our "City
by the Sea" unprotected and unguarded.
RETREAT FROM WILMINGTON
The enemy were rapidly pressing us, and we fell back across the North East river
over a pontoon bridge below the railroad bridge, and had scarcely gotten a skirmish
line out before the enemy appeared upon the opposite side of the river. The
main part of the division had fallen back and established a line on the edge
of the sand hills, back of the swamps, but a good strong force was left at the
public road crossing and at the railroad bridge. Very soon the enemy, supposing
that no troops bad been left at all upon the north bank of the river, came sown
to the water's edge for the purpose of getting water, with torches and other
lights in their hands, and some of their cavalry which was in force on their
side of the river appeared on the banks. All at once the sharpshooters on our
side opened fire upon them with deadly effect and they soon scattered back to
the rear. We were falling back, but the men were cool and deliberate, not hurried
at all in their marching and ready at all times to face about and meet the foe.
The Sixty-sixth Regiment, part of the time, acted as rear guard of the division
and did its full duty in retarding the approach of the enemy's cavalry.
We remained a short time near Northeast river, when we fell back toward Goldsboro
and stopped at what was then called "Duplin Cross Roads." Here we remained some
days, the division expecting, during its stay here, to receive orders to march
to Fayetteville for the purpose of joining General Hardee's army and impeding
the army of Sherman in his march northward. But these orders never came, and
the division u as ordered to Kinston to meet the army of General Schofield,
who was moving from New Bern to join forces with General Sherman.
While at Duplin Cross Roads, Lieutenant-Colonel C. G. Wright was taken sick
and sent to his home in Greenshoro, where he died about the 13th of the month,
and Major D. S. Davis was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel in his stead, and captain
W. P. Robinson was recommended for Major.
BATTLE OF SOUTH WEST CREEK
We arrived at Kinston on 7 March, and immediately crossed the Neuse river and
took position on the railroad some two or three miles below. On 8 March a flank
movement was made by Hoke's Division to our right and around the left of the
enemy's forces, near Cobb's Mill. We took them completely by surprise, and after
a gallant attack We effectually routed them, capturing a large number of prisoners
and inflicting a great loss upon them. After having driven the troops back upon
their lines, we faced about and started to make another attack upon them oven
the same ground from which we had shortly before routed them. The field was
covered with dead and dying, broken guns, empty saddles, dismantled caissons
and artillery and cavalry horses in great numbers. The field officers were afoot,
the regiment being commanded by Major Davis, Colonel Nethercutt during this
fight, being familiar with the ground, acting as Chief on General Hoke's staff.
Seeing two fine looking black horses standing side by side, the commanding officer,
Major Davis, and the writer left the line and ran with all their might to capture
these horses, and imagine their surprise to find that their ham-strings had
been cut and the animals could not move out of their tracks. Some very fine
horses, however, were obtained by some of the more fortunate ones.
On 9 March a similar attempt was made upon the left flank, but for some reason
it was not carried out; I suppose, because the situation of the country would
not permit of it. We, therefore, retired at night to our old position in the
line near the railroad and slept comfortably, dreaming of what would be before
us on the morrow.
On the 10th another attack was mode upon the enemy's left flank, at or near
Wise's Fork. For some reason our lines were not extended sufficiently far to
our right end his left, and an order was given too soon to charge the enemy's
line, and when the charge was made we found that the enemy had prepared for
us with his breastworks facing both ways, and the same protected by small pines,
which had been cut down, lapped over each other and their limbs trimmed and
pointing in our direction. When the Sixty-sixth was within about fifty yards
of the enemy, it was ordered to lie down to protect itself from the galling
fire from the breastworks. The troops on the left of our line did not seem to
take in the situation, and did not come to our support, and we were compelled
to fall back, leaving a large number of the men of the regiment dead and dying
on the field. How many were killed or how many were taken prisoners, we were
never able to find out. We only know that at least one-half of the regiment
was left upon that fold, and the balance of it, under the command of Major Davis,
was cut off from the rest of the army and was in the rear of tile enemy's position.
But for his knowledge of the line and the knowledge of others who were with
us, we would evidently have been captured. However, by taking the swamps and
by-paths we avoided meeting any considerable armed force of the foe, and late
in the night made our way back to Kinston, to which place the army
had retired.
BENTONVILLE
On the next day we took up our march for Goldsboro and to Bentonville, crossing
the Neuse river near Smithfield. Here we joined General Stewart's Corps in the
Army of the West, and took part in the memorable three days' fight at Bentonville,
19-21 March, 1865, the last well organized and well fought battle of the war
in North Carolina.
This fight commenced I9 March near the little village of Bentonville. Kirkland's
Brigade was well to the front, with its right resting upon a road that ran along
the edge of a field, in which was situated a large white house, that was occupied
by the sharpshooter of the enemy. This line was rather a crooked one, the Sixty-sixth
Regiment being the farthest to the front, at the point of a bow. Here a very
severe attack was made upon us in which we lost a number of men, among others
the gallant Council Wooten, a young man from near Kinston, who was killed suddenly
while bravely and defiantly waving the colors of the regiment in front of the
enemy. The sharpshooters of General Sherman's army located in the trees got
in their best work. and many a gallant soldier fell during the 19th and 20th
from well directed shots of these sharpshooters. On the 20th it became necessary
for Kirkland's Brigade to straighten its line and while in the act of so doing,
a very severe attack was made by a Pennsylvania division. The men of Kirkland's
Brigade were engaged in rolling together logs and making such defenses as they
could when the attack was made upon us. The men were ordered to lie down behind
such obstructions as they could find, and to wait the order to fire until the
advance came very near to them. When the enemy got within, say 1OO yards, the
order was given to fire; the men immediately raised upon their knees and fired
a volley full in front of the advancing foe. Their ranks were mowed down like
wheat before the scythe, and the attack was repulsed with great loss to the
attacking division. Just at this moment an order was given by the commanding
officer, Major Davis, to the writer, who was standing near him, to take the
picket line to the front, the commanding officer of the picket line having been
killed. When the line went forward, the whole front was covered with the dead
and dying, and showed the effect of troops obeying the commands of their officers,
to shoot low and wait until the enemy was near upon them.
Just at this time, it is said, that General Joseph E. Johnston paid a very high
compliment to the troops of Hoke's Division, and Kirkland's Brigade in particular.
General Johnston was lying somewhere in the rear, resting after his arduous
labors of the three days, when some aide, riding rapidly up, said: "General,
they are attacking Kirkland's Brigade." The General quietly rolled over on his
pallet and said: "Let them attack. I know of no brigade in the Southern Army
I would sooner they would attack."
During the three days' fight at Bentonville, Major Davis was commanding the
regiment, Colonel Nethercutt having been assigned to the command of the brigade
of Junior Reserves, which took so gallant a part in that fight.
On the 21st, General Sherman's army having been only slightly impeded in its
march toward Goldsboro, made a flank movement in the rear of General Johnston's
army, which necessitated its falling back during the night across the creek
near which the little town of Bentonville was located. After we crossed the
creek the enemy appeared in quite a force on the opposite side of the creek
and some little skirmishing took place, but no actual harm was done.
They shortly vanished from our front. and our army quietly retired through Smithfield
to a camp on the line of the railroad, near where Selma now is, and that was
the last armed force that we saw in our front during the war.
THE LAST RETREAT.
We remained at this camp some few days, and on 10 April wearily took up our
line of march from there through Raleigh, Haw River, near Greensboro, and to
Bush Hill near High Point.
After the division had arrived at a place near Center church, some eight or
ten miles from Greensboro, the armistice of ten days had been agreed upon between
General Sherman and General Johnston, and the officers and men saw that the
end was not far. Word came to them about this time that General Lee had surrendered
at Appomattox, and hundreds of both officers and men did not desire to suffer
the humiliation of surrender; they, therefore, left in large numbers during
these ten days, knowing that they had fought a good fight, they had kept the
faith, and they now desired not to suffer the humiliation of surrender. A part
of the regiment, however, after the order to march was given, left Center church
and marched to Bush Hill, where on 2 May, 1865, the weary remnant of this regiment,
which started out 1,100 strong, now reduced by death, sickness and capture to
less than a hundred, signed their paroles and scattered to their various homes.
During the time the regiment was engaged in service many changes had taken piece
among the rank and file; many had fallen in battle; a record had been made for
the regiment which was imperishable; its field officers had changed; its company
officers had been killed and captured; and now the flag which had waved over
them so long in glory and triumph, had gone down in blood and tears, but, thank
God, it had gone down amidst gloom and defeat as pure, as bright, as untarnished
in that last decline as when the first ray of morning light proclaimed its rising
dawn.
It would be impossible for me to give the times and places where the officers
and men were killed and captured, or even to enumerate their names or to refer
to their bravery. Where all did so well, it is needless to particularize. Sufficeth
to say, that all did the best they could; their cause was lost, and the only
duty that now remained to them was to return to their homes and attempt to build
up the shattered fortunes of themselves and rehabilitate their State.
I know, in conclusion, that I have given but a very imperfect sketch of the
part that this gallant regiment took in the war between the States, but when
it is recalled that every field officer, but one, has passed away, and that
all the company officers, so far as I am now able to find out, except five,
have also "crossed over the river," and I have been unable to see or communicate
with those left behind, I feel that I have done the best I could.
For the change in the Company Officers, reference is made to Moore's Roster
of North Carolina Troops, Vol. IV, p.107-132.
Geo. M. Rose.
FAYETTEVILLE, N. C.,
26 April, 1901.
