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10 _ Norra Carotina Troops, 1861-65.

off all land communication between Hoke’s Division and Fort
Fisher. This line of works was held by a negro division,
commanded by General Paine and a white brigade under
General Joseph C. Abbott, who afterwards misrepresented
North Carolina in the United States Senate.

At 4 o’clock on the afternoon of the 15th, the skirmishers
of Kirkland’s Brigade, which was on the left of our line,
under command of Lieutenant Lamb, were ordered to drive
back the enemy’s pickets to enable Generals Bragg and Hoke,
to make a reconnoissance of the enemy’s position. The effort )
was only partially successful, owing to several of the enemy’s
ships which were lying close to the shore, having opened a
terrible enfllading fire upon our skirmishers so soon as they
appeared on the open sand beach; but further to the right
where the small undergrowth was some protection, the ene-
my’s skirmish line was driven in and their rifle-pits occu-
pied, giving opportunity for an examination of the enemy’s
position. The writer recalls the calm and heroic bearing of
the modest and gallant Hoke who withdrew from the recon-
noissance with two bullet holes through his coat. For rea-
sons satisfactory, I presume, to General Bragg, no assault
was made, notwithstanding at this moment the enemy had
withdrawn Abbott’s Brigade and a portion of Wright’s negro
Brigade to join in the assaunlt upon Fort Fisher, which was
then in progress.

The troops at the time in our front were all negroes and
did not number more than 2,500, defending a line of a mile
in extent. That evening Fort Fisher after a most gallant de-
fense, surrendered, and the last port of the-Confederacy was
closed. forever.

Several small engagements approaching closely to the dig-
nity of battles followed the fall of Fisher, in all of which the
enemy were repulsed. The rapid advance of Sherman from
the South made the evacuation of Wilmington a mere ques-
tion of time and on 22 February, Kirkland’s Bri-
gade, forming the rear guard of our army, marched sadly
and leisurely through the streets of our “City by the Sea,”
and Wilmington passed under Federal control. Continuing .
our retreat up the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad, the

SEVENTEENTH REGIMENT. 11

army, after crossing the North River, halted for the night.
The enemy’s cavalry pursued up to this point and attempted
by sudden dash to prevent the burning of the bridge over the
railroad. They were promptly encountered by our rear
guard, under the brave Captain C. G. Elliott, and were re-
pulsed, sustaining heavy loss. The next day the march was
resumed and without further fighting the army reached
Goldsboro a few days thereafter.

And now the closing scenes of the bloody drama of the
Civil War was to be enacted upon the soil of North Carolina.
Goldsboro became the objective point of three armies. Sher-
man with 70,000 men was advancing northward. Schofield
with his army corps of 21,000 raised the Federal forces to
30,000 at Wilmington; and Cox’s Division arriving at New
Bern increased Palmer’s command to 15,000. These differ-
ent armies aggregating 115,000 men, if allowed to concen-
trate, would make short work of the Confederate forces whose
total, including the remnant.of Hood’s army, did not reach
40,000 men. The hope of successful resistance was indeed
forlorn and the only chance of any success was to fight these
armies separately. ‘

The column under General Cox advancing from New Bern,
was encountered near Wise’s Fork on the 8th of March, by
Hoke’s Division, reinforced by the Sixty-seventh and Sixty-
eighth North Carolina, and the Junior and Senior reserves.
Leaving, at midnight, their entrenchments along the line of
a creek, Kirkland’s, Hagood’s and Colquitt’s Brigades under
the guide of Colonel Nethereut of the Sixty-sixth North Car-
olina, (who was familiar with the country) found themselves
at, day dawn on the flank and rear of the enemy, and forming
line of battle in echelon of brigades, Kirkland’s leading, burst
upon the surprised enemy and drove them in rapid flight to
the rear, capturing 1,000 prisoners and 4 pieces of artillery.
The enemy had been driven nearly a mile when Palmer’s
Division appeared upon our right flank. The Seventeenth was
on our extreme right and its advance having thus become
arrested immediately changed front to meet the enemy, and
not knowing their force, boldly charged the division and
drove back that part of it in our front, wounding their com-