142 Nortu Carortina Troops, 1861-’65.

line broken. 20 September engaged the enemy at Fisher’s
Hill, where our entire command was driven back in great
confusion; our division, in this retreat, again bringing up
the rear. This regiment, in retreating column, fought the
enemy several days, the enemy pressing us with great vigor
all the time. In this retreat, the men suffered great fatigue,

being poorly fed and clad, and miserably shod. They had

no change of clothes for weeks.
THE ENEMY SURPRISED.

19 October, 1864, early in the morning, under cover of
darkness and fog, we succeeded in surprising the enemy, and
in turning his left flank, capturing many pieces of artillery
and many prisoners. The enemy fell back in great confu-
sion, with heavy loss, but being heavily re-enforced, rallied,
and in turn assumed the offensive, and with overwhelming
numbers made a most furious assault on the two divisions on
our left, crushing them in detail. Our division looked help-

lessly on the terrible struggle—having all that we could at-
tend to in our own front.

A TRYING ORDEAL.

During this battle, occurred one of the most trying ordeals
of the writer’s life. We were moving on the enemy, when
the writer met his brother, Captain T. B. Beall, of the Four-
teenth North Carolina Regiment, coming out desperately
wounded through the lung, the blood spurting from his breast.
There wasn’t time to give him a word of sympathy, much less
attention, leaving him as I then thought for the last time in
this world. He had the good fortune soon after, to meet with
an ambulance, which took him and the gallant Lieutenant W.
G. Foy, of the Twenty-first North Carolina Regiment, who
was also desperately wounded, to the field hospital. They
received immediate attention, and both finally recovered, but

were left more or less disabled for life. In this battle fell the
lamented Ramseur,

Twenty-First REGIMENT.

PRIVATE JOHNSON’S HEROIC DEED.

Here I wish to relate the heroic deed of Private Johnson,
(ambulance driver). General Ramseur was seen to fall, and
Johnson was ordered by Major Pfohl to go after him, which
he did under a terrific fire. He succeeded in getting him,
but was overtaken and captured on the retreat. General Pe-
gram seeing that the day was lost to the Confederates, ordered
the division to fall back, saying: “Men, you must do this in
order—firing as you retreat, for your own and the army’s
safety demand it.” Never was greater heroism displayed by
both men and officers than in this terrible retreat. Then the
enemy, maddened by recent defeat, and flushed with sudden
victory, with their whole line made a furious assault upon
our discomfited line, which was driven back in great confu-
sion. In our futile efforts to stem the tide of battle that
threatened to overwhelm us, we lost many brave officers and
men. Among the killed was the heroic Pfohl, commander of
the regiment. No man ever exhibited in such a time greater
coolness, skill and bravery, which excited the admiration of
his men. In this fight near Strasburg, Va., ended our last
attempt to invade the North by way of the Shenandoah. Af-
ter this battle, the writer assumed command of the regiment,
which he had the honor to hold until 24 March, 1865, when
he was severely wounded at Petersburg in an assault on the

enemy’s lines.

AT PETERSBURG.

The command was then sent to Petersburg, went into
-winter quarters on Hatcher’s Run, where it remained all win-
ter, doing very fatiguing picket duty. 16 February, 1865,
the regiment engaged the enemy in a very fierce combat on
Hatcher’s Run. It was here Captain Byrd Snow fell mortally
wounded. He was in command of the regiment during this
fight, as brave and true a soldier as ever drew sword in his
country’s honor. 24 March, 1865, this regiment, the ad-
vance of the assaulting column, successfully charged the en-
emy’s works between Fort Steadman and Battery No. 10.
Then turning right and left, captured several pieces of ar-