Ra!
Hitt
San

ee

NortH Carorina Troops, 1861-65.

“They foiled the wily Roseerans,
Neath Floyd and General Lee,
And bore their part in Richmond fights
With Ransom and Huger.
That bloody charge, which cost so dear,
At Malvern Hill they led.
And in the foremost rank they left,
Their brave and honored dead.

Upon Potomac’s famous banks,

Again their banners flew,
In Sharpsburg’s fight they won a place

And stoutly held it'too. ’
The gallant Louisiana Tenth

Which fought with them on Malvern Hill,
Here again beside them stood,

And cheered them with good will.

‘“‘And when their General saw them charge,
His eyes with tears ran o’er,

‘God bless the gallant boys,’ he cried,
‘T’ll ne’er curse them more.’ ”

On the following day we remained in line, but that night
Wwe were again on the march, with orders to follow our file
leader and ask no questions; daylight the next morning once
more finding us across the Potomac, near Shepherdstown.

We then went on to Martinsburg, and on to near Win-
chester, Va., where we went into camp for about ten days.
From here we were ordered to Culpepper and Madison Court
House, whence in the latter part of November we marched
to Fredericksburg where we occupied a very important posi-
tion. On the famous Marye’s Heights, 18: December, the
Twenty-fourth Regiment suffered severely, losing many
men and several valuable officers. It was here that Lieuten-
ant London Browne, of Company E, was mortally wounded
and died a few days later.

It was after the battle of Fredericksburg that Ransom’s
Brigade left the army of Northern Virginia (3 January,

1863) and was sent back to North Carolina.

General Robert Ransom, in June, 1863, was promoted to
Major-General, and sent west, and Colonel Matt. W.

Twenty-FourtH REGIMENT. 21T

Ransom, of the Thirty-fifth Regiment, promoted to Brigadier
in his place, thenceforth he was our Brigadier.

‘Just here, the writer would say for General'Matt. Ran-
som, what we believe every soldier would say that ever be-
longed to the old brigade, that North Carolina never produced
a more noble son or a better soldier. He was ever kind to his
men, and as indulgent as army discipline would permit him
to be, always urging them to duty and at the same time warn-
ing them against unnecessary danger. The night before the
storming of Plymouth, N. C., by Ransom’s Brigade in rear
of the town, the writer was acting as a courier for General
Ransom from the skirmish line and as such bore a dispatch
from Captain Lane to General Ransom with regard to the
bridge at the creek below the town. He asked us many
questions, spoke words of kindness and caution, and said that
he would not have one life lost unnecessarily for the glory of
beating the Yankees in the morning. Such a commander
will ever be held dear in the hearts of the old brigade, and his
memory can never perish while there is one left living to tell
the story.

About the first of March, 1863, the regiment reached Wel-
don, N. C.; went on to Goldsboro and Wilmington, back to
North East river, and on to Kenansville. Ransom’s Bri-
gade was sent down here to guard the Wilmington and Wel-
don Railroad. The Twenty-fourth Regiment reached Golds-
boro from Kenansville 21 March. From Goldsboro we
were ordered to Kinston, where we did picket duty below
the town at Wise’s Fork and Gum Swamp. At the latter
place we had some skirmishing with the enemy, and drove
them as far in the direction of New Bern as “Deep Gully.”
20 April the Twenty-fourth Regiment was ordered to Wel-
don. Nothing transpired worthy of note while at this place.
31 May ordered to Virginia; 10 June down on Blackwa-
ter, Va. While in this region, and near the home of our be-
loved General, we had a fight with Spears’ cavalry at Boone’s
Mill near Jackson, N. C. The Yankees caught some of the
boys in the pond swimming, but of course, they were out in
time and “whipped” the Yanks just the same. The next
morning after this little fight, General Ransom took the