320 NortH CARoLina Troops, 1861-’65.

were about one hundred and fifty. The number of prisoners
taken in all were two hundred and six.” This admirable and
intelligent account of the battle was prepared by Captain
Rand, shortly after his capture. It is accompanied with a

diagram of the battle field made by Lieutenant Woodbury .

Wheeler, of Latham’s Battery, who was also captured.

These gentlemen were permitted to visit the battle field
from one end to the other, and they carefully made notes for
the purpose of giving an account of the battle. Space for-
bids my quoting the report in its entirety. I will only make
one further quotation: ‘We received no orders to retreat,
neither did we receive orders of any kind during the whole
course of the battle. The woods were very thick, which,
coupled with the mist of the morning, made it impossible to
see our troops on either side. We retreated because we were
exposed to a cross fire, and because it would have been certain
destruction to have held our places five minutes longer. No
officer or man dreamed of such a thing as being taken pris-
oner. We could have made good our retreat if we had re-
ceived the order as others did.”

In justice to General Branch, on this point, I quote from
his official report: ‘Finding the day was lost, my next care
was to secure the retreat. I dispatched two couriers to Colo-
nel Avery and two to Colonel Vance, with orders to fall back
to the bridges, ete., etc.” These couriers never delivered their
orders. This account will be incomplete without making
quotation from Colonel Vance’s and Lieutenant-Colonel Rob-
ert F. Hoke’s reports of this battle. Lieutenant-Colonel
Hoke says: ‘The regiment moved up to the scene of action
in fine style, Colonel Avery in command in the centre, I of
the right wing, Major Lewis of the left. Colonel Avery gave
the command to fire, which seemed to have great effect, as
the enemy scampered. Major Lewis then moved to the right
of the railroad with several (four) companies, and engaged
the enemy from that time until after 12 o’clock. He be-
haved most gallantly, was in the hottest of the whole battle
field. He repulsed the enemy time and again, and twice
charged them with detachments from his companies, and
each time made them flee. Our loss was greater at that

Twenty-SixtH REGIMENT, 3821

point than any other, as he had to fight to his front, right,
and left, but still maintained his position. Finding the en-
emy were getting in strong force on our right, and were going
to turn our right flank, as there were no troops between our
regiment and the left of Colonel Vance’s companies, a dis-
tance of a quarter of a mile, I moved quickly with Captain
Park’s company, and sent a messenger to Colonel Avery for
another company. He immediately sent me Captain Kes-
ler’s company. I ordered the whole to fire, which did great
execution, as the enemy fell and fled, *but soon appeared in
strong force and again we drove them back, but soon they
again appeared in stronger force, and engaged us, which con-
tinued until 12:30 o’clock. At 12:15 o’clock I saw a United
States flag flying upon one of our works, but saw Colonel
Avery still fighting. I did not know that Colonel Avery and
Major Lewis had fallen back until I saw the enemy upon my
left with several regiments, and about fifty yards to the rear
of the position Colonel Avery had occupied. I ordered the
men under my command to fall back, but to do so in order.
We were hotly fired at as we fell back.”

I next quote from Colonel Z. B. Vance’s report of the bat-
tle: “The regiment was posted by Lieutenant-Colonel Bur-
gwyn in the series of redans, constructed by me on the right
of the railroad, in the rear of Bullen’s Branch, extending
from the railroad to the swamp, about 500 yards from the
road by Weathersby. At this road I had constructed the
night before a breastwork, commanding the passage of the
swamp, and there was placed a section of Brem’s artillery,
Lieutenant Williams commanding, and Captain McRae’s
company of infantry, with’a portion of Captain Hays’ and
Lieutenant W. A. Graham’s Second Cavalry (Nineteenth
North Carolina) dismounted. About 2 o’clock Friday morn-
ing (14 March) I pushed Companies B, E, and K, of my
right wing across the small swamp alluded to so as to make
my extreme right rest on the battery at the Weathersby road.
During the day, two companies of the Thirty-third Regiment,
under Lieutenant-Colonel Hoke, about 9 a. m., were placed
in the redans vacated by my right companies.

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