460 NortH CaroLina Troops, 1861—’65. ever, as the enemy, having crossed the river both above and below the town, pressed us closely and their shots fired at Scales’ line passed through our ranks. At one time during the evening it seemed as though we were almost completely surrounded. Our brigade, and I suppose it was the same with the other troops, was ordered from place to place in quick succession to meet threatened attacks. I saw one sight that afternoon which showed what a trusted and beloved com- mander could do with troops. Our wagon train was in a long lane in full view of the hill on which we were then posted. With it was a large number of sick, wounded and stragglers from all the brigades in the army, not one in ten of them being armed. The Federal cavalry charged it, when General Lee giving the command for them to forward, a full line of battle as it were started forward from the wagons, teamsters, sick, wounded and all, joining in it, and the en- emy fled. Those who happened to be armed remained out as skirmishers until they were relieved by other troops. After the enemy were driven off we moved on and our regiment had no more fighting before the surrender. Saturday night (6 April, 1865) we camped within about three miles of Appo- mattox Court House, Virginia. Leaving camp an hour or two before day next morning we were moved farther to the front, and about daylight, a little meal having been issued to us for the first time in four days, we halted to cook rations. Before our bread was half done we were ordered forward again. Passing rapidly up the road, which was filled with wagons and ambulances, we soon came upon a Federal battery, fully equipped and driven by their own men, in the midst of our wagon train. We did not understand this at first, but soon learned that it had been captured that morning by our troops at the front and sent in. As we approached Appomattox Court House we could plainly see the Federal line of battle on the hill at the Court House and beyond. Turning to the right we were placed in line of battle on a hill opposite them and some eight hundred yards distant, and expected to have to advance in a few minutes. About 9 o’clock a. m., it was whispered among our men that a surrender was to be made. All talk of this kind was TWENTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT. 461 soon hushed up by the. officers. We still could not under- stand why we did not charge until about 12 o’clock, when we found out that we had indeed surrendered. During the afternoon we learned the terms of surrender— that we would be paroled and allowed to go home. Next morning General Lee’s farewell address to his troops was read to our regiment. We remained in this position till Wednesday, 12 April, 1865, when we marched over near the Court House and stacked our arms in front of the enemy. Having received our paroles we started that evening for home, the men of the different companies forming into squads took the nearest route to their own sections, and the Twenty-seventh Regi- ment of North Carolina ‘Troops passed out of existence. We had served during the four years of our existence under Brigadier-Generals Robert Ransom, R. C. Gatlin, L. O’B. Branch, J. G. Walker, W. S. Walker and John R. Cooke ; Major-Generals D. H. Hill, T. H. Holmes, Elzy, and H. Heth, and were at different times attached to the corps of “Stonewall” Jackson, Longstreet, Anderson and AP. Hall, most of our services being in the corps of A. P. Hill. Appended is a list of officers and men of the regiment who were present and surrendered with General Lee at Appomat- tox Court House on 9 April, 1865: Lieutenant-Colonel, Joseph C. Webb; Major, Calvin Her- ring; Adjutant, Thaddeus E. Pittman; Surgeon, E. Lloyd Howard; Sergeant-Major, William E. Ward; Ordnance-Ser- geant, Andrew D. Lindsay. Company A—First Lieutenant, John G. Parker; Second Lieutenant, M. Lafayette Whitley ; First Sergeant, Richard B. Parker; Corporal, Simon B. Kilpatrick ; Privates, Larry Aycock, Joseph Peacock, George W. Steagall, Richard Ward, John T. Roberts (courier). Company B—Captain, John A. Sloan; First Sergeant, Thomas J. Rhodes; Sergeant, Joel J. Thom; Privates, Peter M. Brown, Lewis N. Isley, James H. Hardin, Walter Green (courier), E. Tonkie Sharp, W. A. McBride, George Lemons, Silas C. Dobson; Musician, Samuel M. Lipscomb.