524 NorrH Carotina Troops, 1861-’65.

stationed on duty nearer to that town than any other Confed-
erate troops. The failure of both of these expeditions was
due chiefly to the inferior artillery and defective ammunition
used by the Confederates, as is clearly shown inGeneral Hill’s
official report, published in Volume XVIII of the “Official
Records of the Union and Confederate Armies.” The troops
endured many hardships on these expeditions, frequently
marching for miles in swamps knee-deep in water and sleep-
ing (?) in their wet clothes when halted at night. On the
march to Washington, and when only a few miles distant, the
Thirty-second Regiment passed a country (Episcopal) church
in which the congregation was then assembled, holding their
joyous Easter services (for that day was Easter Sunday) and
the devout and faithful chaplain of the regiment (Rev.
Joseph W. Murphy) obtained permission to stop long enough
to join in singing one hymn, and then sturdily marched on.
How strange a contrast—here was a congregation quietly wor-
shipping in their parish church, and passing by was a body
of armed soldiers marching to battle!

On 17 May, 1863, the Thirty-second Regiment, with the
other regiments of Daniel’s Brigade, left Kinston and went
to Virginia, and remained until the close of the war a part of
the Army of-Northern Virginia, sharing in all its glory and
victories as well as its hardships and disasters. Daniel’s
Brigade was attached to Rodes’ Division, which had no supe-
rior in either the Confederate or Union army, and was then
composed of Ramseur’s (North Carolina) Brigade, Tverson’s
(North Carolina) Brigade, Battle’s (Alabama) Brigade, and
Doles’ (Georgia) Brigade. Its commander, Major-General
Robert E. Rodes, of Alabama, was one of Lee’s most trusted
officers and was one of the most competent, considerate and
courageous officers in the Confederate army. His untimely
death (killed at Winchester, 19 September, 1864) was a
grievous loss. hes

Shortly after Daniel’s Brigade reached Virginia General
Lee began his preparations for the campaign that culminated
in the battle of Gettysburg, and in this ever memorable cam-
paign the Thirty-second Regiment was most conspicuously
complimented and covered itself with imperishable glory. It

Turtrty-SEconD REGIMENT. 525

was among the first troops to cross the Potomac in the inva-
sion of Pennsylvania, and was among the last to recross on
the retreat. On 27 June, Rodes’ Division reached Carlisle,
the town farthest North ever occupied by any Confederate
troops, ang occupied the United States barracks at that place.
Large supplies of cattle, horses, grain and flour were ob-
tained at Carlisle and on the march to that place, but no pri-
vate property of the citizens was forcibly taken. In his of-
ficial report General Rodes stated with proper pride that the
good behavior of his troops “astonished the people along the
line of march. These latter very generally expected to be
treated by us with the wanton cruelty generally exhibited by
their troops when they are upon our soil. As a general rule
they apparently expected to see their houses burned down
and all their property carried off or destroyed.” This of-
ficial testimony as to the conduct of Confederate troops when
on the enemy’s soil should be a source of pride to every
Southerner.

It was while the Confederates were enjoying their much
needed rest at Carlisle, that the Thirty-second Regiment was
honored and complimented in a most notable and conspicuous
manner. Yes, it was there at Carlisle that this regiment
was complimented, out of all the regiments in the Confeder-
ate army, with the distinguished honor of being presented
and entrusted with the first flag or standard made according
to the design adopted by the Confederate Congress a few
weeks previous. Congress had adopted, conditionally, a new
design for the Confederate flag, and an elegant new flag, made
according to that design by the ladies of Richmond, had been
sent to General Lee for his approval and for him to present
to the regiment most worthy of receiving and carrying it.
Accordingly General Lee sent it to Lieutenant-General Ewell
(who then commanded Stonewall Jackson’s old corps), and
General Ewell sent it to Major-General Rodes (his favorite
division commander) and General Rodes passed it on to his
most favored Brigadier, General Daniel, and he ordered it
to he presented to the Thirty-second Regiment. The presen-
tation ceremonies were of a most enthusiastic character and
were appropriate to the high honor so worthily conferred.