530 NortH CaroLtina Troops, 186]-’65.

nia battles in May, 1864, but participated in a few skir-
mishes and was stationed much of the time near the Rapidan
river, where nothing of especial interest occurred. But this
period of comparative rest was followed by a campaign that
was probably the most arduous, the most bloody and the most
exciting recorded in the annals of war. Yes, on 4 May,
1864, the Thirty-second Regiment with all the troops of
Rodes’ Division moved from their camps on the Rapidan,
and were either marching or fighting (and frequently both)
nearly every day from then until the surrender on 9 April,
1865. They began their long series of battles on 5 May,
being quite heavily engaged on that day. They were more
or less engaged on the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th, and on the 10th
the Thirty-second Regiment suffered heavily, among its killed
being its Colonel, the brave and noble Brabble, and a large
number of its officers and men. This loss was occasioned by
the enemy breaking through Doles’ (Georgia) Brigade, which
was stationed on the right of the Thirty-second, thereby ex-
posing that regiment to a deadly fire, but reinforcements soon
came to the rescue and the exultant enemy was driven back.
This was a most critical and trying occasion to the Thirty-
second, but it was fully equal to it and its steadiness and cour-
orevented a serious disaster.

we The next day (the 11th) it rained hard all day and there
was no fighting, but on the 12th was probably the most des-
perate fighting during the war, when the enemy at early ee
captured the salient in our works oceupied by General Ed-
ward Johnson’s Division, and in checking their aires
(which came so near being a crushing disaster ) Daniel’s and
Ramseur’s Brigades (all North Carolinians) fought =
such unsurpassed courage and pertinacity as to deserve an

receive the personal thanks of General Lee pannel,

An accurate and full description of that day s fighting by
those two brigades should be written and published in air
phlet form, and a copy be placed in the hands of every Nort
Carolinian, because that fighting has never been surpassed in
any battle of ancient or modern times. There it was that
the lamented Daniel was killed and Ramseur severely
wounded early in the day, and yet, notwithstanding the loss

Turrty-SEconD ReGIMeENr. 531

of their commanders, those brigades bravely and unflinch-
ingly fought on, hour after hour, against greatly superior
numbers,

After its desperate fighting on 12 May, the Thirty-second
Regiment was comparatively quiet until the 19th, when it
joined in a flank movement around the enemy’s right and
was quite heavily engaged on that afternoon. In these bat-
tles at Spottsylvania, during those bright May days, the
Thirty-second Regiment lost over one-half of its men in
killed, wounded and captured, as indeed did all of Ewell’s
Corps to which it belonged, and this but the beginning, the
first month, of almost an entire year’s continuous fighting.

And now begins the famous “Valley” campaign, beginning
80 brilliantly and ending so disastrously. On 13 June. 1864,
the Thirty-second Regiment, with the other regiments of the
brigade, moved from their camp near Cold Harbor and pro-
ceeded to Lynchburg. The brigade was now known as
Grimes’ Brigade, as Colonel Bryan Grimes, of the Fourth
Regiment, had been promoted and assigned to the command
of Daniel’s old brigade, a most worthy successor, and also one
of the best and bravest officers in the Confederate army. On
arriving at Lynchburg (then threatened by the enemy under
General Hunter) the brigade prepared for an immediate at-
tack, but the enemy retreated precipitately, and then com-
menced the “New Market Races,” the Confederates chasing
the fleeing Federals to the very gates of Washington. At
Lexington our troops passed by the grave of their old com-
mander, Stonewall Jackson, with reversed arms and uncoy-
ered heads—a sad and touching tribute of their love and ad-

miration. Our troops reached Harper’s Ferry on 4 July,
and the Thirty-second Regiment there assisted in doing garri-
son duty and in loading wagons with the quartermaster’s and
commissary supplies captured at that place. After leaving
Harper’s Ferry Grimes’ Brigade moved in the direction of
Frederick City, and at the battle of Monocacy was not ac-
tively engaged, being held in reserve. On 11 July, after a
very rapid and most fatiguing march (thirty miles in one
day) over a dusty road that was almost suffocating and under
a blistering July sun, the brigade arrived in front of the for-