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586 NortH CarouinA Troops, 1861~’65.

of the enemy were killed or wounded in thirty minutes. The
Thirty-fourth occupied an unfortified position on the railroad,
fighting under a galling fire from the enemy. Besides the un-
usual number of killed and wounded, there was great suffer-
ing from intense cold, being exposed to the bitter December
weather without fire. The remainder of the winter was spent
at Moss Neck, below Fredericksburg, doing picket duty on
the Rappahannock.

During this winter, which was so rigorous, even to those in
comfort, many of the soldiers, for want of shoes for their
frost-bitten feet, covered their feet with green beef hides.
Owing to scarcity of provisions they were more sorely tried
during this winter, but were not discouraged, and when the
spring of ’63 opened they were ready to meet the enemy
with their accustomed zeal and courage. The Thirty-fourth
was with General Jackson on his great flank movement at
Chancellorsville, and was at the head of the brigade on the
plank road, and near the spot where the murderous bullets
took from us our beloved hero. After a long exposure to a
frightful cannonading on the plank road the brigade was
formed on the left, the right resting on the same road. Early
on the morning of the 3d the brigade assaulted the enemy
behind his works, built during the night, and after hard
fighting, he was completely routed and driven out. During
the fight the woods caught on fire from the explosion of hos-
tile shells. The scene was sickening—the dead and wounded
on both sides were burnt to a crisp. Numbers were so charred
that their comrades could not recognize and identify them.
After seeing the survivors of the Federal army safely over
the Rappahannock, the regiment returned to camp at Moss
Neck, where it remained until 5 June, 1863, when it set out
on the march to fatal Gettysburg; was engaged and suffered
heavy loss on the second day of July. Among the killed
being the gallant and highly esteemed Major George M.
Clark, of Montgomery county.

The brigade was now known as Scales’, General Pender
having been promoted, and fought on the right of the Cham-
bersburg road and was exposed to a deadly enfilading fire
from artillery on the left and infantry in front, from be-

Tuirty-FourtH REGIMENT. 587

hind breastworks. For the first time in its history, the brig-
ade was repulsed by this thunderous fire, but nothing daunted
the men leaped to the fray on the third day and were in the
famous charge about which so much has been written. Our
brigade was in the second line under General Trimble, march-
ing into the struggle with magnificent appearance, but was
repulsed and driven back in disorder, as was every other com-
mand engaged in that destructive charge. Some of the
Thirty-fourth Regiment were captured at the enemy’s works.
The retreat from Gettysburg to Hagerstown, Md., cannot be
described. The soldiers were so completely covered with
mud that the color of their clothing could not be distinguish-
ed. We remained at Hagerstown two or three days, subsist-
ing on very short rations, but all the time skirmishing with
the Yankees. On the night of 13 July the retreat was re-
sumed toward Falling Water, our whole march being through
mud and rain.

The Thirty-fourth was formed in line of battle about one
mile from the pontoon bridge, and was among the last troops
to cross the river. Many were captured near the bridge,
some crossing after the artillery duel began across the river.
The writer and two men were all that escaped of his com-
pany. What remained of the regiment camped for a short
time at Culpepper Court House, and was engaged in a cavalry
fight on — August; had several men captured, and was then
ordered to Orange Court House, where it did picket duty in
the winter of 63 and ’64.

The regiment received many recruits during this winter,
mostly men between forty and forty-five years, who, with rare
exceptions, made poor soldiers, and fell far short of filling the
places of those who had been killed or disabled. Candor com-
pels the admission that this grand old regiment toward the
close of the war was not what it had been from the beginning,
and without presuming to speak for others, the same may be
said of all regiments which had seen like service. “The regi-
ment was at Bristoe Station in October, 1863, but was not ac-
tively engaged. However, it assisted in tearing up the rail-
road leading to the Rappahannock river, and was in line of
battle at Mine Run for several days in the latter part of No-