606 NortH Caro.ina Troops, 1861-65.

he distinctly remembered the incidents, and I am confident
that Judge Walter Clark (“Little Clark,” as he was en-
dearingly called by the men of the regiment, a mere boy, bare-
ly 16 years old, and Adjutant) has not forgotten them, for he
has a memento engraved upon one of his hands which will
never efface from his mind.the scenes of that bloody day.
When going into the fight that morning the field officers
had all dismounted except “Little Clark,” who persistently
sat in his saddle when a big mountain private, I think from
Company B, ran forward and pulled the Adjutant from his
horse, exclaiming: “Git off’n this horse, you darned little
fool, you'll git killed,” when a minie ball struck Clark on the
hand, the mark of which I think can be seen today. Just
prior to this, our regiment had filed through a gap and
in forming line of battle by changing front forward on the
first company, in their eagerness to get into line several com-
panies became entangled and seemingly confused, when Col-
onel Matt. W. Ransom called for the colors. Being in com-
mand of the two color companies (C. and H) I ordered Stew-
art, the color-bearer (a veteran of the Mexican war) to give
the colors to Colonel Ransom. His reply was, “I’ll be d—d
if I do it.”” Then Burgwyn and I took the colors from him
and Lieutenant Burgwyn carried them forward and gave
them to Colonel Ransom, who was still mounted on his horse
in front of the regiment, and called to Lieutenant-Colonel
John G. Jones to tell his wife and children, if killed, that he
carried the colors of his regiment in this charge. Fortu-
nately, however, Colonel Ransom was not wounded in this
fight, although exposed and under fire nearly the whole day.
Late in the afternoon, when we had charged and driven the
gunners from the battery on the hill in our front and could
not hold it on account of flank batteries that seemed to con-
centrate their fire upon the abandoned battery, we retreated
to our original position, about 300 yards, at foot of a hill in
the woods. In a few minutes thereafter a Yankee officer,
mounted on a bob-tail horse, rode up to the abandoned bat-
tery, apparently to view our position, when I suppose 100
guns were fired at him. He sat unconcernedly upon his
horse, when Colonel Ransom cried out: “Cease firing; don’t

Turrty-Firta REGIMENT. 607
shoot that brave man!” The Yankee officer, wheeling, re-
treated as deliberately as he had come. A short time there-
after, the firing having ceased in our immediate front and be-
fore Private Hood, of my company, had volunteered to climb
the tree for General Jackson, Colonel Matt. W. Ransom came
to my company (we were all lying down) and ordered me to
detail the best man in my company to go forward and ascer-
tain the position and movements of the enemy. Immediately
young Hood sprang to his feet and asked permission to go,
and as he struck a “turkey trot” across the field with his gun
at a trail, I could see a smile of admiration upon the face of
the old Roman when he asked the name of the boy soldier, and
commanded me to lie down, and to report to him upon Hood’s
return. Hood was gone for at least an hour (which was a
long time under such circumstances), so long that Colonel
Ransom and I were both uneasy as to his fate. Finally Hood
returned and gave such a satisfactory statement as to all that
he had seen, that Colonel Ransom complimented him and or-
dered him to return to his company. Hood told me that on
the field among the dead and wounded he found a Federal
field officer badly wounded and crying for water. He gave
the officer his canteen of water. The officer offered to give
Hood his gold watch and chain and all the money he had to
carry him within our lines for treatment. Hood told him
that it was an impossibility; but when he encountered the
Yankee pickets he informed them of this officer’s condition
and proposed to conduct them to the place where the officer
was lying, which proposition was readily accepted. The of-
ficer was laid upon a stretcher and carried within the Federal
lines. Hood could easily have been captured, but his magna-
nimity and kindness towards this wounded officer gained for
him the admiration of the Federal pickets, who treated him
kindly, gave him coffee and allowed him to return to his com-
mand. ( Could any but American soldiers have done this ?)

A short time after Hood’s return General Jackson asked
Colonel Ransom for a man to climb a tree. Hvod again vol-
meered, as Colonel Burgwyn states, except that he did not

take his shoes off in a jiffy,” from the fact that he had no
shoes on his feet, they being so sore he could not wear any.