616 NortH Carouina Troops, 1861-65.

waged by the Southern people, in which truly it may be said
they were fighting “for their altars and their fires, God, and
their native land.”

While the fighting was going on at Boon’s Mill the Thirty-
fifth regiment had been sent to defend another road leading
to Garysburg and Weldon, and next day this regiment joined
in the pursuit of Colonel Spear in his retreat to Winton.

While Colonel Spear was on his cavalry raid, Major-Gen-
eral Foster was at Winton with an infantry command sent
from New Bern in support of Colonel Spear; and had the
latter succeeded, General Foster would have followed with
his infantry to have made permanent the occupation of the
country which his cavalry had overrun.

In the winter of 1863-64 Ransom’s Brigade was assigned
to the Department of North Carolina under Major-General
George E. Pickett. The Thirty-fifth Regiment during this
time was on outpost duty at Hamilton, on the Roanoke, some
sixty miles down the river from Weldon.

On 9 March, 1864, “General Ransom with his brigade and
a cavalry force, drove the Federals from Suffolk, Va., cap-
turing a piece of artillery and quartermaster stores of much
value.”

CAPTURE OF PLYMOUTH, N. C.

Ransom’s Brigade with the Eighth North Carolina Regi-
ment of Clingman’s, and Hoke’s and Terry’s Virginia Brig-
ades, and Forty-third North Carolina Regiment, were the in-
fantry assigned Brigadier-General R. F. Hoke in his expedi-
tion to capture Plymouth; he was ably assisted also by the
ironelad ram Albemarle, built at Halifax, on the Roanoke,
and commanded by Captain J. W. Cooke. The Albemarle was
not finished when the time came to move, but this energetic
and able naval officer had his forges blazing and carpenters
putting the last work upon the ship as it steamed down the
river to take part in the fight.

On 20 April, 1864, General Hoke stormed and earried the
Federal works, but not without heavy loss, Ransom’s Brig-
ade alone losing 87 killed and more than 500 wounded. The
loss of the Thirty-fifth was the greatest sustained by any reg-

Tuirtry-FirrH REGIMENT. 617

iment. It fell to the lot of this regiment to assault the for-
midable fort on the eastern front of the town. It was taken
from its regular place on the left of the brigade and placed in
the center so as to strike this work.

During the night of 19 April, General Ransom forced the
passage of Coneby Creek, a narrow, but deep stream, on the
east of the town. Brigadier-General Henry W. Wessels, the
Federal commander, in his report of the battle, says: 4‘After
dark the enemy in strong force succeeded in effecting the
crossing of Coneby. Creek below the town and magged his
columns on my left. This disaster is unexplained, and
placed me in a most critical position.” Undoubtedly the pas-
sage of this stream was a great tactical move on the part of
the Confederate commander. During the night General
Ransom ‘formed his lines for the assault and gave his men a
few hours of much needed rest. When the order to charge
was given, which was at daybreak on 20 April, 1864, officers
and men seemed animated with but one determination, and
that was to be the first troops to enter the fort. Reaching the
deep ditch surrounding the fortifications the regiment rushed
into it and climbing up its sides, bristling with guns, crowded
through the embrasures, over the parapet and wherever they
could find an entrance, and were in possession of the works
before the enemy could recover from the audacity of the at-
tack. During this time the Twenty-fourth and Eighth
Regiments captured a fort on the right on the east front of
the town, and nearer the river. The enemy now retreated
into the houses, making barricades of them and firing from
the upper stories. To dislodge them it became necessary to
capture the works directly on the river bank and then its forti-
fications on the western front.

Reforming his brigade General Ransom successively car-
ried these works, then a fight from house to house took ‘place.
The enemy were at length driven from all their positions,
losing in captured some two thousand prisoners ; the balance
fled to Fort Williams, the main fortification of the town. Gen-
eral Ransom, preparatory to assault, made a reconnoissance of
the place. It was seen to be thoroughly defended by good

guns; was surrounded by a ditch thirty feet deep and thirty