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624 Norra Carorina Troops, 1861-65.

Grant now issued an order for the cessation of further at-
tacks, and the siege of Petersburg commenced.

THE BATTLE OF THE CRATER.

Ransom’s brigade constructed the breastworks at the Cra-
ter and were in the trenches on the left of the salient occupied
by Pegram’s Battery and Elliott’s South Carolina Brigade
at the time of the explosion of the mine (30 July, 1864).

The Twenty-fifth and Forty-ninth Regiments of the Brig-
ade were drawn out of the works to assist in repelling the
advance of the enemy now pouring through this interval in
the Confederate defenses ; and subsequently they united with
Mahone’s Division in driving the Federals out of the cap-
tured works back to their lines. a

During this time the Thirty-fifth Regiment extending its
front to oceupy the space vacated by the withdrawn troops, re-
pelled the several assaults of the enemy as they attempted to
carry our works adjacent to those destroyed by the explo-
sion.

It will be interesting here to state that the colors of the
First. Michigan were captured at this battle by Sergeant. J.
W. Connell, of Company F, Twenty-second South Carolina
Regiment. It will be remembered that the flag of the Thirty-
fifth regiment had been captured by this Michigan command
the night of 17 June, as previously stated.

SIEGE OF PETERSBURG.

The last act in the drama was now to be played. The
Army of Northern Virginia, between 5 May and 31 Decem-
ber, 1864, had inflicted a loss of more than 108,000 killed,
wounded and missing, on the army of the Potomac, sustain-
ing itself a loss of 40,000; but how it would end was now
apparently only a question of time. In the siege of Peters-
burg, the Thirty-fifth Regiment performed its full duty.
For eight months and more “it lived in the ground, walked in
wet ditches, ate its cold rations in ditches, slept in dirt-cov-
ered pits.” The breastworks of the two armies were in many
places so near that one exposing any part of his person was
sure to be shot at and usually killed or wounded. The picket

Turrty-Firrah Regiment. 625

posts could only be relieved at night by crawling along
ditches to and from them. Mortar shells were incessantly
coming down from above. There was no shelter from sun
or rain. No food could be cooked there, but the scanty ration
was brought in bags on the shoulders from the cook yards
sometimes a mile distant.

Frequently it became necessary for General Lee to with-
draw troops from some portion of his line to resist a move-
ment of the enemy against the Petersburg & Weldon and
Southside railroads.

In the latter part of August, 1864, Ransoms’s brigade was
ordered to attack and drive back the enemy at the Davis
house. They had to charge some distance through an abatis
of felled trees. . The men had to pick their way through the
interlaced timbers and advance without regard to company or
regimental formations.

This advance was so gallantly done as to evoke from
General Lee, who witnessed the charge, the remark: “That
he had often heard of men straggling to the rear, but he had
never before seen men straggle to the attack.”

FORT STEADMAN—HARE'S HILL.

In the assault on Fort Steadman, 25 March, 1865, General
Matt. W. Ransom commanded his own and Wallace’s South
Carolina brigade. In his report of this brilliant, but disas-
trous attack, General Lee says: “The two brigades com-
manded by General Ransom behaved most handsomely.” The
Thirty-fifth regiment lost largely in killed, wounded and pris-
oners.

Here, Courier Wm. Hood, of Company H, referred to in
the account of the battle of Sharpsburg, was killed. He was

one of the best couriers, prompt to carry orders, under all cir-
cumstances trustworthy and fearless,
“In this assault, Colonel Johnston, Captain S. G. Howie

Company F, and many others of the Thirty-fifth Regiment,

“ b 7 ye .
and about half of Ransom’s brigade, were taken prisoners.

40