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Nortu CaroLina Troops, 1861-65.

FIVE FORKS.

At Five Forks (1 April, 1865) that dark day for the Con-
federacy, the Thirty-fifth regiment, from the beginning of
the fight for four hours, until it ended in what may be called
a wreck, behaved with its accustomed courage and fortitude.
Here Lieutenant-Colonel Taylor was wounded and captured
and about half of the regiment made prisoners. Colonel
Taylor , who was in command of his regiment and had been
twice previously wounded, received his third wound—a
minie ball fracturing the bones of his right arm, forever
disabling him from its full use.

Captain Sterling Gee, Assistant Adjutant-General of the
brigade, was killed, and Adjutant Peebles, of the Thirty-
fifth Regiment, was promoted on the field to succeed him.

General Ransom had two horses killed under him. The
last horse, a magnificent thoroughbred stallion, when shot,
reared high up in the air and fell, pinioning his rider beneath
him. With his wounded left arm in a sling, General Ran-

som was powerless and in danger of being crushed under the
struggles of his dying horse, when Captain J ohnston, of the
Thirty-fifth, and Captain Sherrill, of the Forty-ninth Regi-
ments, rushed forward and extricated him from his perilous

situation and from capture.

APPOMATTOX.

At last the end came, and on 9 April, 1865, General Lee
surrenders the Army of Northern Virginia; that “meompar-
able infantry, that array of tattered uniforms, but bright
muskets ;” which will ever live in history and in the hearts of
the Southern people. The list of paroled prisoners of Lee's
army at Appomattox aggregated 28,231, of which Ransom's
Brigade numbered 41 officers and 394 enlisted men ; of these
the Thirty-fifth regiment, commanded by Major Robert E.

Petty, numbered about 80.

CONCLUSION.

Did not space forbid, it would be a pleasing duty to men-
tion by name and circumstance the many instances of indi-

Turrty-FirrH REGIMENT. 627

vidual heroism and meritorious conduct of the officers and
men of this famous regiment in its three and a half years of
service in the Confederate army.

Though its discipline was excellent, its drill admirable and
its efficiency always remarkable, of its several commanders
not one was a martinet or a trained soldier. He, who was its
commander from April, 1862, to April, 1865, first as its
Colonel, and then as General, was never known to court-mar-
tial or put an officer under arrest; never had a private pun-
ished or put on extra duty; never asked for a court-martial in
any case; never preferred a charge against an officer or pri-
vate. You may ask how was discipline secured and obedi-
ence enforced. The answer is moral force. The rank and
file were of the best material from which to obtain a volunteer
army. ‘They were patriotic, moral, tractable, willing always
to undertake any service, to undergo any hardship; and
though the regiment never had a Chaplain, the command was
conspicuous for the religious tone that prevailed.

The subsequent conduct of those composing the regiment
after they ceased to be soldiers and again resumed civil occu-
pations, has been in harmony with their honorable record as
soldiers. In addition to the references to certain officers and
men that have been made in the progress of this sketch, we
may state that at this present writing (9 April, 1901) Colo-
nel James T. Johnston is a successful and beloved physician
at Hickory, N. ©. Lieutenant-Colonel S. B. Taylor is a
prosperous merchant and influential citizen of Onslow.
Major Robert E. Petty, a merchant, at one time in Raleigh
and later at Sanford, has recently died. Captain Henry W.
Humphrey and Lieutenant Brinson Venters, of Company A,
prosperous and respected citizens of Onslow county. Captain
G. W. Freeman, of Company B, a physician of large practice
at Marion. Captain E. MeN. Blue, of Company ©, for
many years sheriff of Moore County, respected and esteemed
by all. Captain J. W. Philpot, of Company E, a prosper-

#® ous farmer of Person county; Captain S. G. Howie, of Com-

pany F, a successful merchant at Monroe. Captain H. M.
Dixog, of Company H, who had the honor twice to command
his company, is a man of great popularity in his county of