654 NortH Caro.iina Troops, 1861-’65.

fighting under great disadvantage, the regiment behaved with
great credit to itself and showed plainly of what material it
was composed, reinforcing most beautifully Colonel Camp-
bell, of the Seventh, whose lines were first broken. It is well
to state in the beginning that the greater part of the regiment
was composed of hardy mountaineers, as fine looking body of
men as ever marched to the tap of a drum. Outnumbered
at every point, the small army of General Branch was com-
pelled to fall back to Kinston and after a short rest the Thir-
ty-seventh was taken to Falling Creek.

On 31 March, 1862, General L. O’B. Branch’s Brigade
was organized, consisting of the following regiments: The
Seventh, Colonel Reuben P. Campbell; Eighteenth, Colonel
James D. Radcliffe; Twenty-eighth, Colonel. James H. Lane;
Thirty-third, Colonel Clark M. Avery; and the Thirty-sey-
enth, Colonel Charles C. Lee. This noted brigade, composed
entirely of North Carolina troops, was then sent to Virginia,
where it remained until the final sad ending at Appomattox,
unbroken in its organization. It proceeded directly to Gor-
donsville, where it remained several days, was then ordered to
join General Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley. After
marching two days orders were received to counter-march to
Gordonsville, and from there to the vicinity of Hanover
Court House. On Tuesday, 27 May, General Branch fought
the battle of Hanover Court House with his brigade against
the entire corps of Fitz John Porter. The brunt of this bat-
tle falling upon the Thirty-seventh and Eighteenth Regi-
ments. The Thirty-seventh fought only as brave men could
fight, against overwhelming odds, driving the enemy from
its front and foreing him to take shelter in the dense woods
under the protection of his batteries. The regiment held its
ground from 1 p. m. until night, when General Branch fell
back to Ashland. One of the most remarkable incidents hap-
pened in Company G, from Alexander County, that occurred
in any company in the Confederate Army during the entire
war. There were four brothers in the company named Robi-
nett; three of them, William P. Robinett, Joel B. Robinett,
and John ©. Robinett, were killed upon the field. Rarely
in history can we find where a single family made such a sac-

.

THIRTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT. 655

rifice upon the altar of its country. At Mechanicsville,
Gaines’ Mill, Frazier’s Farm and Malvern Hill the regiment
responded promptly to every call for dangerous service and
its loss of 138 men in these various engagements tells of its
fidelity to duty. At the battle of Frazier’s Farm, on 30
June, the regiment lost its beloved Colonel, Charles C. Lee,
while gallantly leading it on to victory. It is sufficient to say
General D. H. Hill, under whom Colonel Lee served as Lieu-
tenant-Colonel in the old Bethel Regiment, regarded him as
one of the finest officers of the South. Lieutenant-Colonel
Barber was then promoted to the Coloneley of the regiment.
After forcing McClellan to Harrison’s Landing, the regi-
ment returned to the neighborhood of Richmond for a few
days and then to Gordonsville. On 9 August it moved rap-
idly to Cedar Run and arrived with the brigade just in time
to check the advance of Pope’s army. Early and Taliaferro
were yielding ground when we rushed upon the field and
quickly formed into line, and by well-directed volleys, sent
the over-confident enemy back across the field in confusion to
the shelter of the works. Just then the Federal cavalry made
one of the most brilliant and gallant charges that was made
by cavalry, upon infantry, during the entire war. The
Thirty-seventh, with the whole brigade, reserved its
fire until the column came in point-blank range, when it
poured a withering volley into it, sending it back in “confu-
sion worse confounded.” This cavalry charge was never for-
gotten by the regiment; it always expressed the desire to re-

ceive a similar one. The loss of the regiment in this action
was 2 killed and 13 wounded.

SECOND MANASSAS.

Longstreet’s Corps having joined Jackson, General Lee
sent the latter upon his wonderful flank movement to Pope’s
rear. The Thirty-seventh was one of the regiments that kept
pace with the “Foot Cavalry,” covering more than fifty miles
in two days, its fare being principally green corn gathered
by the wayside. At Manassas Junction it was one of the
regiments that charged Taylor’s New Jersey Brigade across
Bull Run on 27 August, completely annihilating it. Moving