782 NortH Carotina Troops, 1861-’65.

four miles southwest of Petersburg, on the Boydton road.
Constant encounters took place on a small scale, and on 9
December in an action near Belfield, the enemy was hand-
somely driven back. General Hampton says in his subse-
quent report (21 January, 1865):

“The cavalry of the enemy which we met was driven in
rapidly with loss and in confusion, and the infantry of the
rear guard was gallantly charged. * * *

“The pursuit on our part continued during the remainder
of the day, the enemy blockading the road, destroying the
bridges and only fighting at the obstacles he had placed in the
road. At Moore’s Mill we drove him from the bridge, and
pushing on, we soon met some cavalry, charging and dispers-
ing them.

“The leading squadron of the Third North Carolina (For-
ty-first) dashed into the main body of the enemy, who were
found preparing to go into camp. Finding their whole force
there I withdrew to Moore’s Mill, two miles back, to bivouac.
From this point I notified Genéral Hill of the position of the
enemy. * * * My officers and men behaved ‘admira-
bly—losses small—250 to 350 prisoners taken. On 1
March, 1865, the official report showed 78 officers and 1,298
men present for duty in Barringer’s Brigade, and the fact
that this number is actually more than one-third of the total
cavalry of Lee’s army, which was reported at 3,761, is a
proud evidence of the devotion to duty of these gallant men in
the darkest hours. On 27 March the Brigade was at Stony
Creek.

The position of Lee’s army is thus described by Swinton,
the fairest historian on the Union side: “The right of Lee’s
intrenched line running southwest from Petersburg covered
Hatcher’s Run at the Boydton plank road. Thence it ex-
tended for a considerable distance westward, parallel with
Hatcher’s Run, and along what is known as the White Oak
road. This line directly covered Lee’s main communication
by the Southside Railroad. ‘our miles west of the termina-
tion of this intrenched front, a detached line running also
along the White Oak road covered an important strategic

Forty-First REGIMENT. 783

point, where several roads from the north and south, converg-
ed on the White Oak rgad, from what is known as the ‘Five
Forks.’ ”

Swinton further declares of Lee: ‘From his left, north-
east of Richmond, to his right, southwest of Petersburg, there
were thirty-five miles of breastwork, which it behooved Lee
to guard, and all the force remaining to him was 37,000 mus-
kets and a small body of broken down horses!”

As it became evident that the meagre numbers of Lee could
not longer hold back the immense hosts under Grant, arrange-
ments were quietly made looking to retreat in the only possi-
ble direction, the west.

General Fitz Lee relates that on 28 March he was ordered
from his position on the extreme left of the line north of the
James to Petersburg, and to Southerland’s Station, on the
Southside road, nineteen miles distant, on the 29th. There
the division of General W. H. F. Lee, containing Barrin-
ger’s Brigade, joined him.

On 31 March they attacked a very large force of the en-
emy’s cavalry at Five Forks, killed and wounded many, cap-
tured one hundred and drove them to within half a mile of
Dinwiddie Court House. While Mumford held the front W.
H. F. Lee and Rosser went to turn their flank, found a stream
in the way, with strong defences, carried the defences, but
with loss to Lee and Rosser—and Mumford also carried the
works in his front. At Hatcher’s Run, a whole corps of Fed-
eral infantry attacked two small brigades of Confederate cav-
alry.

General Fitzhugh Lee further says: “On 3 April I pro-
tected Anderson’s rear and skirmished with the enemy’s ad-
vance to Amelia Court House.” In his language, “At an-
other of the temporary halts upon this march, to check the
enemy in the vicinity of Namozine church, that very excel-
lent North Carolina brigade of W. H. F. Lee’s Division, suf-
fered severely. The troops had been placed in motion again
to resume the march. This brigade was the rear of the
column and I was obliged to retain it in position to prevent
the enemy from attacking the remainder of the command.

“While getting in motion, their rapidly arriving forces