24 NortH Carona Troops, 1861-65.

Brown, J. H.. Johnson, A. S. Webb, Joseph J. Leonard,
Rufus Starke. Enlisted men, 144.

On 19 May, 1862, the regiment was ordered to Tarboro, N.
C., thence it proceeded to Greenville, N. C., and for a few
weeks was engaged in outpost and picket duty in that section
of the State during which time it participated in no affair of
consequence, save the skirmish at Tranter’s Creek which,
though otherwise unimportant, was to the regiment most un-
fortunate in that its accomplished commander lost his life.

From Eastern North Carolina the regiment was ordered to
Virginia and there assigned to the Brigade of General J.
Johnston Pettigrew, one of the very ablest commanders of
the Army of Northern Virginia. Not only the Forty-fourth
Regiment, but the entire Brigade, which consisted of five
regiments—the Eleventh North Carolina, the Twenty-sixth
North Carolina, the Forty-fourth North Carolina, the Forty-
seventh North Carolina, and the Fifty-second North Caro-
lina, felt the impress of his soldierly qualities. It was ever
a matter of regret to the officers and men of the regiment that
no opportunity was offered them of manifesting their appre-
ciation of his great qualities by their conduct on the battle-
field under his immediate command. The other regiments
of his brigade were with him at Gettysburg and contributed
to his imperishable renown by their steadfast valor, but the
Forty-fourth North Carolina, whilst en route, was halted at
Hanover Junction, Va., to guard the railroad connections
there centering, and thus protect General Lee’s communica-
tions with Richmond. Colonel T. ©. Singletary with two
companies, remained at the junction. Major Charles M.
Stedman, with four companies, commanded north of the
junction and the bridges of the Fredericksburg and of the
Central (now the C. & O.) Railroad across the South Anna
and the Little Rivers, four in number, were entrusted to Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Hargrove, who posted one company at each
bridge, remaining personally with Company A at Central’s
bridge across the South Anna, the post of greatest danger.
On the morning of 26 June, 1865, the Federal troops, con-
sisting of the Eleventh Pennsylvania Cavalry, two compa-

Forty-FourtH REGIMENT. 25

nies of a California cavalry regiment, and two pieces of ar-
tillery, about fifteen hundred, all included, commanded by
Colonel, afterwards General Spear, appeared before Lieuten-
ant-Colonel Hargrove, and his small force of forty men, sta-
tioned in a breastwork on the south side of the river, built to
be manned by not less than four hundred men. Before Col-
onel Spear made his first attack, Lieutenant-Colonel Har-
grove abandoning the breastwork as being entirely untenable
by so small a force, fell back to the north side of the river,
posted his men under cover along the river bank and for two
hours successfully resisted repeated efforts to capture the
bridge by direct assault, although assailed by a force outnum-
bering his own at least thirty-five to one. Failing in a direct
attack, Colonel Spear sent four hundred men across the river
by an old ford under cover of a violent assault in front from
the south and was about to assail Lieutenant-Colonel Har-
grove in his rear, which was entirely unprotected, when Com-
pany G, consisting of 40 men, having been ordered from Cen-
tral’s bridge, over the river at Taylorsville, more than three
miles distant, arrived and occupied the breastwork north of
the river at its intersection with the railroad, and about two
hundred yards from the bridge, thus protecting the rear of
Company A. Company G had searcely got into position
when the charge of four hundred cavalry, intended for the
unprotected rear of Company A, was delivered against Com-
pany G, protected by the breastwork, and was repulsed, as
were two other charges made at intervals of about fifteen
minutes, while attacks were made simultaneously on Com-
pany A from across the river with like results. During a
lull in the fighting the Federal force on the north side was re-
inforeed by four hundred men, and an assault on both Com-
panies A and G was (at the same time) ordered, Colonel
Spear crossed the river and ordered the attack made up the
river bank against Company G’s unprotected right, and Com-
pany A’s unprotected left flank at the abutment of the bridge.
The enormous odds prevailed, but only after a most desperate
and hand-to-hand conflict with pistol, sabre and bayonet, in
which Confederates and Federals were commingled. In the
final assault Company A lost half of its men. The loss of