68 Nortu Carotina Troops, 1861-65.

It was said by an eye-witness of one of the charges of the
Forty-sixth, in which a force of the enemy was driven from
its position and his guns captured, that “he hoped for their
own sakes that the Forty-sixth North Carolina would soon
learn the difference between the deliberation of a dress parade
and a charge over an open field in the face of largely supe-
rior numbers.” During the day the regiment occupied sev-
eral different positions of importance and great danger, in
which on every occasion it exhibited that steadiness and cool-
ness which was to characterize its record all through the
eventful years to follow. Space allotted to this sketch for-
bids details of this or other engagements in which the regi-
ment participated. The losses for the day aggregated about
eighty, being fully one-fourth of the number in line. It is
proper to explain, in view of the small number of men in line
at Sharpsburg, that this was the first foreed march under-
taken by the regiment, and in the mad rush from Harper’s
Ferry to Sharpsburg, many of the men were physically une-
qual to the task and fell by the wayside from exhaustion, re-
joining the regiment, some during the engagement, others
coming up during the next two or three days.

The Potomae was again crossed on the night of 18 Septem-
ber with the army in perfect order, and position taken up near
Martinsburg, where for several days the men were engaged in
destroying railway tracks and bridges in that vicinity.

The next stop of importance was at Winchester, where a
stay of two or three weeks was made. Here, in this then land
of plenty, the men revelled in the best of fresh beef, vegeta-
bles, fruits, not forgetting the honey, needing nothing for the
stomach’s sake, save “salt,” which commanded a price near
its weight in gold.

A short time after Sharpsburg General J. G. Walker, who
had commanded the brigade, was promoted to a division in
the West, and Brigadier-General John R. Cooke was assigned
to the command and held this position to the close of the
war.

The men of the Forty-sixth parted with General Walker
with unusual regret, having learned, in the brief period in
which he commanded the brigade, to regard him with the

SAS ILLid okt caadehie Taian eanEe i inlet kibiadiaie

BSR erty Gi prem ioe

an

ore

Forty-S1xtH REGIMENT. 69

highest esteem, for his care of the force under his command,
as well as for his courage and coolness under the most trying
conditions.

General Cooke assumed command of the brigade almost a
stranger to the men of the Forty-sixth, and many a doubt
was expressed as to the ability of “that kid” (as he was at
first called) to handle the brigade, being almost boyish in his
appearance.

A year or less thereafter all doubts had vanished, for “that
kid” had proven his ability on many occasions. It is doubt-
ful if any general officer in the army, with the exception of
Lee and Jackson, was more beloved by the men of his com-
mand than was John R. Cooke. Young, brave, generous and
kindly in his dealings with officers and men, there ever ex-
isted the strongest ties between commander and men, which
lasted to the end. No braver cavalier ever rode to death than
General Cooke.

From Winchester the next move was down the valley and
through Ashby’s Gap, encamping for several days at Upper-
ville, on the top of the Blue Ridge.

From Upperville, on 31 October, the command moved in
the direction of Culpepper Court House, stopping for a brief
rest at Orleans.

Marching by easy stages, pausing here and there for a day
or two, the regiment made its way to Fredericksburg, arriv-
ing in front of that place 22 November. The last five days was
a forced march in a continuous downpour of rain.

The experiences of the men on this march across Virginia
were very severe—poorly clad, many barefooted—iittle or no
camp equipage and with an almost unprecedented spell of
bad weather, all conspired to the utterance of some bad lan-
guage, which history does not require should be reproduced
literally.

From 22 March to 11 December the regiment remained in
camp two or three miles from Fredericksburg, when it took
position at the foot of the heights fronting the little city, and
immediately behind the stone wall on Marye’s Heights.

Here it awaited the attack of Burnside, and bore a full
share in that historic slaughter. In comparative security,