86 Norta Carotina Troops, 1861-’65.

leaders of the Army of Northern Virginia, made them so
famous. But the boon is not yet granted us. In July we go
to Drewry’s Bluff, at this time a position that must be held,
and General Martin goes with us, and carrying us into a hot
field, in view of delightful shade, continues his incessant
drilling from morning till night. After a stay of three weeks
the regiment is appropriately made provost guard of Peters-
burg. So thoroughly trained itself, it efficiently executed the
delicate duties of guard in this important city, then a mili-
tary center. During its stay the strongest of friendship was
formed between civilian and soldier. Not a single unpleas-
ant incident is recalled.

Early in November, to meet a threatened attack, we were
taken to Weldon, where we took our first snow storm in camp
without covering except such as the men hastily made with
bark and boughs and dirt.

The regiment had returned to Petersburg when, on 14
December, it was rushed by rail to Kinston to resist the Fed-
eral General Foster in his attack on that town. We arrived
late in the evening just as the Confederate General, Evans’,
Brigade was retreating across the bridge over the Neuse. In
a jiffy we were unloaded from the cars, which were run off
immediately, ordered to pile our knapsacks, overcoats and
blankets, which we never heard of afterwards, and double-
quicked to the rescue. As Colonel Rogers formed us in line of
battle, General Evans learning of our arrival, ordered us to
the north of the town to cover the retreat of his brigade which
had been overpowered, and showing our full regimental front
received General Foster’s messenger, who bore his demand to
seaehiy and replied: ‘Tell General Foster I will fight him

ere.

Foster did not come, but night soon did, and we had again
escaped a battle. At nightfall General Evans collected his
scattered brigade and retreated to Falling Creek. The next
day Company A, of the Forty-seventh, reconnoitered two
miles toward Kinston without finding the enemy, and after
night A and K went to Kinston to learn that Foster had ad-
vanced up the south bank of the Neuse. He attempted to
eross at White Hall, but was driven back and continned his

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Forty-SeventH REGIMENT. 87

march toward Goldsboro, to which the Forty-seventh was
marched on the following day. On our arrival at Goldsboro
we were marched across the county bridge and formed line of
battle, in which we remained all this cold December night,
to find at light that Foster had retreated and was now far
away.

A few days afterwards the regiment is on Blackwater un-
der General Roger A. Prior, protecting Eastern Virginia.
Now for rigid marching. Every day marching thirty miles.
All foot logs and small bridges are cut away ahead of us that
the men may lose no time in breaking from column of four,
and we must take the mud and water in the roads through
this boggy section. And so, as we had been perfected in the
drill and tactics by Martin, we were now Romanised by
Prior. Frequently during this time a battle was immo-
nent, but one did not occur. It was skirmishing, retreat-
ing, advancing on another distant point, over a large extent
of territory to keep the enemy pushed within his limited
lines.

ATTACK ON NEW BERN.

Thus inured to the vicissitudes of war, except actual
battle, the Forty-seventh was, early in 1863, brigaded with
the Eleventh, Twenty-sixth, Forty-fourth and Fifty-second,
under that splendid General, J. Johnston Pettigrew, and re-
turned to Eastern North Carolina. The points of Rocky
Mount, Magnolia and Goldsboro, as they were threatened,
were quickly covered, and thence we were marched in D. H.
Hill’s army to the vicinity of New Bern, which town Hill
threatened. Here about the middle of March, 1863, after a
forced march of several days in bleak winter, Pettigrew, in
the early dawn, drove in the enemy’s pickets and passed one
of his block houses, which protected New Bern, but by failure
of other troops to co-operate time was lost and the enemy got
one of his gunboats in action, with which our brigade was
terribly shelled. Pettigrew being unable to reply with can-
non, or to cross the water with his infantry, withdrew his bri-
gade in regiments by echelon in such masterly manner, the
men exhibiting the utmost coolness, that not a man was lost,