96 Norra Caroitina Troops, 1861-65.

brigade about this time, and through every vicissitude proved
the equal of any brigadier in the army. Quite a number of
the men of the Forty-seventh were killed and wounded in the
engagement.

General Heth, with his division, remained on the ground
taken that night, fortified and awaited to-morrow. Early
on to-morrow the enemy massed a host in our front and at-
tempted to break through us all day. They were in the
woods, we on the edge of it with a small field behind us. This
enabled them to get very near us, perhaps forty to sixty yards,
and we learned by sound rather than by sight, when they
arose to charge, and kept them in check by shooting in the
direction of their noise, as they would attempt to encourage
their men. It was literally an all-day affair. Among our
other embarrassments we were nearly surrounded, and once
when the enemy’s cannon sent a shell from our rear and our
men had craned their necks, General Heth coolly commanded
an aid “to go stop that battery—tell them they are firing into
my men.” Fortune was propitious, and they did stop, doubt-
less, because they could suppose their own men to be fired into
by their shelling, so close were we together. Our loss was
considerable during the day, but at length night came. At
dark a detail collected every canteen and bayonet and took
them out, and as soon as it was dark good, we silently stole
away by the only outlet left us. .

From Cold Harbor we went to Gaines’ Mill, just after
Hoke had repulsed the enemy at that place, inflicting heavy
loss. From Gaines’ Mill we crossed the Chickahominy.
Thence about the middle of June we crossed the James and
a few days after the Appomattox rivers, and our division
took position on the extreme right of General Lee’s long line
of defense extending from the Chickahominy to Hatcher’s
Run, a distance of about thirty-five miles.

Hatcher’s Run and its vicinity are henceforth to be the
scene of our operations, and it was around this flank and in
this vicinity that General Grant did most of his hammering,
and near here he finally broke through Lee’s lines to begin
the Appomattox campaign. :

Once, in July, our division recrossed the Appomattox to

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Forty-SEVENTH REGIMENT. 97

meet Grant’s feigned attack on the north of the river, when
the episode of the crater, on 30 July, took place.

On 21 August. our division was a part of the attacking
column to dislodge Warren’s Fifth Corps from the Weldon
Railroad. For about two days before and two after this date,
the Forty-seventh was under almost daily fire, in which series
of fights it lost several killed and wounded.

REAMS STATION.

On 25 August MacRae’s, with Lane’s and Cooke’s Bri-
gades distinguished themselves in the battle of Reams Sta-
tion. Hancock had fortified this place and other Southern
troops had failed to dislodge him, when these North Caroli-
nians were assigned the honor of doing so. MacRae pointed
out to his men how they could approach under the. protection -
of an old field of pines, and we imagine the heretofore trium-
phant Federals must have smiled. as they beheld the, small
force advancing against them, and intended to withhold their
fire until we should reach a point from which we might be
unable to escape. Suddenly MacRae ordered: “Don’t fire a
gun, but dash for the enemy.” The dash was made, and be-
hold the assault is successful. The result is several flags and
cannon, a large number killed and wounded, and 2,100 pris-
oners. A Federal officer, as he sat, a surprised prisoner, re-
marked to one of our officers: “Lieutenant, your men fight
well; that was a magnificent charge.” The loss in the Forty-
seventh was heavy, and it included an over-proportion of our
very best men. This was notably so in Company A. Men who
seemed to have possessed charmed lives; who struck so quick,
and were so cool and daring to pass the danger line, were
struck down almost ina body. Many of them returned after
recovery, but the regiment was notably weakened after this.

On 30 September General Heth attacked two corps of
Federals trying to extend to our right, near the Pegram
house, and captured quite a number of prisoners. On 1 and
2 October the effort to extend continued and we continued to
resist it; but after several days doggedly fighting and putting
in fresh troops, they succeeded and fortified themselves. It

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