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110 - Norra Carorina Troops, 1861-’65.

about one and a half miles from there, while our regiment
was halted to give our wagon train and the troops who were
to cross at Falling Waters protection while passing the river,
we were surprised and charged by a squadron of cavalry.
Our beloved General J. Johnston Pettigrew was on the ex-
treme right of our line and was shot while drawing his pis-
tol. It happened thus: General Pettigrew with a number of
his staff (Captain Young, of Charleston, being one of them
who I understand is still living) were resting near their
horses, when the word passed up the line, “The Yankees are
charging us.” The general ordered his horse, but about the
time he took hold of his horse to mount, a Yankee officer rid-
ing on the left of their line and a little in front, ordered him
to surrender. General Pettigrew did not notice the Yankee
farther than to mount his horse and commence drawing his
pistol, his horse, however, reared and plunged and the Yass
kee seeing that Pettigrew did not intend to surrender, fired
and hit him. General Pettigrew fell from his horse and the
fight was hot around and about him for fifteen or twenty
minutes. We succeeded in killing all the Yankees except
eight. The men in the charge were evidently all drunk. A
heavier foree coming up, we fell back to the river disputing
eee ee ee
ys thereafter we

a. pe our regiment seebers 98 men iat
mS ) pany (I) lost at Falling Waters eight men
killed, wounded and captured. I remember the loss partien-
larly, because I was acting adjutant of the regiment, our gal-

lant Adjutant Thomas Powell having been captured at Get-
tysburg.

WILDERNESS.

At the Wilderness, the Forty-seventh Regiment had the
honor of bringing on the fight. We were i front of our
lines and struck the Yankee pickets about 9 o’clock driving
them with our skirmish line back until their nmabers in-
creased so that Company I was first ordered to reinforce the
skirmish line, then another company, then esti kon until she
entire regiment was engaged and then, I think the Forty-

SR NR RU Rt REM TN

eemowerepinctehe

Forry-SEVENTH REGIMENT. 111

fourth regiment was the first regiment after the Forty-sev-
enth to become engaged. When the enemy was driven back
upon their main line and the fight of the first day became
general, the Forty-seventh was ordered at first to take posi-
tion on the left of the road, but was soon moved over to the
right of the road, where we held our position for three hours,
the enemy charging us almost continuously. During this
time the heaviest fighting took place which, with our regi-
ment, was about 2 o’clock p. m. The black-jack saplings were
skinned by the bullets like a young apple tree is in the spring
of the year by the rabbits.

Without giving more of the particulars of this battle, here
it was that the best friend of my boyhood fell mortally
wounded through the neck, William H. Haywood, son of the
late United States Senator W. H. Haywood and brother of
Duncan Haywood, who fell at Seven Pines. I would like
if I could, to tell about the fights in which the Forty-seventh
was engaged at Spottsylvania Court House, Hanover June-
tion, Second Cold Harbor and the battle of Turkey Ridge on
2 and 3 June, 1864, where I was wounded and so kindly
treated by my Brigadier General (Kirkland) who was
wounded in the same battle.

I had just arrived at the field hospital. When he heard
me speak he knew my voice and called me to his tent, had my
wound dressed and carried me to Ward B, Jackson Hospital,
Richmond, Va., early next morning. Had it not been for his
kindness I doubt much if I should now be living, for I was
out of my head for several days after I was wounded. On
account of this wounding I missed the battles which took
place from then until the day after the Reams Station fight
(25 August, 1864), where the Forty-seventh covered itself
with glory as did all the troops engaged, all being North
Carolinians, viz: Cooke’s, Lane’s and MacRae’s Brigades,
the last being the one to which the Forty-seventh then be-

longed. I was thenceforward with the regiment until 2

April, 1865.
2 APRIL, 1865.

On that day I was captured on the Cox road about five