116 NortH Carotina Troops, 1861-65.

Oak Swamp, on1 July. We were a little too late to take part
in the Malvern Hill battle, but were under a severe shelling
from gunboats, which were then on the James river at or
near Harrison’s Landing. This was the end of the seven
days’ battles around Richmond.

We then went back to Petersburg, where we were in camp
until August. Some time in August while at this camp our
regiment was recruited by conscripts and before we had time
to drill them we were ordered to march and were now on the
memorable Maryland campaign. We took part in the cap-
ture of Harper’s Ferry 15 September, 1862. General J. G.
Walker with his own and Ransom’s Brigade ‘occupied the
- Loudon Heights between the Shenandoah and Potomac, and
we were in full view of the town when it was surrendered. We
then marched to Maryland, crossing the Potomac at Shep-
herdstown, and on the night of the 16th were placed to guard
a ford on the Antietam river, about two miles south of Sharps-
burg. The battle on the left opened very early on the morn-
ing of the 17th, and about 9 o’clock a. m. Walker’s Division,
(Ransom’s and Walker’s Brigades), were ordered to the left
to support Stonewall Jackson. We arrived at the Dunkard
Church, one and a half miles north of Sharpsburg, at about
11 o’clock. Jackson’s line had been broken at that point.
Kershaw’s and Hood’s Brigades had been driven out of
a piece of woods west of the church and the enemy was com-
ing into the gap. Walker’s Division drove them back and
held the field. If we had been a few minutes later the Con-
federate army might have been destroyed. The Forty-eighth
Regiment occupied that part of the line at the church. The
church was about the center of the regiment. We drove the
enemy out of the woods, and charged their line east of the
church, but were cut all to pieces. We lost about one-half
of our men, killed and wounded. So closely were we pressed
in this battle that brigades-were divided. The Twenty-sev-
enth North Carolina Regiment and Third Arkansas Regi-
ment, a part of Walker’s Brigade, were sent to the right, and
the Forty-eighth North Carolina and Thirtieth Virginia Reg-
iments to the left, leaving a gap between us that would have
required several men to have filled, but fortunately for us,

Forty-EIGHTH REGIMENT. 117

the enemy did not see it. Then, about 4 o’clock p. m., Colo-
nel Hill was ordered with his regiment, the Forty-eighth, to
the extreme left of the line, where there was some hard fight-
ing. We marched in quick time a little over a mile, but when
we arrived, Jackson’s men had driven the enemy back some
distance. We then marched back, and arrived at the Dunk-
ard Church about dark, where we remained until the night of
the 18th, when we recrossed the Potomac.

After the Army of Northern Virginia had returned south
of the Potomac, the army was more thoroughly organized
into brigades, divisions and corps. Before, it seems, we had
some regiments not permanently attached to any brigade. |
The Fifteenth, Twenty-seventh, Forty-sixth and Forty-eighth
Regiments formed General John R. Cooke’s Brigade, belong-
ing to General H. Heth’s Division and A. P. Hill’s Corps.

The next battle we were in was at Fredericksburg, Va.,
13 December, 1862. Here the Forty-eighth suffered another
heavy loss, being in the hottest of the battle. Major. A. A,
Hill was wounded; Captain J. C. Stafford, Company K;
Lieutenant Peter W. Plyler, Company E; Lieutenant M. S.
Brem, Company ©, and Lieutenant H. C. Banner, Company
K, were killed. Captain J. D. Dowd, Company D; Cap-
tain John Moore, Company I; Captain J. F. Heitman,
company H; Lieutenant J. K. Potts, Company C; Lieuten-
ant H. A. Gray, Company F, and Lieutenant Edwin Tyson,
Company G, were wounded. The loss of non-commissioned
officers and men was very heavy.

From Fredericksburg Cooke’s Brigade was sent, in Janu-
ary, 1863, to Pocataligo, 8. C., where we remained until
April, and were then ordered back to Eastern North Carolina
until July. While here we did a good deal of marching,
were in a little skirmish at Gum Swamp, and drove the Yan-
kees as far as Red Banks, eight miles from New Bern. Then
we went from place to place. We were at Little Washington,
Tarboro, Weldon and other’ places until about 1 July, when
we went to Richmond, and were around Richmond several
days guarding the city. In August we went back to Freder-
icksburg, were there about a month; then to Gordonsville,
where we joined the regular army and marched to Bristoe