122 Norta Carouina Troops, 1861-65.

was broken. Lieutenant C. W. Shaw, of Company D, was
wounded before he reached the works.

The next day we marched back to Petersburg to our posi-
tion on the right of the lines. The next march we took, and
I think it was in December, was to Bellfield, where we had a
skirmish with Yankee cavalry. Sergeant H. B. Cox, of Com-
pany D, lost his foot by a shell. This was all the loss I re-
member. We remained on Hatcher’s Run until the Confed-
erate lines were broken, 2 April, 1865. We had several skir-
mishes while here. On 25 March the troops on our left had
made a charge on the enemy’s lines at Hare’s Hill and had
carried their front works near the Appomattox river, but had
to abandon them the same day. We were ordered around there
in the morning and returned in the evening to our quarters
to find the Yankees in possession of our picket post. They
had captured all of our pickets and could have been in pos-
session of our breastworks and winter quarters if they had
known it, as we had left only a few men in camp, who were
unfit for duty. Captain Henry R. McKinney, of the
Forty-sixth Regiment, who was commander of the brigade
sharpshooters, formed his line on the right, near the creek,
and made a very brave and successful charge, recapturing
our picket post in this charge. . Lieutenant Austin, of the
Forty-eighth Regiment, a very brave and good officer, was
killed, and I do not remember that any other was killed or
wounded. I believe that Lieutenant Austin was the last
man killed in the Forty-eighth as I do not remember any oth-
er being killed afterwards.

We only held our picket post about two days, as our pickets
were captured on 28 or 29 March, and on 2 April, the lines to
our left were broken. We took up the line of march to the
right, and crossing the creek, moved to Jarrett’s Station,
where in the evening we had a skirmish, but were about to be
surrounded and made haste to get away and were on the mem-
orable retreat to Appomattox Court House, losing more or less
of our men every day.

The last skirmish we were in was on Thursday evening
before the surrender on Sunday, 9 April, 1865. The Twen-
‘ty-seventh and Forty-eighth Regiments were ordered out to

Forty-E1eguta REGimMent. 123

the right to protect the wagon trains, but before we arrived
the enemy had set fire to a part of the wagons, and a heavy
force of infantry was marching up the road the wagons were
on. Here we had a narrow escape. A squadron of cavalry got
in our rear, cut us off and we were scattered on both sides of
the road. Several of our men were captured. Every man was
left to take care of himself. Company D, which had only
thirty-seven men at Petersburg 2 April, had been reduced to
eleven and in this affair lost ten, leaving only one man and the
Captain to witness the surrender. On Sunday morning, and

_ in the race through the woods on Thursday evening, the Cap-

tain lost his hat, running from a Yankee horseman, and
would have been captured had it not been for a deep gully
near by into which he went and got out of the horse’s way.

At the surrender the Forty-eighth Regiment had been re-
duced in number until we did not have men enough to make
more than one full company.

Now a few words in regard to the officers of the regiment,
and I elose.

Colonel R. C. Hill was a very fine military man, very strict
and much beloved by his men, but being in bad health he was
often absent. He only commanded the regiment in the cam-
paign of 1862 and 1863. He died in December, 1863.

Lieutenant-Colonel 8. H. Walkup was made Colonel. He
was one of the bravest officers in the Army of Northern Vir-
ginia. He was often laughed at on dress parade and brigade
drill for his awkwardness, but when in battle all that knew
him were satisfied that Walkup was there and that his regi-
ment would do its duty.

Lieutenant-Colonel A. A. Hill was a good and kind officer.
All his men liked him. He made a very fine appearance and
was always with his men. I think he was one of the two
or three officers of the regiment who missed no part of the
march or duty imposed on the regiment during the memora-
ble campaign of 1864.

Major B. R. Huske was a very mild, gentle and kind-
hearted man, a well posted and good officer. The whole regi-
ment was grieved at his death, which occurred on 15 July,