162 Norto CaroLina TROOPS, 1861-65.

not, during this time, a single musket in the regiment, but as
-a substitute we were armed with what was then known as the
“Confederate pike.” This formidable implement of war con-
sisted of a wooden handle about ten feet long, at one end of
which a dirk-shaped spear was securely fastened, and at-
tached to this spear at the shank, or socket, was another steel
blade in the form of a brier hook in order, as the boys said,
that they could get them “a-going and a-coming.” These
were not very well adapted for practice in the manual of
arms, but at the end of the six weeks the regiment was re-
markably well drilled, considering all the circumstances. Ou
31 May we were ordered to Garysburg, near Weldon, where
the same routine of daily and almost hourly drill was kept up
until 19 June, when we were ordered to Petersburg, Va., and
went into camp at Dunn’s Hill, near the city. Tn a short while
we were moved from here to Pickett’s factory, on Swift creek,
where we remained until 26 June, on which date we were or-
dered to Drury’s Bluff, on the James river, below Richmond.
We were now organized into a brigade composed of the
Thirty-second, Forty-third, Forty-fifth, Fiftieth and Fifty-
third North Carolina Regiments, and Second North Carolina
Battalion, with General Junius Daniel in command of the

brigade.

IN FRONT OF RICHMOND, 1862.

On Sunday, 29 June, we were made to realize for the first
time that we were actually a part of the great Confederate
army, when we received orders to prepare at once for a forced
march to reinforce our troops who had already been fighting
for several days in succession around Richmond. Taking
the Forty-third, Forty-fifth and Fiftieth North Carolina Reg-
iments and Brem’s (later Graham’s), Battery, General
Daniel crossed the James river on a pontoon bridge, and
after a hard day’s march over almost impassable roads, we
reached a point near the two contending armies and camp for
the night. About daybreak on the morning of 30 June we
resumed the march. Just at sun rise, and immediately in
our front, at a short distance, a balloon sent up by the enemy
for the purpose of locating our lines and discovering the

FIrtierH REGIMENT. 163

movements of our troops, made its appearance above the tree
tops. Our line was immediately halted and a battery quickly
gotten into position, opened fire on the balloon, which rapidly
descended and passed from view. We resumed the march,
but being thus timely warned, changed our course. We are
soon joined by Walker’s Brigade, moving on a different road,
and together reached New Market at an early hour. At this
place we were joined by General Wise, with the Twenty-sixth
and Forty-sixth Virginia Regiments, and two light batteries,
he having left Chaffin’s Bluff soon after Daniel’s Brigade left
Drewry’s Bluff, for the purpose, as he states in his official re-
port, of supporting General Holmes at his urgent request.
The aforementioned troops, together with a squadron of
cavalry under command of Major Burroughs, constituted the
command of General Theo. H. Holmes, which, early on the
morning of 30 June, took position near New Market on the
extreme right of the Confederate line. We remained in this
position for several hours, when we received orders to move
down the River road to support some batteries in charge of
Colonel Deshler, which had been placed in position in a
thick wood near the River Road between Malvern Hill and
the James river. The three regiments of General Daniel’s
Brigade took position in rear of Colonel Deshler’s Battery
with the Forty-fifth North Carolina Regiment, commanded
by Lieutenant-Colonel Morehead, on the right; the Fiftieth,
commanded by Colonel Craton, in the center; the Forty-
third, commanded by Colonel Kenan, on the left. The right
of the Forty-fifth rested a little beyond where the roads
forked, and was partially protected by the woods; the Forty-
third had the slight protection afforded by woods on both
sides of the road; the Fiftieth occupied the open space made
by clearings on both sides of the road at this point. About
the time the formation of our lines in the road was completed,
we were startled by the explosion of a single shell just over
our heads, as if dropped from the skies above. We could
form no idea whence it came, but were not long kept in doubt,
for ina few minutes there was a perfect shower of shells of
tremendous proportion and hideous sound hurled from the
heavy naval guns of the Federal fleet on the James river,

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