188 Norta Caronina Troops, 1861-’65.

ment of the enemy from the island below, around our left
flank, came very near cutting off the only line of retreat of
the Fiftieth Regiment and Tenth Battalion at “Old Pocatal-
igo.” There was considerable confusion and excitement for
some time, as the enemy seemed to confront us in whatever
direction we turned. We finally succeeded in finding a way
out and by keeping up a running fight safely crossed the
Salkehatchie river at River’s Bridge. During the next few
days the enemy concentrated a heavy force along the opposite
side of the river between River’s and Buford’s bridges, and
made repeated attempts to throw their pontoon bridge across
the river and break through McLaws’ line. The heavy rains
had caused the river to overflow and the low-lands were
flooded for miles in some places. This made it very difficult
to reach a point from which the movements of the enemy on
the opposite side could be observed. Between the 16th and
20th we had been forced to move back three times to escape

the flood.

SALKEHATCHIE.

On 20 January, 1865, Company I, of the Fiftieth Regi
ment, commanded by Captain John B. Eaves, was ordered to
move down to a high point of the river bank, which was ascer
tained to be not under water, for the purpose of watching
and reporting movements of the enemy. Captain Eaves re
ceived his orders from Colonel Hardy, commanding the
North Carolina Brigade, and at the same time General Me-
Laws had ordered Colonel Ficer, with his Georgia Brigade,
to another point on the river for a like purpose. The rivet
flats were heavily timbered and ali under water, at the same
time a dense fog prevailed. As a consequence of these con
ditions the troops lost their bearings and the two commands
met while wading in water waist deep, and each supposing
the other to be the enemy who had succeeded in crossing the
river, opened fire. The fight was kept up for about bags
hours. Captain Eaves reported to Colonel Hardy, asking
for reinforcements and a fresh supply of ammunition, as his
was nearly exhausted. Colonel Ficer was reporting to Gen-
eral McLaws and asking for help; each side was being rela

FirtietH REGIMENT. 189

forced as rapidly as possible. Captain Eaves had lost sev-
eral of his men, and Lieut. W. M. Corbitt had taken one of
their guns and was leading the men forward, firing from be-
hind trees as they advanced. With his gun raised in the act
of shooting he was himself shot dead by one of Wheeler’s
men who happened to be with Colonel Ficer at the time.
About this time K. J. Carpenter and Gaither Trout, of Cap-
tain Eaves’ company, had approached near enough to dis-
cover that Colonel Ficer’s men were Confederates, and be-
fore the reinforcements called for had reached either side,
this sad and distressing affair had ended. The loss in Col-
onel Ficer’s command was considerable. When our dead
and wounded were brought in and we learned the facts about
this terrible mistake, there was sadness and weeping. The
gallant young Corbitt was a general favorite in the regiment,
the men always delighting to serve under him. While he
was quiet, kind and tender as a woman, he did not know the
meaning of the word fear when duty called him. He was
brave, perhaps, it may be too brave. His remains were sent
to his heart-broken, widowed mother in Rutherford county.
On 30 January there was a general movement up the river,
and on the night of 1 February, after marching until mid-
night, and just after halting and building campfires, the Fif-
tieth Regiment was ordered to resume the march and proceed
twelve miles further up the river to Buford’s Bridge. We
reached the point at daybreak of the 2d and proceeded at once
to make all necessary preparation for the rapid burning of the
bridge upon the first approach of the enemy, having been in-
structed to guard and keep it open as long as possible for the
benefit of refugees from the opposite side of the river. Early
on the morning of the 3d heavy firing was heard from down
the river, lasting for about two hours, when it suddenly and
entirely ceased. We concluded that the enemy, in attempt-
ing to effect the crossing on their pontoons, had been driven
back and that they would now attempt to cross at Buford’s
Bridge. We advanced our picket lines beyond the river and
anxiously awaited the approach of the enemy, as well as news
from our troops below. The entire day passed and we neither
Saw nor heard from either. Between sunset and dark a