214 Nort Carotina Troops, 1861-’65. Firry-Winse Risgiinent. 216

regiments of the brigade, preserving their alignment until in the line of works protecting Richmond, our left restin

the stockade was reached, which they found impossible to the Darbytown road, where we remained until Dassen
pass. To retreat was death, so the only chance was to throw doing picket duty and engaging in one or two feints again ‘
down their guns and pull up these obstructions, which the the enemy to draw their attention from Petersbur, ee
men at once attempted, but a double line armed with repeat- 3

ing rifles posted in front of the works, and a deadly fire
from the garrison in the fort, said to have been several lines On 24 December we received marching orders and pro-

deep, and the concentration of all the artillery upon them, ceeded to Richmond on our way to North Carolina, having
made the position untenable and the task impossible, so that been called on account of Butler’s threatening Fort Fisher.
the few left were forced to seek shelter offered by two old On reaching Wilmington we went into camp at Camp Lamb,
buildings near the works. Never was an assault made more spending about one week, when we changed our camp to a
gallantly or against greater odds. The Light Brigade at point near Green’s mill pond, where we remained until the
Balaklava did no more. “Some one had blundered,” but it final attack on Fort Fisher. On 12 January, 1865, our
was a soldier’s duty to obey. Our loss was seven officers and division (General Robert F. Hoke’s) was mustered at camp
ninety-seven men, Lieutenant-Colonel Hobson being among for division review for the benefit of a large number from the
the killed, Lieutenant F. S. Currie, of Company D, and Lieu- city, and after marching and counter marching for the greater
tenant J. A. Meares, of Company H, wounded, and others, portion of the day we returned to our quarters for rest, but
whose names cannot now be recalled. To Sergeant-Major were not given this, as the “long roll” called us to arms dur-

WILMINGTON.

 

 

W. D. MeMillan (Dr. McMillan, of Wilmington), who was ing the night and we were hurried towards Fisher. A march

seriously wounded in this assault, I am indebted for the fol- however, had been stolen on our people, as a heavy force had
been landed by the enemy and cut us off from the fort.

Why we should have been stopped in Wilmington, thirty
and in ten or fifteen minutes lost 587.” I am unable to give miles from Fort Fisher, I have never understood. Had

 

lowing figures, viz. :
“The brigade went into this engagement with 857 guns,

General Hoke and his division been put in supporting dis-
tance of Fisher, the enemy could not have made their land-
ing, and without this the capture of Fisher was, in my opin-

the strength of the Fifty-first at this particular time, but as
the brigade contained 857 and was composed of four regi-

ments, the Fifty-first could not at this time huve contained Ing, §
many over 200. ion, impossible.

To give some idea how the Fifty-first suffered during the After the fall of Fort Fisher we made a line across the
four and one-half months from 15 May to 1 October, 1864. peninsula and threw up works, our right resting on the Cape
On 15 May we had 1,100 officers and men, going into the Fear river near Sugar Loaf, and our left on the ocean near
charge of 16 May with 800 men ready for duty (a detail was what is now known as Carolina Beach. From this point we
made from the regiment on the 15th, and did not participate fell back to within a few miles of Wilmington, skirmishing
in this engagement). On 1 October we had reduced to 145 with the enemy as they followed. We then evacuated Wil-
men, many of the companies being without commissioned of- mington, crossing North East river and marching to Rockfish

ficers, and in some cases in command of a corporal. in Duplin county.

Our casualties aggregated over 1,000, as some were wound- BATTLE OF SOUTHWEST CREEK.
ed several times. Companies D and I each suffered a loss of
more than 100 men to the company. Clingman’s Brigade,
under the command of Colonel McKethan, was then placed

From this point we were taken by rail to Kinston and en-
gaged in three days fighting, 7, 8 and 9 March, 1865, near

realy ipa twa nari nce oie trneson