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282 Norrn Carouina Troops, 1861-’65.

came to our relief, and by indefatigable exertion we regained
our former position, and the enemy fled in confusion. Our
loss was very heavy in killed and wounded. Among the killed
was our much lamented General, the “gay and gallant”
Pegram, who had been married but a few days.

From here we were moved two miles below Petersburg,
and placed in Walker’s Division, and took positions in the
trenches formerly occupied by General Ransom and at some
points in a stone’s throw of the enemy. Here we had a long
rest, but were much annoyed by the daily shellings from their

heavy guns.

HARES HILL.

At 4:45 a. m., 25 March, 1865, a detail from our brigade
and another emerged from our works in column of at-
tack and dashed across the narrow space that separated the
two armies, tore away the abatis and rushed into Fort
Stedman, completely surprising the garrison and carried the
works, Instantly the captured guns were turned upon

the adjacent forts and in a short time a brigade of the enemy
was put to flight, and three batteries on our flanks were
abandoned, and were for a short time in our possession.
In this brilliant charge many pieces of artillery were
taken and spiked, and five hundred prisoners, including
one Brigadier-General, were captured. General Gordon
opened this battle with great spirit and skill, but was
not sustained. The troops on his right made but a feeble de-
monstration, and were soon repulsed. The enemy in a short
time recovered from the surprise and poured in a hurricane of
shells into the works they had just lost, at the same time
throwing forward a heavy line of infantry, which caused us
to fall back, losing many prisoners and a great many killed
and wounded. This repulse was followed up and after a
stubborn resistance our picket line was taken, and then a lull
in the tempest for one day, which was but a prelude to its
final and resistless burst. “The mighty huntsman now had
the game secure in his toils, and only awaited the moment of
his exhaustion to dispatch him.”

Firty-FourtH REGiMeEnr. 283

THE RETREAT TO APPOMATTOX.

On 2 April, 1865, a most terrific bombardment from one
end of the line to the other commenced. At the same time the
enemy’s infantry surged forward like a mighty wave, and
rolled up to our works. As one line recoiled from our deadly
fire another would take its place, as though determined to
break through by sheer weight of numbers. Our little band,
so much exhausted from hard fighting and superhuman exer-
tions, was compelled to fall back in the direction of Appomat-
tox river. Following the river by the most accessible roads,
we reached Amelia Court House, thirty-eight miles from
where we started. Here General Lee expected to find
a quantity of supplies for his troops, but, by an inexcusable
blunder of the Richmond authorities the cars passed by with-
out stopping to unload the supplies. We then had been two
days without any food, and not a ration to be had. Our dis-
appointment was complete, for the condition we were left in
was desperate, and for some time we were wrapped in dis-
consolate silence. But for this blunder, General Lee could
have preserved his army intact and passed Burkeville in
safety before the enemy could have reached there. On the
night of the 5th we left Amelia Court House, marching by
way of Deatonville in the direction of Farmville. Upon
reaching Sailor’s creek, and after some desperate fighting
and losing some of our best men, we moved on to Gettersville,
a distance of four miles, much jaded, footsore, and half
starved, and soon became engaged in another desperate fight,
in which our lamented Captain A. H. Martin, commanding
this regiment, fell instantly killed, while gallantly holding
his men to the front. When the enemy reached his dead
body, they had it decently interred, and wrote upon an en-
velop, placing it upon the grave, “Here lies the body of
a brave man, Captain Martin, of the Fifty-fourth North
Carolina.” In this battle our regiment lost more than three-
fourths of its men in killed, wounded and prisoners, after
which the remnant moved on to Farmville, and found that
the enemy had just taken a battery in our front and had in
possession our only line of retreat. General Lee at this crit-