310 NortH CaroLina Troops, 1861~’65.

than forty yards before we were repulsed with great loss. It
was then about twilight, and the volley the enemy poured into
our ranks appeared to be a veritable sheet of flame. The
losses of our regiment there were relatively greater than in
any other battle in which it participated. There was scarcely
an officer or man who did not bear either in his body or cloth-
ing the marks of the terrible conflict. Of the 130 men who
went into the charge, at least one-half were either killed or
wounded. Lieutenant J. J. Hoyle, of Company F, was
killed while gallantly leading his company; he was ore a
faithful and conscientious officer; Lieutenant W. H. Townes
of Granville county, as brave an officer as ever drew i
sword, commanding Company D, was mortally wounded.
Of the thirteen men of Company I present, “three were
killed and all the others were wounded. After the re-
pulse, we fell back some fifty yards waiting and expecting
that the enemy would advance, but this he failed to do, and
during the night we were moved further to the rear. Cap-
tain Whitted commanded the regiment in this engagement.
The next afternoon the men detailed the day before having
come in, our regiment had nearly as many men in ranks as it
had the day before, and Captain B. F. Briggs, of Company
A, was in command. Our line was lengthened by fresh
troops, and late in the afternoon another attempt was made
to dislodge the enemy from his position, our regiment charg-
ing over the same ground as on the day before, and it was re-
pulsed at just about the same point, and with very nearly as
great losses. We returned to the trenches near Petersburg
and there remained until the engagement on 1 October on the
right of our line, in which General Heth’s Division was en-
gaged with an infantry division of the Federal forces and
some of their cavalry, and in which General Archer was mor-
tally wounded. The losses of the Fifty-fifth Regiment in
this engagement were slight. In the battle of Hatcher’s Run
or Burgess’ Mill, on 27 October, the right of our brigade
rested on Hatcher’s Run. One of the Mississippi Regiments
was on the right, and our regiment was in the centre. About
4 o’clock in the afternoon, the enemy had broken through our
lines on the south side of Hatcher’s Run and the first we

Firry-FirrH REGIMENT. 311

knew of it they had crossed the run and were firing into our
rear. General Heth and General Davis, who were just in the
rear of our regiment at the time, directed Colonel Stone, of
the Second Mississippi, since Governor of the State of Missis-
sippi, to wheel the three right regiments of the brigade per-
pendicular to our line, and to drive the enemy back across the
run. The order was promptly executed, and the Fifty-fifth
Regiment, being the third regiment from the right, was next
to the angle, and was subjected, therefore, to enfilading fire
from the main army of the enemy, and to a front fire from
the flanking force. The charge was made with great despera-
tion and the enemy were driven in great disorder and confu-
sion across the run, and our lines on the south side were re-
established. The losses of the regiment were serious. Lieu-
tenant M. ©. Stevens, who, up to this time, had escaped un-
hurt, rashly exposed himself in this exigency and was killed.

BELFIELD.

About 1 December, 1864, when the enemy with considera-
ble force of both cavalry and infantry, cut the Petersburg &
Weldon Railroad, near Jaratt’s Station, and threatened the
base of our supplies at Belfield, our regiment was a part of the
force that was sent to attack and drive him back. We came
upon the enemy near Jarratt’s station, and drove in his skir-
mish line. We formed in line of battle and charged through
a piece of pine forest that was covered with sleet; the long
icicles hung from every limb, and the trees were so weighted
that many of the limbs touched the ground. It was fearfully
cold and the men suffered terribly, for we were neither well
shod, nor warmly clad. A few shots were fired into our
column as we were marching through the forest, but when we
emerged from it into an open field near the railroad, the ene
my had fled. This movement was noted for the great suffer-
ing of the men on account of the severe weather. The snow
and sleet fell upon us the second night after we left camp.

‘On 6 February, 1865, the regiment in the meantime having
heen transferred to Cooke’s Brigade, participated in the fight
of Cooke’s, Johnson’s and Pegram’s Brigades with some
of the Federal forces, in the battle fought between the