ina ae Big Seo ba Se vit see eS eee Tieng tt

 

390 Norra Carorina Troops, 1861-’65.

Back to quarters, where the evening is spent in cooking ra-
tions and getting ready for a night march.

BATTLE OF HARE’S HILL, OR FORT STEDMAN.

25 March. Before daylight the brigade under Colonel
Rutledge moves through Petersburg, and a little before dawn
finds us on familiar ground near the line between City Point
Railroad and the Norfolk Railroad. Ransom is put in com-
mand of Wallace’s Brigade, with his own. But the halt
here is only long enough to form in line of battle for a dash
at the enemy in our front; for Gordon’s people, who had re
placed us here on the 15th instant, have just been moved up
the line to the right and are to advance in line abreast with us.
The left of the Fifty-sixth, the regiment to-day again under
Major Graham, is near the City Point road, and to its
right is the Forty-ninth and then the Twenty-fifth. Captain
Lawson Harrill, in command of Company I, now on the left,
and Lieutenant Charles M. Payne, of Company K, on the
right, now move briskly over the line with the skirmishers,
and on their heels follows our line of battle. The skirmish
line quickly unhooks our chevauax de frise. Through them
pass the nearest sections or platoons, and wheeling immedi-
ately into line, we rush forward bounding over their breast-
works, and the position is ours before the enemy are ready
for the work of the day. At the earliest dawn we know that
the line is ours as far as we can see up to the crest of Fort
Stedman on Hare’s Hill, to our right. We are now on the
Baxter country road at the old race track, and find that the
Fifty-sixth forms the extreme left of the Confederate line,
that has come in. Our movement had been covered by the
darkness, and we now look for troops to come up on our left.
We understood that Pickett was to come from Butler’s front
at Drewry’s Bluff, and take the line from our left to the
river. The morning wore on, with the enemy paying us
their respects both with infantry and distant artillery on our
left, and shelling from a point to our right. The men who
had charged through Plymouth before breakfast, were not
to be idle spectators, for the rest of the day of the drama in
which we had acted only the first scene. So Major Graham

Firry-SixtH REGIMENT. 391

prepared to wheel to the left and charge in the rear the fort
on the City Point road. It was supported by a Michigan
Brigade, commanded by Colonel Ely, (whose acquaintance
was subsequently made, while we were recovering from
wounds, in Petersburg,) and they had shown no disposi-
tion to get out of our way, or let us alone. At the same
time we are in the range of a fort on the south and an-
other on the north bank of the Appomattox river to our left,
who are displaying a spirit of rivalry in their attentions to
us. Before our assault can be delivered against our nearest
foe, a solid column of blue appears upon the rising ground
to our front and right. Their alignment is perfect, and down
they dash only to be repulsed by the steady volleys from our
line. Over again they come, and again they are driven back.
The third time they meet with no better success. Now, ex-
cept to our left and an occasional shell from the right, there
is comparative quiet.

Here we find a peculiar use for those troublesome bayo-
nets, for the retaining of which we had been complimented on
the inspection of the division. As a protection against the
flank fire we dig the loose earth and form ridges between
which to lie. Every man in this section was soon protected ex-
cept Robert Kell Gates and the Captain of Company D. Ina
few minutes Gates was instantly killed, and the Captain
wounded in the leg. About the same time, we could see on
our extreme right that the captured line was being gradually
abandoned. Major Graham held the regiment together until
it could be ascertained whether there was any order to that
effect, when Adjutant Thomas R. Roulhac, of the Forty-
ninth, came down the line to transmit the order from General
Ransom, and the Fifty-sixth, as ordered, waited its turn and
came off last from the field. The writer gratefully remembers
the gallant Sergeant Hotchkiss, who assisted him back within
our line. The command of the company was turned over to
Lieutenant Robt. T. Faucett. Before reaching the lines he
was struck again, this time in the shoulder by a piece of shell

« from the artillery at the Appomattox. The enemy regretting

their neglect to turn out in time to meet us more handsomely
in the early morning, were now doing all in their power to