398 Nortu Carorina Troops, 1861-’65.

manceuvres had extended over two days. It was successful
both in charging. and afterwards in repeatedly repulsing the
heavy columns of the enemy. With their support on the left
flank crushed at last by a rear attack, they vainly believed, as
did General Ransom, that to others would be assigned the
part of checkmating the odds of over 5 to 1, now gradually
surrounding them. Captain Graves had opened the battle
in command of the regimental sharpshooters, and now with
Lieutenant-Colonel Luke, Adjutant Faison, Lieutenants Pal-
mer, Walker, Faucett, Badger, Wilson, Turner and others,
shared with the men in handling the muskets most effectu-
ally. Another round would have killed a few more of the en-
emy, but it only meant a needless massacre of the survivors on
our side by overwhelming numbers now in touching distance.
In the final melee here and there men escaped, as General
Ransom, with his staff and a forlorn hope on the right, cut
their way out to the Southside (Danville) Railroad, where
they were consolidated that night with Anderson’s Corps. In
this last charge he lost his second horse of the day, the superb
thoroughbred Ion, shot under him. Bitter criticisms were
made of the management of this reconnoissance; but we may
generously grant that its commander (Pickett) was fortunate
in getting back with any portion of his force; and the choice
of that portion was hardly left to him.

Here closed*the career of the Fifty-sixth as a regiment,
contributing to-day its full proportion of the 700 men lost by
the brigade. But there remained about a company’s strength
with all the rear guard details, disabled men returning to
duty, and the surgeon’s, quartermaster’s and ordnance corps.
With a few general lines we will now see these to the end.

2 April. With little resistance except at Fort Gregg, on
the south front, where there is some stubborn fighting, the
Confederates now concentrate upon their inner line, running
around Petersburg from the Appomattox on the east to the
same river on the west, where they repulse all assaults to
dislodge them. Richmond and Petersburg cannot be held
another day. General Lee’s dispatch is delivered to Mr.
Davis, while attending morning service at St. Paul’s church
in Richmond, that he must start that night “or run the risk of

Firry-S1xtH REGIMENT. 399

being cut off in the morning. It will be a difficult, but I
hope not an impracticable operation. The troops will all be
directed to Amelia Court House.”

THE RETREAT.

As we file across the Pocahontas Bridge over the Appomat-
tox, the blowing up of the iron-clad gunboats in the James
can be heard, while the sky is lurid with the burning of to-
bacco warehouses and army stores in Richmond. The writer
hoping soon to be able to report for duty, if then within the
Confederate lines, was fortunate in meeting an old Chapel
Hill friend, Captain Bradford, commanding a field battery
from Alabama. On a horse loaned by him, he made his way
via Goode’s Bridge to Amelia Court House and found the
command reorganizing. Was indebted for similar courtesies
by the way to Dr. John E. Logan, of Greensboro, N. C., a
Surgeon in Grimes’ Division, and to Captain Gregory, of
Washington, N. C., belonging to the same command, and to
Captain A. B. Williams, Company C, Tenth North Carolina
Regiment (artillery). ‘

5 April. Lee has concentrated his forces at Amelia Court
House, his losses in the last ten days being one-third of his
effective force, leaving him now less than 30,000 infantry.
Here trains had arrived with ample rations for his army, on
Sunday, 2d April, and in the excitement some one had hur-
ried them on to Richmond without stopping to unload. Since
reading Colonel Cheek’s sketch of the Ninth (First Cavalry),
I think that one of Sheridan’s scouts in gray here played us
this trick, and acted the officious quartermaster.

From the cribs in the country the men were furnished with
raw corn, to take their chances of roasting it on the retreat.
Three small infantry corps were now formed from what re-
mained of the Army of Northern Virginia, and to these com-
mands are assigned Longstreet, Ewell and Anderson, (Major-
General John B. Gordon commanding, the latter at the
surrender), while Fitzhugh Lee has the cavalry corps, the
“remnant of the regiment and brigade being in Anderson’s
Corps. (See General Lee’s report to Mr. Davis, 12 April,
1865.) Captain McNeely commanded the last of the Fifty-