464 NortH CARoLiIna Troops, 1861-’65.

» began with our command a part of the time in front and the
enemy occasionally stopping to give battle and though forced
to fall back, inflicting loss. As we approached Williamsport
the Federal troops turned in the direction of Sharpsburg
and we moved on to Williamsport and established our pickets
on the extreme wing of the army where we remained from
the 7th to the 13th of July. “Days which will ever be re-
membered by those present as days of unprecedented hard-
ship and anxiety, as with scant rations amid a country swept
bare of provisions, with the enemy hanging round in every
direction and the swollen waters of the Potomac at our backs.”
On the night of the 13th the army commenced recrossing the
river; the arduous and difficult task of protecting the rear,
was assigned to the cavalry which followed next day.

It is worthy of note in this sketch that while these events
were transpiring with the main army, Captain L. A. John-
son, of Company A, of our regiment, a gallant officer who,
with Lieutenant D. W. Lewis, of Company D, was left with
a strong picket force to guard the pass at Ashby’s Gap, had
handsomely repulsed a large body of the enemy’s cavalry in
an attempt to force a passage at this point.

NORTH CAROLINA CAVALRY BRIGADE.

In this campaign, lasting about fifty days, our regiment
had lost about half of its officers and men, and even many
of those now answering to the roll call being dismounted or
disabled for duty. After this the infantry was withdrawn
to the south side of the Rapidan and the cavalry to the line
of the Rappahannock, and for some weeks the army enjoyed
comparative rest, during which time a reorganization of the
cavalry had been effected. The Fifty-ninth was assigned to
General L. S. Baker’s command which then comprised the
Ninth, Nineteenth, Fifty-ninth and Sixty-third North Car-
olina Regiments (First, Second, Fourth and Fifth Cavalry),
and was known as the North Carolina Cavalry Brigade. The
period of rest following the Gettysburg campaign was broken
in September by an advance of the enemy’s cavalry into Cul-
pepper county, and on the 22d of the month we had an en-
gagement near Jack’s Shop in which the Fifty-ninth did

Frrry-Ninto R&EGIMENT. 465

good service. Here the brave General L. S. Baker was
severely wounded and permanently disabled for the field, and
afterwards transferred to another branch of the service, and
General James B. Gordon, having been promoted, was as-
signed to the command of the North Carolina Brigade.

THE BRISTOE CAMPAIGN.

On 9 October following, General Lee commenced a move-
ment of his army around General Meade’s right, which move-
ment is known as the Bristoe Campaign and in which the
cavalry bore a conspicuous part. On 11 October our regi-
ment being rapidly advanced on the Sperryville Turnpike
toward Culpepper Court House, encountered a detachment of
Kilpatrick’s cavalry which after a stubborn resistance, was
driven back with considerable loss. In this fight our gal-
lant Colonel Ferebee was wounded, and Lieutenant Benton,
of Company A, with others of the Fifty-ninth, were killed and
Adjutant Morehead, of the Sixty-third, was severely wounded
in the face. There are many incidents connected with the
campaign worthy of note in which the Fifty-ninth bore its
due part, but which must needs be omitted in this short
sketch.

With the opening of the spring campaign, the Fifty-
ninth was assigned to the brigade commanded by General
James Dearing, and bore an active part in the numerous cav-
alry engagements between Petersburg and Richmond. On 9
May General Kautz, with a large force of cavalry and some
artillery, made an attack upon the city of Petersburg from
the south side. At this time the city was defended by the
home guard or militia, and the attack came so sudden that the
enemy was near the corporate limits before his presence was
manifest. At this time our regiment was on the opposite
side of the river, and by a hurried running march reached
the point of attack, which was being bravely defended by
the citizen soldiery, in time to reinforce them and prevent
further advance upon the town and save it from capture.
The gallantry of the brave men of Petersburg as displayed

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