NortH Carorina Troops, 1861-’65.

FARTHEST TO THE FRONT AT. CHICKAMAUGA.

By forcing their way into this gap the gallant men of the
Sixtieth enabled the State and United States commissoners,
in reviewing the battlefield in order to locate the exact posi-
tion of the various commands, to say:

“This point [marked by a tablet] reached by the Sixtieth
North Carolina Regiment of Infantry, at noon, on Sunday 20
September, 1863, was the farthest obtained by any Confeder-
ate troops in this famous charge.”

The casualties in the last hour of this charge were heavy.
Lieutenant-Colonel Ray was severely wounded and forced to
leave the field, after calling Acting Lieutenant-Colonel
Weaver, notifying him of his being disabled, and turning
over to him the command of the regiment. The regiment in
its last action here was confronted by the Second Minnesota,
which reported a loss of 33 per cent. of its members, fighting,
too, a part of the time, behind breastworks. Indicating
somewhat further the severity of the struggle here, three
generals were killed almost in a stone’s throw of the position
of the Sixtieth in Kelley’s field—Generals Helm and Deshler,
of the Confederates, and General King, of the Federals.

Soon after Acting Lieutenant-Colonel Weaver took com-
mand of the regiment the line was withdrawn and reformed
north and somewhat west of Kelley’s field and held inactive
for a time, then advanced upon another part of the Federal
line, and near sundown was drawn up in support of Forrest’s
cavalry. It was here held in reserve a short time, and then
ordered into the charge being made on the enemy’s breast-
works, which were taken most gallantly, the Federals being
driven pell-mell, the Confederates scarcely halting at the
breastworks, but pursuing the panic-stricken, retreating
forces in the direction of Chattanooga. And so ended the
day’s work, and with similar work on other parts of the bat-
tlefield, the great and bloody battle of Chickamauga.

The hurried and brief reports of commanding officers make
it absolutely impossible to give the casualties of the Sixtieth
in these different engagements, but they were great, some of
the companies having only five or six men to answer to their

SrIxTIeETH REGIMENT. 491

names at roll call on the night of the 20th. Among the officers
wounded, not already mentioned, were Lieutenant John H.
Reynolds, seriously, losing an arm; Lieutenants Leonard
Huff and Sam W. Davidson and Captain W. R. Alexander,
slightly. Of the color guard, every man save one, George
Lindsey, was killed or wounded. The bearer of the flag,
Sergeant Bailey, though mortally wounded, called Sergeant
Lindsey to him, told him he was shot, showed him the wound
and said: “TI turn over to your keeping the colors.”

Here again is another instance of great victory, at an ex-
pense of almost a deluge of the best blood of the country and
apparently nothing achieved. The failure to press Rose-
erans while on the run and take Chattanooga, and thus re-
claim a large part of Tennessee, was a blunder that could not
be understood by the rank and file of the army and was never
satisfactorily explained. Had this been done, and none
doubted the possibility of it, the Federals could never have
boasted of victories at Lookout Mountain and Missionary
Ridge, for those battles would never have taken place.

General Breckinridge, through Lieutenant Clay, of his
staff (grandson of Henry Clay) sent expressions of his sym-
pathies to Colonel Ray at field hospital on the morning after
the battle on the 20th and was unstinted in his praise of the
conduct of the Sixtieth.

.

MISSIONARY RIDGE.

The following up the retreating Federals, after the hard
fighting on the 20th, was very leisurely and in a half-hearted
way, giving them time to rally, reorganize and offer battle
again, on plans very advantageous to them. The Sixtieth
was inactive for a day or two, and then by slow marches took
position on Missionary Ridge, overlooking Chattanooga.
Here on 25 November it was brought into action, but was so
situated as to be able to do but little effective work, having
the enemy too far away at the beginning of the conflict to
reach them except by plunging shots from the artillery and
the longest range guns, and when getting nearer they were
almost completely sheltered by the natural curvature of the
mountain. On the Federals reaching the top of the bluff, a