506 Nort Carorina Troops, 1861-’65.

battlefield (our maiden battle), but did not know it at the
time. The zigzag route taken by us, I gather from my let-
ter published in The Standard on 13 April, 1863. We moved
as follows: From North East bridge we went to Camp Col-
lier near Goldsboro on the 14th; to Tarboro on the 19th; left
Tarboro for the country around Plymouth on the 24th, con-
stantly marching and counter-marching day and night. The
only incident occurring in this neighborhood was the capture
of the then notorious Buffalo, Jay Bird Jones, afterwards
during our reconstruction a judge of the Superior Court.
We left our camp near Plymouth on 2 November, at
2:30 p. m. and made a forced march of thirty-nine miles, ar-
riving at Spring Green at daybreak on the 3d. Wenext
found ourselves at the Cross Roads on the 4th. A deep snow
fell on the 6th, yet, with one hundred barefooted men in
the regiment, we weathered the storm and marched to the ter-
minus of the Tarboro railroad. The writer of this article
felt very deep concern on this cold, bleak day for thirteen of
his own loved boys, who were barefooted, and he begged
them not to go on the march, that he would prefer their re-
maining behind and take the chances of being taken prison-
ers rather than to go with us and run the very great risk of
sickness and death. But no, they must go along with the
boys. Four days later, on the 10th, the first one of these
noble heroes who gave up his splendid life was Thomas Cot-
ten, dying of pneumonia in the beautiful town of Tarboro.
Seven others of them in a few days were placed by his side to
sleep till God calls them.. Two others died in Greenville.
It has ever been, and will ever be the case, to give all the
glory to the commanding and subordinate officers for grand
victories won and heroic deeds performed, with rare excep-
tions of individual mention of a private soldier. This world
has never known, and never will know, of any soldier to equal
the Confederate boys in gray. These thirteen men, bare-
footed and poorly clad, rather than remain behind, preferred
to go forward, and ten of them paid the penalty in but a few
days. They were brave and true and faithful to the end.
God bless their memory! History shall record the names of
these noble fellows. Those dying in Tarboro were: Thos.

Srxry-First REGIMENT. 507

Cotten, 10 November; J. Carpenter and Monroe Thompson,
22 November; Terry Poe, 24 November; Wyatt Carpenter,
26 November; J. A. Pilkinton, 29 November; Wm. Gunter.
2 December; Jefferson Womack, 29 January. Dying in
Greenville: N. L. Covert, 9 December; Elias Fields, 25 De-
cember. They were all from Chatham county and members
of Company D.

We left the terminus of the Tarboro Railroad on the 10th
and bivouacked at Greenville on the 13th; at Craddock’s X
Roads on the 14th; at Black Jack meeting house on the 15th;
at Taft’s Store on the 16th; back to Greenville on the 23d,
remaining there till 7 December, when we took up direct line
of march from Kinston, arriving there on the 9th. We found
ourselves on the 12th, after crossing the county bridge over
the Neuse, at Southwest creek, near Kinston. The bridge
crossing this creek had been completely destroyed by our
troops. The Sixty-first Regiment was posted on the west
side of the creek to check or delay the advance of General
Foster on the march from New Bern with 10,000 infantry,
six batteries with forty pieces of artillery and 640 cavalry.
General N. G. Evans, of South Carolina, was in command of
our forces, which numbered 2,014.

BATTLES AROUND KINSTON, 1862.

General Foster reached Southwest creek on the morning of
the 13th. About 9 o’clock one company of the regiment had
a little skirmish with the enemy at the bridge crossing, with
trifling casualties. Lieutenant-Colonel Devane, with seven
companies, repaired to Hines’ mills, about four miles dis-
tant, in double quick, and on arrival promptly deployed the
entire force as skirmishers. In a little while the ball opened.
To us then the firing seemed to be rapid and terrific. Minie
balls whistled through the air by front and cross fires from
the enemy as if they had naught else to do. For some time
we held our ground, but were forced to fall back by the enemy
advancing upon us in overwhelming numbers. We retreated
towards Kinston and halted about one mile to the rear. Here
we formed a line of battle and a company of skirmishers
moved forward to feel for the enemy. They advanced only