540 NortH Caroiina Troops, 1861-’65.

rest, though there was daily picket firing. Grant’s efforts to
get a foothold on the Weldon Railroad generally began by a
movement on the north bank of the James. The cavalry
would be hurried over there and generally brought back more
rapidly than we went. These movements, however, were
always attended with more or less fighting. On or about 20
August, we were hurriedly moved across and came on the
wreck of Chambliss’ Cavalry brigade about 1 p. m. _Cham-
bliss had been killed doing his very best with his little force
to stem the torrent. The North Carolina brigade went in,
and the enemy began to retire, we followed them over all the
ground they had advanced over, meeting but little resistance,
losing only six men killed and wounded. Grant had accom-
plished his object, and was retiring anyhow. ‘The Richmond
papers of next morning did not mention the North Carolina
eavalry brigade at all, but gave all the credit of resisting
Grant and driving him back to Chambliss’ Brigade.

Among the wounded was Lieutenant Grier, of Charlotte,
N. ©. The wound was slight, and Grier being a good sol-
dier, would not have left the field but for the fact that his
mess had left several choice watermelons with the wagons that
morning. Grier could not resist the temptation of leading in
the attack on the melons, and when his mess returned to the
wagons, both Grier and the melons were gone. He soon re-
turned, but never boasted of his exploit.

About sundown we stopped pursuit, and were marched all
night back to the south side. In the morning we were put
in, and after a sharp resistance, started the enemy. We pur-
sued eagerly until met by the deadliest and heaviest single
discharge we had ever known. It came from an infantry
breastwork covering the Weldon Railroad, now in possession
of the Federals. Captain Galloway and at least a dozen men
of Company D, Sixty-third, fell under this volley. In a
short time our line was withdrawn and the enemy remained
master of the Weldon road.

In Hampton’s famous cattle raid the Sixty-third did its
part, but sustained no loss. Towards the latter part of Sep-
tember, Lieutenant-Colonel S. B. Evans having retired, the
question of promotion in the regiment came up. Captain

Sixty-TuHirD REGIMENT. 541

Harris raised the point of superiority with Captain Galloway.
It was based on a technical question of what constituted a
“muster in.” It was referred to the Adjutant-General’s office
Richmond, and decided in favor of Captain Galloway.

In October, 1864, the promotions took place. Major Mc-
Neill became Colonel, Captain Shaw Lieutenant-Colonel,
Captain Galloway Major. They were “read out” at dress
parade. In the latter days of the Confederacy this was the
only commission given to any one below the grade of Briga-
dier-General.

Some very severe fighting took place in October, one fact
of which will always remain indelibly impressed on the
writer’s mind. » One day the Federals advanced, the Confed-
erates retired contesting all the ground, the next day the Con-
federates advanced, driving the enemy over the same ground.
There lay the dead of the previous day entirely naked and
most of them partially eaten up by hogs. It was calculated

to unnerve the stoutest heart.
During the winter of 1865 we suffered unspeakably, the

ration was not enough to keep a man in vigor, even if regu-
larly issued. It frequently was not so issued, and we of the
cavalry would parch corn and eat it.

FIVE FORKS.

Five Forks 1 April, 1865, ended the fighting for us. It
was the most ill-advised and murderous battle in which we
ever engaged. The Sixty-third lost Colonel McNeill, Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Shaw, Lieutenant Lindsay, and a host of gal-
lant soldiers of the line. Lieutenant Lindsay told his com-
rades to turn him on his face and go ahead, a speech worthy
of Bayard or Lawrence. Lieutenant-Colonel Shaw was ex-
empt on three points, age, practicing physician, twenty ne-
groes. He was in delicate health, but with a patriotism and
self-sacrifice worthy of an ancient Roman, he stuck to us to
the last. Of Colonel McNeill, I have already spoken. One
squadron, the fifth, was not in this fight; in charge of Acting

Major Erwin, it was on vidette.
Major Galloway was in Petersburg having a wound at-

tended to. He came up with the remnant of the regiment at