564 NortH Carorina Troops, 1861-’65.

our pickets posted east of the town. Vol. 43, p. 953, and
Vol. 44, p. 689.

On the morning of 19 June General Pleasanton “directed
three brigades under Gregg to move on Middleburg, drive out
the enemy and send a force on to Upperville and Ashby’s
Gap.” Vol. 43, p. 909.

About a mile west of the town, in a strong position on
wooded heights, were posted W. H. F. Lee’s Brigade on the
left and Robertson’s Brigade on the right of the Upperville
turnpike. Colonel Gregg’s Brigade advanced as skirmishers
and the firing was fierce. So that General Gregg, there in
person, reported that the fire of the enemy’s artillery “and his
skirmishers concealed in wheat fields and woods made any ad-
vance of our line apparently impracticable.” And now
came the fight, says General Gregg: ‘Determined to drive
the enemy from his position, I directed all available force
upon his centre. An increased force of dismounted skir-
mishers was placed to the right and left of the turnpike, and
regiments held in readiness to charge upon the road. The en-
emy made strong resistance, but at last yielded and aban-
doned his position.” Vol. 43, p. 953. General Stuart
says: “This attack was met in the most determined manner
by those two brigades, which rough roads had already decima-
ted for want of adequate shoeing facilities.” And, “appre-
ciating the difficulty of the situation I withdrew my com-
mand to a more commanding position half a mile to the rear.”
Vol. 44, p. 689. And that day they did not “send a force on
to Upperville and Ashby’s Gap.” The Sixty-third North
Carolina camped again that night east of Upperville. Gen-
eral Pleasanton says: ‘General Gregg sent in about fifty
prisoners * * * all from-North Carolina,” which shows
that the Sixty-third Regiment was in the front of the fight
and stayed there longest. Vol. 43, p. 910.

On the 20th it rained all day and Stuart was waiting for
Hampton, who had been left with his brigade on the Rap-
pahannock and who arrived on the 20th too late to attack the
enemy, still in possession of Middleburg. Vol. 44, pp. 687
and 690.

General Pleasanton in his report, 20 June, says: “I am

Stxty-Tuirp Reeiment. 565

just in from General Gregg’s battlefield of yesterday. He
had a very hard fight. Our cavalry is really fighting in-
fantry behind stone walls. This is the reason of our heavy
losses.” Vol. 43, p. 911. What a tribute is that sentence
about “infantry” to the Sixty-third North Carolina Regi-
ment! There was no infantry with Stuart.

Sunday, 21 June, was to witness the fiercest fighting of all
and to end the contest. Fitz Lee was away off to our left at
Snicker’s Gap and not in the action at all. Jones’ and W.
H. F. Lee’s Brigades under Chambliss were from four to six
miles off to our left on Goose creek and thus Hampton and
Robertson were to bear the brunt of the battle, as it must be
noted that the North Carolinians had been doing since the
evening of the 17th. Vol. 44, pp. 688-690.

Pleasanton had five fresh brigades engaged against our
four and three of these were against the brigade of Hampton
and the worn out, decimated two regiments of Robertson and
one of these brigades against Hampton and Robertson was
Vincent’s Infantry Brigade, which brigade Pleasanton says
“was kept busy by their dismounted infantry.” Vol 43, pp.
913 and 614; Vol. 44, p. 690.

Our little force was between Middleburg and Upperville,
in a position of great strength previously and carefully
selected by General Stuart who was commanding in person.
And we would have held it against a force even double ours
in strength: Part of our cavalry was, at the beginning of
the battle, mounted for charging and guarding flanks while
the rest were dismounted behind a series of stone walls on the
south side of the turnpike, and running at right angles with
it, the cavalry in the road and fields, and Hart’s battery of
horse artillery of six guns was near the road on the left. A
long belt of woods marked our position.

In front of us was Fuller’s Artillery, a great line of Kil-
patrick’s Cavalry, with General Buford’s Division moving to
our left flank and behind and immediately with Kilpatrick’s
force came a great brigade of the Fifth Corps of infantry un-
der command of Colonel Vincent, who sent the Eighty-third
Pennsylvania to flank us on our right. About 8 a. m. the
battle began and soon it was on most furiously. One regi-