634 Norra Carotina Troops, 1861-65.

It was one of the most terrible nights of cold and rain and
sleet our regiment ever saw. The ground and trees next
morning were all covered with ice, under whose weight great
limbs broke and crashed to the earth along our route. And all
that night Colonel W. P. Reberts, with the Nineteenth North
Carolina Regiment, picketed and guarded the Meherrin above
Hicksford, while others slept, as well as they could.

And those “troops of Colonel Garnett,’ who were they?
Principally “Junior Reserves”—17-year-old boys from North
Carolina and Virginia. Prominent among them, the Seven-
tieth and Seventy-first North Carolina Regiments. And oh!
how those boys did fire. They seemed to be taking their
“Christmas” then, in fire works at least. They made their
lines lurid in the darkness. And a courier had to be sent
down to them “to stop their firing.”

The next morning I saw those same boys following in the
pursuit, some of them almost absolutely barefooted. A scene
pitiable I saw among them, too. As I rode past their march-
ing line, I noticed that every other boy had a tin cup in his
little hand, holding it as if he feared to spill something. I
said: “What have you in that cup?’ “Sorghum for two.” I
could not realize it and again further on I repeated: “What
have you in that cup?’ “Sorghum for two.” The time
will come when readers of these pages will not know what
“sorghum” was. It was North Carolina made molasses. And
I know that this is not the history of the Sixty-third North
Carolina Regiment. But the Sixty-third North Carolina
saw it and its sight was inspiration to us veterans, old and
young, to higher heroism. And it is told to show what the
homes and the hearts of the South endured in our civil war.

Now to a renewal of the “Sketches.” “General Hampton
repulsed the Federal troops and saved the railroad bridge at
that place. Next morning we found that the enemy had left
and were beating a hasty retreat. General Hampton made
a detour by way of Three Creeks to strike their flank. We
barely struck, on its right flank, their rear guard.”

Hampton, page 951, says: “General Lee charged with
one regiment, throwing a part of the regiment down and a
part up the road. The cavalry of the enemy which was met

Sixty-THirp REGIMENT. 635

was driven on rapidly, with loss and in confusion and the in-
fantry of the rear guard was gallantly charged.”

And herein will follow other illustrations of the need of
these histories. The “Sketches” say: “General Barringer,
in person, then charged their rear guard with two squadrons
of the First Cavalry, Captain Dewey and Lieutenant Todd,
and effectually routed them. Captain Dewey followed and
rushed them pell-mell on to their infantry supports and
then the infantry were charged and dispersed; but the
gallant Dewey finding his force too weak for the heavy odds
now against him, was compelled to retire. These two squad-
rons acted in the most daring manner. They killed and
wounded several of the enemy and took a number of prison-
ers.””

Again on page 951, Hampton says: “The pursuit on our
part continued during the remainder of the day. At Morris’
Mill we drove him from the bridge and pushing on soon met
some cavalry, charging and dispersing them. The leading
squadron of the Third Cavalry (Forty-first North Carolina)
dashed into the main body of the enemy, who were found pre-
paring to go into camp. Finding their whole force there I
withdrew to Morris’ Mill, two miles back to bivouac.”

The “Sketches” say: “The Third Cavalry (Forty-first
North Carolina) was now passed to the front and the pursuit
vigorously pressed. About 9 o’clock at night, Captain Har-
ding, of Company K, got the enemy’s rear guard fairly
started and charging them over two miles, forced them back
precipitately into their camps. His zeal led him too far and
into a furious fire from the enemy’s interior guards. But
the grave and skillful Captain still pressed forward and, af-
ter some hair-breadth escapes, succeeded in extricating his
command with a loss of only about a dozen men.” Our com-
rade, Julian S. Carr, was in this charge, to my personal
knowledge. That “interior guard” formed an ambuscade for
Captain Harding’s troopers. They fired from each side of
the road into each flank of those charging Carolinians. I
know that Julian S. Carr was in that charge and went as far