642 Nort Carourna Troops, 1861-65.

watching and directing all the movements of his men, sent
a courier to form the Sixty-third along the top of the bluff
down the stream as they came up from the water and to
check the advancing foe. They were supplied with ammu-
nition as quickly as possible; to aid in which, the cartridge
boxes of our dead were emptied from their dead bodies ; some
of which I thus emptied myself for this purpose. And un-
der the fire of the Sixty-third, the enemy went back to their
works on the ridge, except a few who threw up a V-shaped en-
trenchment, immediately in front of the ridge works, right
across the road—the point of the V being towards Chamber-
lain Run, as an additional defense.

General Barringer, on pages 439-440, Vol. 1, of these his-
tories, well tells how every generous, humane effort was made
to save his men in the afternoon. He ought to have told, 1
think, that this effort was so long tried with W. H. F. Lee
that Fitzhugh Lee came in person, on his horse all covered
with foam, and peremptorily ordered this afternoon attack,
delayed only for humanity’s sake. The battle in the after-
noon was, in all its movements, like that of the morning, ex-
cept that the Nineteenth crossed the ford first and that Cap-
tain John R. Erwin, of Company F, with sword in hand, now
led the Sixty-third across and deployed it to the right of the
road and to the right of the Nineteenth as magnificently as
McNeill had done in the morning. Lockhart, of the Nine
teenth, and Erwin, of the Sixty-third, gave their orders to
charge at the same moment and grandly, gloriously, with a
wild rush and yell they went forward over those works and
drove Sheridan’s splendid soldiers miles back to Dinwiddie
Court House. And as General Barringer says, on page 442,
Vol. 1, this “was the last marked victory won by our armies.”
And in winning it the Sixty-third “was a great part.”

General Barringer, in his account of this battle, published
in the Concord Sun, 18 March, 1881, now before me, says:
“Frank Brown, a courier, bore a message to Major Lockhart,
just as the latter gave his order to charge. The noble youth,
entirely unbidden, dashed to the head of the column and led
the charge, the only man on horseback! For a miracle he
escaped unhurt and, returning promptly to his post, he

Srxty-Turrp Rearment. 643

shouted, ‘We’ve whipped them! We've whipped them!’ ”
And there he further writes: ‘When the brave and gener-
ous Lieutenant Lindsey fell, his brother sprang for a moment,
to his side. The hero said, ‘Turn me on my face; then hurry
to the front.” When the Virginia squadron met its fatal re-
pulse and came rushing back, Lieutenant Fred. Foard and
Paul Means, with my headquarters color-bearer, Churchill,
dashed gallantly to the front, under a tremendous fire and
single-handed, received the shock of the advancing host.
Means and Churchill were both wounded and Means’ horse
was severely shot and Foard’s nearly killed.”
Lieutenant-Colonel Shaw was killed at the same time Col-
onel McNeill was. Lieutenant Lindsey was killed. Captain
Harris and Lieutenants Nott, Sockwell and Wharton were
all severely wounded, and others were killed and wounded
whose names I could not get. A great number of privates
were killed and wounded and “every man in Company H,
except the Captain, was struck by a‘ball during the day,”
Captain Pearson writes.
The battle gave immortal lustre to the Sixty-third, but it
was at an awful sacrifice and saddened forever many a home.
Colonel McNeill fell with his face to the foe as the hero,
who has to die, loves to fall. He was the son of George Me-
Neill and Minerva Ruffin, sister of Chief Justice Ruffin; was
born 23 May, 1825; was educated at Harvard and Princeton;
was ordained a Presbyterian minister in 1847, just 22 years
of age. He wasnot 40 when he fell. The faith and the fight
and the loyalty to his God of the old Covenanter was all in
him fully. Many a Sunday, in our winter camps, I have
seen him standing under the fluttering folds of the Gonfeder-
ate battle flag, with its blood-red field and starry cross, a great
crowd of soldiers in slouch hats and gray uniforms sitting on
the bare ground in front of him, and heard him preaching to
them, as their only salvation, the blood and the cross of Jesus
Christ. He was as true to the cross of Christ as he was to
the Southern cross. Like Jackson, he led his regiment in
prayer and in battle. He was right at the front of the fight,
advancing against an advancing foe and “ready” when God’s
bugle called him. All along war’s weary way he had “fought