646 Nortu Caroiina Troops, 1861-65.

utter rout and confusion down the White Oak road right
back of that little field and in full sight of us all. Fred.
Foard dismounted one-half of the holders of our led horses
and with them, by rallying shouts and threats to shoot Pick-
ett’s men, attempted to check the rout, but all in vain. Those
great Federal lines in order to envelop our forces to their right
and front wheeled grandly to the right as they victoriously
stormed Pickett’s works and did not come down on us at
once. In front of that little field, all over that great open
expanse came Custer’s great division, like Mamalukes con-
verging down on the Sixty-third, the Nineteenth and the
Forty-first North Carolina. The voices’ of Custer and his
officers rang out in clear, clarion tones, orders that every old
cavalryman in that little field distinctly heard and knew to
mean our utter destruction if executed. Every man in that
little field knew that Pickett was routed and that it could be
but a short time till that “army with banners” to our left
would also come down upon us. But not a man moved in
those little, low works. To all appearances they were kneel-
ing dead. A few moments before a courier had ridden up to
Captain Erwin, now commanding the regiment, and, in low
tones, given him an order. He rose and repeated it so that his
entire little line heard it: “Hold your fire till that coming
cavalry reaches the edge of the field and till I order it.”
Those kneeling men were not dead ; they were just obeying or-
ders, under the most trying test to a soldier. The Nineteenth
and Forty-first had their orders. They sat still in their sad-
dles, every man with his sword or his pistol in his hand. That
splendid cavalry under the Stars and Stripes came on
grandly ; they reached the edge of the field, a great, loud, bass
voice, like a speaking trumpet, said “Fire!” An awful vol-
ley answered from the rifles of the Sixty-third and then they
rattled with one continuous fire. The magnificent riders “in
blue” in front of that fire fell from their saddles and recoiled
just to come again. As that “order to fire” was given the
Nineteenth and Forty-first rode forward into Custer’s “‘ser-
ried ranks” as if they really expected to “annihilate” them.
The shock of the collision was terrible. Orders rang out on
both sides clear-cut and loud. Sabers rang on each other with

Srxty-Turrp Reerment. 647

a cold steel ring that only the bravest veterans can stand.
Pistol shots here and there and everywhere emptied saddles
and burnt, with powder flashes, faces with death’s pallor on
them. Each side knew what was at stake, and this saber slash-
ing lasted longer than I ever saw one. A short, stout general
in gray, on a big gray horse, was riding here and there in the
midst of that frightful fray, with Lieutenant Fred. Foard,
two couriers, Brown and Means, and Color-Bearer Churchill,
around him, all that were left of his staff; one courier had
just gone to the rear with a hand nearly shot off. He was
eagerly watching to the front, the right and left. It was
nearly dark, he could not see far. Custer’s line had not ad-
vanced a yard on that little field. The general in gray sent a
courier into the woods to the right who quickly told him that
he was being flanked there. Just then W. H. F. Lee, alone,
rode rapidly into the fray to General Barringer’s side. They
talked a second. Two couriers were sent up the White Oak
Road to see who was that mass of men coming down on our
left. They rode within thirty yards of the coming platoons.
One courier whispered to the other: ‘‘Look at their colors;
turn your horse slow and ride off in a walk.” They quickly
reported: “It is a great body of Federal troops.” Lieuten-
ant Foard and the two couriers rode off from Generals Lee
and Barringer with orders. The Nineteenth and Forty-first
began to retire slowly. The dismounted Sixty-third with-
drew with their faces to the foe, firing as they fell back. And
as General Barringer writes, on page 442 of Vol. 1, “At Five
Forks on 1 April the last hope of the Confederacy went down
in darkness and despair.” Under Captain Erwin’s slow,
cool, steady orders the men of the Sixty-third withdrew and
lighted up that “darkness” with the flashes of their rifles
when the curtain fell there on war’s greatest tragedy. Vol.
95, pp. 1264, 1299 and 1300; 1117, 1118, 1105, sketch 830
and 1130—1131.

In my “Sketches” of 1881, fully approved by General Bar-
ringer, appear these words: “Only the Second, Third and
Fifth Regiments were present in the open field.” He, in his
sketch of the Ninth, in Vol. 1, indicates that the Third was
not in the “open field.” He wrote that sketch on his death