758 NortH Carouina Troops, 1861-’65.

ited the wildest section and were loyal to us to the last. These
big mountains extended from the great Smoky range and the
Tennessee line back to the South Carolina and Georgia line
on the Blue Ridge. The Nantahala, Cowee, Balsam and
Newfound or Pisgah ranges connected these two great ranges,
and cut the water courses asunder. This route along the
railroad, beautiful and grand now to behold from car windows
and rear platforms where “distance indeed lends enchant-
ment to the view” in the hours of peace, was then my rough
“field of operations” by day and night.

In January, 1865, while I was in Cherokee county, several
hundred Indiana cavalry came up the Tennessee river and
captured a small party of my men at the mouth of Deep creek,
now Bryson City. This was a surprise but was of little value
to them, costing them much more than gained. Ghormley
and Everett’s Cavalry, of the Eightieth North Carolina
(Walker’s) Regiment, followed and harrassed them greatly.
Clay, Cherokee and Graham counties were protected by that
regiment mostly. Those counties were much infested by
the Union element, some very good men among them. There
were some very indiscreet and very unwise men and soldiers
on our side in this section. Much bad feeling existed. This
was a sort of half-way ground between Tennessee and South
Carolina and Georgia. Negroes, horses and other property
were stolen in Tennessee, carried to Georgia and South Car-
olina and sold. My soldiers from the Valley of Virginia did
not like this and [ had plenty of help to put it down. I gave
protection to such as deserved it and ordered the others to

leave the State. Several bands of ‘“‘scouts” caused much of

this trouble. I ordered these to their commands, took
horses, cattle and other property from them, several times at
muzzles of their pistols.

/ SOCO GAP.

farly 44 March, 1865, Colonel G. W. Kirk invaded Hay-
word covnty via Cataloochee. He had about 400 cavalry and
200 infantry. It had been reported in Tennessee that Fed-

eral troops would be weleomed in North Carolina. They
were, but “with bloody hands to hospitable graves.” Several

Stxry-Ninrao ReoGrMenr. 759

good citizens, however, were killed and numerous horses
stolen. Colonel Love met and fought them in Haywood
county and Lieutenant Conley fought and drove them across
the Balsam Mountains at Soco Gap.

On the morning of 6 March, 1865 the troops located in
Jackson county and Swain, met and fought them on Soco
creek, thence driving them across Smoky Mountains towards
Sevierville, Tenn., the writer travelling all of two nights and
one day to get there. This fight, insignificant within itself,
was an era with the Indians and was only noticeable from
its locality. It was fought upon a historic spot. At or over
an old town house there the celebrated creek chief, “Tecum-
seh,” held a council of war with the old Cherokee Chief
Yonah-guskee, about the year 1812, when Tecumseh tried in
vain to get the Cherokee to join in this great Indian war,
but this “Old Father of the Cherokees” flatly refused. And
now on the same spot both white and Indian descendants of
the noble sires that fought side by side under Jackson, bravely
fought the invaders of their soil, and but for the want of am-
munition would have badly worsted, if not destroyed Kirk’s
entire force. It is but fair to say that some of Kirk’s men
and officers refused to obey many of his beastly orders. This
raid had a good effect upon the people, drawing them more
closely together and intensified Southern sentiment. The
Indians themselves were always friendly to the whites and
loyal to their neighbors, which fact had a potent influence
ever after in keeping out army raids. Soon after this the
enemy everywhere became more active and aggressive. The
end was now rapidly approaching, as slow as our people were
to believe it.

On 10 March, 1865, General J. G. Martin reported 1,745
present for duty, of which the fragments of the Sixty-second,
Sixty-fourth and Sixty-ninth North Carolina reported 488.

MILL CREEK, 17 APRIL, 1865.

Colonel Bartlett, of New York, came up the French Broad
river to near Asheville, surprising and almost capturing that
place. But for the prompt and vigorous steps taken by Col-
onel G. Westly Clayton, of the Sixty-second North Carolina,