760 NortH CaroLina Troops, 1861-’65. * the place would have been taken. This was shortly prior to its final capture. Colonel J. R. Love, of the Sixty-ninth, was ordered to hold the gap at Swannanoa tunnel against the enemy approaching from Salisbury... He met them and drove them back to Mill.Creek, McDowell county, 17 April, 1865. About this time rumors of the surrender of General Lee were current, although the people discredited them. Colonel Love returned with his forces to Asheville and there with General Martin went on to Waynesville and Balsam Gap. About 25 April, General Martin sent written directions to the writer to go with a flag of truce to Knoxville, Tenn., to Gen- eral Stoneman regarding terms of the surrender of this De- partment. On this very day a soldier of the Ninth North Carolina (First Cavalry) came to my headquarters at Frank- lin, Macon county, and said that General Lee had surren- dered. I put him in jail till that evening or the next morn- ing, when another soldier came in with a proper parole, show- ing sure enough that Lee had surrendered. The first soldier was, of course, released. The flag of truce went directly on to Knoxville, Tenn., one hundred miles through the moun- tains, but did not return. The bearers were all thrust into jail for refusing to take the oath after having been grossly in- sulted upon the streets, and our flag trampled under foot. Captain W. B. Reese, Captains Everett, M. H. Love, Thomas Butler, John Henderson and others, twenty-three in all, were in the party. THE LAST FIGHT IN NORTH CAROLINA, 9 MAY, 1865. The day before out a few miles south of Maryville, we were all halted and inspected by a party of eighty-four Fedcrals After quite a parley I was ordered to surrender three of my men, Captains Love, Everett and Henderson, which, of course, I refused to do, whereupon we were severely threat- ened, but finally allowed to pass on. General Martin hear- ing nothing from us at Franklin, went towards Waynesville with Major Gordon, of his staff, and while spending the night at John B. Love’s, near Webster, Colonel Love, his son, came in from the front and told of his fight with Federals that day, Stxty-Ninto ReqimMenr. 761 9 May, above and around Waynesville, and that he and Colv- nel Thomas had demanded the surrender of Bartlett’s forces, and that next day, 10 May, was fixed for a further consulta- tion. This was the last gun fired during the war in this State. SURRENDER AT WAYNESVILLE, 10 may, 1865. During one of these parleys Colonel Thomas, who was usually very cool and discreet, became quite boisterous, especially when told that Bartlett’s men were trayersing the entire county and taking every horse and fat cow or ox. He demanded the surrender of Bartlett’s forces and went into town with twenty or twenty-five of his biggest and best war- riors all painted and feathered off in good old style. Colonel Love arrived about this time with his 250 men. Colonel Thomas and Lieutenant Conley had three hundred more whites and 200 more Indians, all the Indians making the welkin ring with their war whoop. Terms of surrender-were suggested and soon agreed to. All the officers and men were paroled and all allowed to retain their arms, ammunition, ete. This concession was agreed to on account of the disturbed con- dition of the country. Kirk was told by Bartlett that he must control his men and by Love and Thomas that if he did not that they would. Most of the officers and men of the old Legion have gone to their long home. Those still living are numbered with the best citizens of the land, loyal to their State, section and nation and not ashamed of their Confederate record, while there is no bitterness to our late foes. The writer as the last field officer of the regiment, while feeling it his duty to write, feels his entire inability to do justice to all, especially to the private soldiers, whose names even cannot be given here, but nobly generous North Carolina has preserved these in four volumes of Moore’s Roster. For ours, see Vol. 4, page 152, ete. W. W. Srrinerire.p. WAYNESVILLE, N. C., 10 May, 1901.