14 NortH Caro.ina Troops, 1861-’65.

The staff of the regiment was as follows:

A. T. Lonnon, of Wilmington, Adjutant.

N. M. Jonzs, of Chatham, Sergeant-Major.

C. S. Weppen, of Wake, Quartermaster Sergeant.

Assistant Surexons, James Jordan, of N orthampton; F.
R. Gregory, of Granville; G. G. Smith, of Concord. Dr.
Gregory had previously been Captain of Company B.

When first organized into battalions, we had. no surgeons
and the following extract of a letter from the writer at that
time gives an idea of the situation:

“Camp DanieEL,
“June 2, 1864.

“I have no surgeon and have to prescribe for the sick
myself. A doctor of Major Hahr’s Battalion has kindly fur-
nished me with some medicines with full directions how to
use. To-day I dosed about thirty. * * * Thavea good
deal to amuse me in camp. My men come to me for every-
thing. One wants a furlough, one has broken his gun and
expects me to mend it for him; another wants to go home to
get married, ete.”

An assistant surgeon reported for duty on 17 June, 1864,
but with no medicines. ‘These came within a short time,
however, and thereafter we had the services of kind, attentive
and competent surgeons. This regiment, with the other
Junior Reserves, joined in the following letter:

“Camp OF JUNIOR RESERVES,
“Near Wetpon, N. C., October 10, 1864.
“Hon. Secretary of War, Richmond, Va.:

Str:—We, the undersigned Field Officers of the Junior
Reserves of North Carolina stationed near Weldon, N. C., at
the unanimous request of the officers and enlisted men of the
commands, respectfully tender their services to the depart-
ment for duty in Virginia during the present emergency,
while our National Capital is threatened and its brave defend-
ers stand in need of reinforcements.”

This letter was a source of pride to Lieutenant-General

arwencaseerey! sae tat haan ateten a mea aceeiaemmee aae ce sale ciaians anti ~

Porro e

SEVENTIETH REGIMENT. 15

Holmes, commanding the Reserves of North Carolina, who
often spoke of it in highly complimentary terms to the writer.

On 16 October, 1864, the regiment went to Boykin’s Depot,
met a raid from the Blackwater where it remained a day or
two, and returned to Weldon, as the enemy had retired, where
we continued to furnish guards for bridges at Gaston and else-
where, and heavy details for outpost duty.

THE LOWER ROANOKE,

This regiment and Anderson’s Battalion were ordered to
Plymouth on Saturday, 29 October. We left Weldon and
went by rail to Tarboro. On Sunday marched eighteen
miles, on Monday twenty-five to within thirteen miles of Ply-
mouth, where we met our troops returning from the capture
of the place and the blowing up of the Albemarle by the en-
emy, and were ordered to Hamilton, N. C. This was extra-
ordinary marching for raw levies. There was little or no
straggling and the regiment was highly complimented by Gen-
eral Baker, commanding.

Camp “Baker,” near Hamilton, was headquarters, and
from this point the outpost service become both arduous and
important, as our advanced posts extended to Foster’s Mills,
below Williamston, in Martin County. Covering the ap-
proaches to Martin, Edgecombe and Pitt Counties, whence
at the time large supplies were drawn for the support of Lee’s
army.

Early in November, four companies (B, E, H and I), were
sent under command of the Major of the regiment to William-
ston where he was placed in charge of the post, relieving Lieu-
tenant Colonel Van Hook with six companies of the Fiftieth.
Two companies of cavalry, Captains Pitts and Brown, of the
Sixty-fifth North Carolina, and Lee’s Alabama Battery of
artillery were also under his command, seven companies al-
together. With these he was to guard the crossings at Fos-
ter’s and Rawls’ Mills and patrol the roads leading to Ply-
mouth and Washington where the enemy were in force. One
of the principal objects served by the outpost at that time was
to cover the movements of Dr, Fretwell, who had been sent
out from Richmond to place torpedoes in the Roanoke below