110 Nortu Carorina Troops, 1861-65.

ond Lieutenant. Leven Edney, Orderly Sergeant, succeeded
very soon by Henry Coleman.

The company was quartered for a short time at the Jesse
Smith house, corner of West College and Haywood streets
(now the “villa” property), it then went into camp of instruc-
tion north of Asheville, about one and a half miles out, near
the foot of Woodfin Mountain (now called “Lookout’’),
the horses being temporarily stabled in the barns at the negro
quarters of Captain Woodfin. This camp, the first in West-
ern North Carolina, was named in honor of the commanding
officer and his elder brother Nicholas, a true and most
thorough Southerner, giving liberally of his ample means
to the advancement of the South’s interests. After the
lapse of a month or two “Camp Woodfin” was vacated, the
company removing to Ridgeway, N. C., leaving Asheville 9
August.

At Ridgeway the company was assigned to Colonel Bob.
Ransom’s Ninth North Carolina (First Cavalry), and the men
were engaged in perfecting their drill until late in the fall,
when they were ordered to Manassas, Va. Here they were put
on outpost duty, scouting and skirmishing almost daily,
eventually going into winter quarters and remaining until
Spring, when, about March, they were returned to North
Carolina, first stopping at Goldsboro, thence to Pollocks-
ville, near New Bern, and there put on picket duty, remain-
ing in that locality until some time in May, when they
were again sent back to Virginia, this time to Richmond,
thence to Culpepper and Brandy Station, doing picket duty
and scouting on both the Rapidan and Rappahannock rivers.

On 9 June was engaged in the heavy cavalry fight at Brandy
Station.

On 23 September, 1861, Captain Woodfin was pro-
moted to Major and transferred to the Nineteenth Regiment
(Second Cavalry), commanded at the time by Colonel M. L.
Davis, Jr., of Rutherford County, and later by James L.
Gaines, of Asheville, who lost an arm at Five Forks in April,
1865. Henry Ooleman, also a Buncombe man, having suc-
ceeded to the Captaincy of Company G, of which as I have
noted, he was orderly, was killed at same time and place.

Sreventy-NintH REGIMENT. 111

Although but little more than a boy, he had established a rep-

“utation for cool courage and daring. Lieutenant West and
others mentioned as leaving Company G, returned to West-
ern North Carolina and set to work to organize another com-
mand and very soon the former had a company and with two
others, Captains Harris and Fortune, formed a battalion, the
composition of which was as follows:

First Company—Buncombe—Wm. R. West, Captain ;
William Henry, First Lieutenant; A. E. Posey, Second Lieu-
tenant; F. M. Corn, Junior Second Lieutenant.

Seconp Company—Transylvania—l. A. Harris, Captain;
Ben Brittain, First Lieutenant; Branch Johnston, Second
Lieutenant ; Thomas Harkins, Junior Second Lieutenant.

Turrp Company—Buncombe—Wnu. P. Fortune, Captain;
Wm. Gilliam, First Lieutenant; James Wilson, Second Lieu-
tenant; B. F. Fortune, John Step, Junior Second Lieuten-
ants.

On account of ill health Major Woodfin had resigned his
position in the Nineteenth Regiment and on returning to
Asheville, impelled by that same spirit that prompted him to
offer himself as a sacrifice upon his country’s altar in the
early days of 1861, he accepted the leadership of this bat-
talion. _

The Federal army having taken possession of Knoxville
and occupying other sections of East Tennessee, it became
necessary for Western North Carolina, and more especially
the town of Asheville, having taken so early and active a part
in furnishing troops and giving aid in every possible way
to the Confederate forces as to embitter all in sympathy with
the other side, to defend its own borders from invasion, pil-

_lage and robbery. Hence this newly organized battalion

was the nucleus of a small “defensive army” and was ac-
tively engaged in repelling demonstrations made along the
border lines of North Carolina and Tennessee principally by
a band of marauders under the command of the notorious
George W. Kirk, made more bold and aggressive by the near-
ness of the regular army at Knoxville and less distant points.
Ever on the alert and guarding with zealous care all inva-