182 Nort Carortina Troops, 1861-’65.

passed, and striking the front of Heth’s train, had captured
several teams, wagons and ambulances, the first ambulance
having Colonel Leventhorpe, of the Eleventh, and I think Col-
onel J. K. Connally, of the Fifty-fifth North Carolina, with
others that I did not know. They were at once hurried off
on the cross road for fear of recapture. Major Scales, Divis-
ion Quartermaster, was the only man I saw that seemed to
have a head on him, and he stopped a few of Imboden’s men
and gathered a few stragglers together and soon drove the
raiders off, but they had done considerable damage in cutting
down wagons and running off the teams. A member of my
own company who was riding with me, swore he would save
his own bacon, jumped off, took to the woods, and I did not
see him again until we reached the Potomac. We were not
molested again, arriving at Williamsport, on the bank of the
Potomac, which we found past fording, this compelling us to
halt. The whole train was placed at the foot of the hill be-
tween the Chesapeake and Ohio canal and the river, so as to
be able to cross as soon as the river fell.

On Monday about 4 p. m., we were startled by a shot fired
from beyond the town, and the ball dropping down among us
struck one of our mules, breaking his neck, then plunging into
the river, followed by several others, but none doing any
other damage. There was quite a commotion for awhile, but
some of our cooler headed ones, seeing the necessity of action,
soon had: quite a little company organized of stragglers,
drivers and some of the wounded, and marching back into the
town we gave them the best fight we could under the cireum-
stances, but I fear we would all have been captured had not
General Pierce M. B. Young, who had been sent by General
Stnart after the raiders, come up just in time, and making a
charge drove them off, killing and capturing several of them.
We had several men killed and wounded in this affair; the
Sixteenth had one man (Bowman, Company I) killed. In
the meantime, General Lee had left Gettysburg on the night
of the 4th, after lying all day in front of Meade, who did not,
for reasons best known to himself and his Generals, feel in-
clined to push him, had marched at his leisure, and passing
Hagerstown on Monday, established himself on a line between

vad eS eee ere bee et = .
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SIXTEENTH REGIMENT. 183

that town and in front of Williamsport, where he remained
for about ten days in front of Meade offering him battle, but
he refused to accept. Quite an artillery duel was kept up
between the two armies all that time, but little damage to our
side.

FALLING WATERS.

On the afternoon of the 13th orders were received for the
trains to cross at the ferry, and everything was sent over
during the night, General Lee moving with army after dark,
going down on the north side and throwing a pontoon bridge
across at Falling Waters, where the river is quite narrow, the
banks being steep and high, forcing the water into a channel
of 200 feet. Falling Waters is so called from a creek that
runs over a precipice about twenty feet high and into the river
at that place. The fall is just above the road and is quite pic-
turesque, making a miniature Niagara.

It was at this place that a squadron of Federal cavalry
made a dash at Hill’s Corps as the men were lying on the
ground resting and waiting for the artillery to cross. In
this affray General Pettigrew was mortally wounded and a
few rebels captured, among them one member of Company G.
As soon as our men realized that an assault had been made,
they sprang up, opened fire and soon drove them off, killing a
number and among them the man that shot Pettigrew.

When all the artillery and wagons were safely crossed, the
men followed, and marching up the turnpike a few miles en-
camped for the night near Martinsburg.

Passing through Martinsburg the next Monday, 15th, up
the valley to Bunker Hill, where we remained in quiet about
ten days, the men enjoying themselves living on dewberries,
there being a great abundance of them in the clover fields, fur-
nishing good picking for the whole army. Leaving the valley
we crossed at Chester Gap and had quite a brisk little skir-
mish and artillery duel at Gaines’ Cross Roads; not much
damage done to either side. Going on to Culpepper Court
House we camped there until 9 August, when the cavalry got
up quite a warm fight near Brandy Station. We were or-
dered out and started towards Orange Court House, which we
reached on the 10th, going into camp on the farm of Colonel