226 Norra Carotina Troops, 1861-65.

General Joseph E. Johnston. When the regiment arrived
at Manassas Junction, about sundown, 16 July, it was or-
dered to remain on board the cars and wait further orders.

MANASSAS.

At daybreak next morning it was ordered to leave the train
and proceed immediately to Mitchell’s Ford, on Bull Run.
Mitchell’s Ford is on the direct road from Manassas Junction
to Centerville, about half way between the two places, and
about four miles from each. Centerville lies north of the
junction, and had been occupied by the enemy under General
McDowell on the preceding day, and it was expected that he
would attempt to capture the junction that day, the 17th.
The regiment reported to Brigadier-General Bonham, at
Mitchell’s Ford, and was posted by him on the extreme left
of his brigade, about half a mile from the ford. While going
to this position the regiment was under fire for the ~ oh
While passing through an old field, the enemy fired a few s 10
and shell in our direction. Some of the shell exploded ~
near us, sounding decidedly ugly and causing a general cs
position to duck one’s head. The fight on that day was e y
an artillery duel, with but ae damage on either side. 0
in the Twenty-first was hurt.
oT hat night ae Twenty-first was posted at the ford, —
pying several hundred yards on each side of the same an
remained in that position up to and during the battle of Sun-
day, 21 July. Early on the morning of the 21st the oe
opened fire on our position with artillery and kept it up .
several hours. The shot were aimed too high, however, an
again no one in the regiment was hurt. At first as men
were quite nervous, but that soon passed off and when tas
the day the Twenty-first was ordered to march on Centervi e
a shout went up from one end to the other of the regiment =
in ten minutes time it had fallen into line, waded the cree
and was on the Centerville side ready for any service -
quired. From some mismanagement, not, however, = t :
part of the commanding officer of the a. . 0
the commander of the brigade, nothing was accomplished un-

der this order.

First Barration. 227

After the battle, the Twenty-first remained in thé vicinity
of Manassas for several weeks, and from bad water and the
general unhealthiness of the country there was much sick-
ness among the men and officers. Camp was next moved to
a point near Groveton on the Manassas Gap Railroad and
about eight miles west of the junction. The change of camp
seemed to do no good and in a short time there were between
seven and eight hundred sick men in camp. Diarrhea and
camp fever were the prevailing diseases. During the six or
seven weeks which the regiment spent in this camp, one hua-
dred and sixty-four of its members died in camp and neigh-
boring houses. From some cause the loss of the two compa-
nies, that afterward formed the battalion, were less than half
of that of any other two companies in the regiment. Frem
here the regiment went to Bull Run Gap, the point where the
railroad passes through the Bull Run mountains. In the
latter part of October most of the men, who had survived,
were again able for service and the regiment then about 800
strong, moved down to Centerville, where, for some time, a
battle seemed imminent. Soon after Christmas the Twenty-
first went into winter quarters on the railroad between Man-
assas and Bull Run. On 8 March, the Twenty-first, with
the balance of the army, left Manassas Junction and fell back
to the south bank of the Rappahannock river. The Twenty-
first was then a part of Ewell’s Division, which remained in
the vicinity of Rappahannock station until April, when it
moved back to Gordonsville and from there moved over into

the Valley of Virginia and united with the forces under Gen-
eral Jackson.

BATTALION ORGANIZED.

On the march to the Valley of Virginia, the division halted
for two or three days near Gordonsville. During that halt
the First Battalion of Sharpshooters was organized, though
the two companies composing it remained a part of the

_ Twenty-first until after the battle on 25 May, 1862. It was

in that fight the Twenty-first had its real baptism of blood on
the field of battle. In that fight every third man of the regi-
ment that went in was killed or wounded in twenty minutes.