230 Norru Carortina Troops, 1861-65.

a.m. Ina little more than twenty-four hours we had fought
a severe battle and marched twenty-two miles in pursuit of
the enemy. The Twenty-first went into the fight with about
300 men, the Major and two large companies being absent.
Of these 104 were killed or wounded. Colonel Kirkland
was severely wounded early in the fight; Lieutenant-Colonel
Pepper had wounds from which he died in a few days; Cap-
tains Hedgecock and Ligon were killed in the charge on the
stone wall. While we, with Latta’s Battery and Ashby’s
Cavalry, were in hot pursuit of General Banks, we supposed
that the balance of the brigade was coming on, but more
leisurely. Finding, however, that it did not come up, we re-
ported to Colonel Turner Ashby, the ranking officer present
and who a day or two afterwards was promoted to Brigadier-
General. Colonel Ashby said he had not expected any in-
fantry, but directed us to go into camp and await further or-
ders. Next day he informed us that he had received a dis-
patch from General Trimble inquiring if we were at Mar-
tinsburg and stating that it had not been intended that we
should follow the battery there, but only that we should stay
by it during the balance of the fight at Winchester. We,
however, understood and obeyed the order of General Ewell
literally and were well repaid for our hard march. We
found Martinsburg full of sutler’s stores that had been hastily
abandoned. The railroad depot was also crowded with
choice commissary supplies and hundreds of boxes of nice
things that had been sent out to the Federal officers and sol-
diers by their friends at home. Every soldier that wanted a
box took one. One of them opened his box in the presence of
the writer. It contained a dozen bottles of claret, at which
he was much disappointed. After the battle at Winchester
the two companies that composed the first battalion were de-
tached from the Twenty-first and became a separate com-
mand. We remained at Martinsburg five or six days and
then rejoined the brigade near Winchester. On reaching
Strasburg, twelve miles southwest of Winchester, we left the
turnpike and took a road leading in a northwest direction.
After marching about two miles we encountered the head of
Fremont’s column. Fremont, with 25,000 men, was coming

Frrst BArrALion. 931:

down from northwest Virginia to intercept and capture Jack-
son with his little army of 14,000 men. Jackson, however,
as was his custom, got to the right place first. The Con-
federates were quickly formed into line of battle and after a
little skirmishing and a big demonstration, were quietly with-
drawn and reformed in line on the high ridge just west of
Strasburg, where we remained until after dark. As soon as
it was fully dark we quietly withdrew and made a rapid
march in the direction of Woodstock. We marched until 2
a. m. that night. After that we proceeded up the Valley at
our leisure and were not molested by the enemy until after
we left the pike and were on the road to Port Republic.
Next morning after leaving the pike the enemy’s cavalry at-
tacked our rear which was in charge of General Turner
Ashby. The attack was quickly repulsed and some prisoners
captured. The writer saw the prisoners a few minutes after
their capture. Among them was a large fine looking officer
of the rank of Colonel and in full Federal uniform. This
officer proved to be Perey Wyndham, an Englishman and sol-
dier of fortune, who commanded a brigade of Fremont’s Cav-
alry. After repulsing the attack General Ashby pursued the
attacking force and made an attack upon it, after it had been
reinforced by infantry. In this attack he was killed. His
death was a serious loss to Jackson’s command. He was not
only a gallant and enterprising officer, but also an exceed-
ingly attractive man. The writer had been under his com-
mand a short time at Martinsburg and had seen considerable
of him.

The next day was Sunday, a bright, balmy, pure day.
About the middle of the afternoon we halted and went into
camp near a place called Cross Keys, which was only a cross
roads and a small church building or school house, about one
and a half miles from Port Republic. All were glad to have
a little rest.

CROSS KEYS.

The next day was 8 June. Everything was very quiet in
camp, during the morning; no marching orders were read
and the general impression was that we were to have a whole