322 Nortu Carotina Troops, 1861-65.

EVACUATION.

The end of the siege came at last; one evening, long into
the dark, we shelled the woods in front of our batteries, and
kept the enemy from having any fires at all, but when our
headquarter’s band finally struck up “Dixie,” they all yelled
at us, “Played out! Played out!’ For some cause or other
they did not return our fire on that night at all, and it was
about 11 o’clock when we silently marched down the City
road, lined by the great live oak trees, with their long festoons
of waving moss and vines which swung backward and for-
ward, in the pale moonlight, and seemed to be ghosts of our
departed hopes. We passed through the city and just as the
clocks in the steeples struck “one!” our command had reached
the centre of the dikes in the rice fields, which border the Car-
olina side of the Savannah river.

No pursuit of us was attempted. The enemy was perfectly
willing to “play quits” after weeks of constant duelling.

At our first halt the Georgia troops being ‘““Home Guards”
insisted that they should be returned to their State. And as
a legitimate operation of the doctrine of State’s rights, they
were returned. This forced General Hardee to uncover
Charleston and that great citadel fell.

Then came the campaign of the Carolinas, under the com-
mand of General Jos. E. Johnston. It was on 19-21 March,
1865, that there occurred the three days’ contest at Benton-
ville, which for fierceness and vigor might be well honored
with the title of one of the greatest battles of the war. It
was the last fought in the eastern portion of the Confederacy.

General Johnston finding that the wings of Sherman’s
army were widely separated, precipitated his whole command
on the Federal corps commanded by General Slocum at Aver-
asboro 16 March, and gave that distinguished officer a pretty
thorough scare; with about 14,000 men, he captured three
guns, many prisoners and drove the enemy back several miles.
He certainly taught the commander of that wing that our shot
and shell were not yet all gone; but the other portion of Sher-
man’s army coming up, we fell back to Bentonville where for
three days with less than 20,000 men, we held at bay Sher-
man’s united command of near 70,000 men.

 

 

TentH Barraion. 323

THE RETREAT.

The retreat across our own native State next followed
igs only hope we had was to make a junction with General
Lee’s army and make a combined assault on either one of the
armies of the enemy. That hope was not realized, and so ak
1 May, 1865, at Greensboro, N. C., the writer was dul
paroled with the battalion and became once more a HE Phd

+}

“fn accordance with the terms of the Mili i
entered into on 26 April, 1865, between puoi hdr ae,
Johnston, commanding the Confederate army, and Ma iors
General W. T. Sherman, commanding the United cane
Army in North Carolina, and he was permitted to return to
his home, not to be disturbed by the United States authorities
so long as he observed this obligation and obeyed the laws in
force where he may reside.” This parole is signed by T. B
Roy, A. A. General, ©. 8. A., Commissioner, and Wm Aa
suff, Brev. Brigadier-General and A. I. Gs ets Saeed

Commissioner.

Woopsury WuHeeter.
Wasuineton, D. C.,

26 Apri, 1898,