358 Nortu Carotina Troops, 1861~’65.

day and being hidden by the low growing coast vegetation we
opened fire at daylight with two 3-inch rifled guns upon one
of the blockaders lying as near in as it was safe, disabling
her so she signalled for a consort some miles away who com-
ing in towed her out of range. A week later the same vessel
was fired on from Fort Fisher and sunk.

On 23 May, ordered to Northeast ( railroad) bridge. Leav-
ing Lieutenant McNeill with one section there, Captain Webb
with the other, proceeded next day to Bannerman’s bridge and
thence on the Holly Shelter road where, being joined by a
company of cavalry, we advanced to a position at a bridge
over Shaking Creek to repel a threatened raid from New
Bern. In a few days were ordered (5 J une) to Weldon, men
and guns going by rail and horses under Lieutenant Horne by
country roads, reaching Weldon 12 June. Here we were
kept on outpost to protect the extreme right of Lee’s army
for ten months, our own line being on the north side of the
Roanoke from Gaston to Halifax.

On 31 January, 1865, Colonel John H. Anderson, with
the Seventy-first North Carolina (Second Junior Reserves),
and Millard’s Battalion of Juniors, a squadron of cavalry
from the Nineteenth North Carolina (Second Cavalry), and
our battery were ordered to Coleraine on the Chowan to drive
back a force which the enemy had landed, but on oar arrival
after a rapid march found the enemy had re-embarked and
gone down the river.

We returned to Weldon, thence the battery went to Golds-
boro, only to be speedily sent back to the Blackwater, thence
in a few days back to Weldon.

On 4 March ordered to march by country road to Golds-
boro, but had only gotten twelve miles when an order brought
by courier caused us to return to Weldon, thence by rail to
the Blackwater, thence back to Weldon.

On 31 March one section was sent to Tarboro, Captain
Webb being in command of post at Weldon, and on 2 April
that section returned and without disembarking went down
the Seaboard Railroad with the Sixty-seventh North Caro-
lina. The enemy retired again and Colonel Jno. N. Whit-
ford on the return of our troops was himself riding in the

 

 

THIRTEENTH BATTALION. 359

cab of the locomotive, when just after passing Seaboard he
discovered several hundred men up the track. He had hardly
time to stop the train when he found the track was being torn
up by a party of the enemy’s cavalry.

Hastily disembarking the infantry, among whom half our
men took their places armed with Enfield rifles, he ordered
the train back to Seaboard to disembark the artillery, guns
and horses, the infantry at once attacking the enemy who
after a few moments’ hot firing, mounted their horses and
sought safety in flight. The artillery now coming up, we
pursued the enemy to Jackson, where we found that they had
distanced us going in the direction of Murfreesboro. Colo-
nel Whitford then took position near Jackson, covering both
Halifax and Weldon.

But the end was now rapidly approaching. Fort Fisher
had fallen in January and the enemy occupied Wilmington,
closing our only outlet to the world. Johnston was now about
to commence his last retreat and on 7 April directed the troops
withdrawn from the north side of the Roanoke. On night of
13 April, General L. S. Baker evacuated Weldon, destroying
the bridges there and at Gaston and we started over the coun-
try roads to join General Johnston at Raleigh. At Ridge-
way we found the track filled with cars which had been with-
drawn from both ends of the road, including those with our
own stores of provisions and ammunition and here first
learned of the evacuation of Petersburg and the surrender of
General Lee, and also of the battle of Bentonville, in which
two batteries of our battalion had been engaged, that Sher-
man had occupied Raleigh while Johnston had fallen back to-
wards Greensboro, and that a large cavalry force from Grant’s
army was. moving on our right, threatening to get in the rear
of Johnston.

Being thus surrounded on all sides, General Baker called a
council of war of all the officers, and in view of the impossi-
bility of our reaching Johnston it was decided to disband, but
a small force of volunteers, mounted on cavalry, wagon and ar-
tillery horses, would try to pass around Sherman’s left and
reach Johnston. On the eall for volunteers more stepped
forward than we could supply with horses, but finally seventy-