368 NortH CaRobina Troops, 1861-65.

relieve our poor suffering troops in hospitals as well as their
own men (our prisoners) caused a feeling generally expressed
that being reduced to this extreme, it was time the war should
stop.
The services of the battalion were hardly appreciated, ex-
cept perhaps by General Lee, who would not allow it to be
moved, knowing the important work it was accomplishing in
protecting, as it did, the many passes, particularly South
Quay, thereby enabling our people to bring out from our
eastern counties such supplies as could be spared from our
non-combatants within the enemy’s lines.

In our engagements we lost but few comparatively, having
breastworks to protect us most of the time, but we never failed
to punish our opponents with some severity. Their casual-
ties would be reported to us by citizens living on the opposite
side of the Blackwater. No braver or better officers were in
our army than Adjutant J. W. Perry, Captain J. G. Hol-
liday, Lieutenant Branch, to say nothing of yourself and
other officers, commissioned and non-commissioned,

The operations of the other part of the command were con-
fined to that territory east of us, the Meherrin river and down
the Chowan as far as Colerain and even farther. I was with
them less of the time, but always found them on the alert and
prompt to communicate any advance of the enemy by land or
water.

As before stated, I was on my way to Raleigh on the morn-
ing of 1 April, 1865, and learned the enemy had advanced
and were making a determined attempt to eross at South
Quay, and it was at that time and place as brave and gallant
a soldier as ever wielded saber (Joe Watford) fell on the
banks of the Blackwater, his comrades, pressed as they were,
endeavored to place him in the saddle, but “No,” he said, “T
am done for; save yourselyes’”—then died.

Do you remember young Wood, as daring and handsome a
boy as ever wore the gray, how he dropped back to be the last
to cross Lenow’s Bridge, when we, so pressed by the enemy,
tore it up, and wheeling in his saddle as the enemy reached it,
being thereby checked for the time, he took deliberate aim and
unseated his man. In fact, the battalion was a gallant set of

 

FIFTEENTH BATTALION. 3869

men and deserve more than a mere mention. I hope you
will bestir yourself and write what you know, and if these
paragraphs serve to refresh your memory, I shall have dis-
charged a pleasant duty.

There is one fact, that from the fall of 1864 till General
Lee surrendered, the enemy never got nearer Weldon than to
press us to Nottoway Bridge and fall back the same day, nor
did they get into the country west of the Chowan until the
struggle between the armies of the States was in its last
throes. You know we never surrendered, but were pressing
on to join Johnston. After hearing of General Lee’s surren-
der, then learning of the surrender of the latter when at
Ridgeway, we sadly wended our way through the desolate re-

gion to our homes.
B. A. Caprnart.”

To what has been thus said by Captain Capehart, I can
add but little. The battalion was raised to protect North
Eastern North Carolina from the enemy’s raids and as he
has stated, we did it—to the very best. When the end came
we took no parole, but went home and took our guns and

horses with us.
James M. Wywnws.

Morrreesgoro, N. C.,
30 May, 1901.