376 Nortn Carouina Troops, 1861-’65.

erfordton, and thence across the Blue Ridge ; the other by way
of Lenoir and Morganton to Swanannoa Gap.

Major-General McGowan, of the Confederate Army, hap-
pened to be at Morganton about this time. The citizens had
obtained, through Governor Vance, a small field piece and
had erected some breastworks and placed this piece so as to
command the crossing of the river at the Rocky Ford, on the
road from Lenoir to Morganton. Lieutenant George West,
previously Aide-de-Camp on the staff of General D. H. Hill,
had hurriedly organized and drilled a squad of young men
who had charge of this gun. Captain Twitty’s company of
Avery’s Battalion, removed from the western part of Burke
County, when Stoneman’s command approached Morganton
and occupied some rifle pits along the bank of the river near
Rocky Ford. The home guard, under Colonel T. George
Walton, were posted higher up the hill, and were supporting
the field piece. This field piece, with the help of the in-
fantry under General McGowan, chiefly that of Twitty’s
sharpshooters, prevented Stoneman’s men from crossing at

that point for several hours. Captain Twitty finding that:

the Federals were going up the river, took a squad and went
up to Fleming’s Ford. When information was received that
Stoneman had sent men to a ford still farther up, all of the
soldiers on the river retreated and evaded capture. T witty’s
men fought with the coolness and courage of veterans in this,
their only skirmish, with trained troops. A portion of Car-
son’s company watched from the hills and mountains the ad-
vance of Stoneman to Swanannoa Gap, and pounced down
upon detached squads of Federals, where they saw that they
would not be outnumbered.

In May, 1865, the whole mountain and Piedmont country
was infested with robbers claiming to have been enlisted in
the Federal army and it became absolutely necessary for the
boldest among the returned soldiers of the Confederate Army
to organize and strike terror into these bands of marauders. A
party of desperate robbers were pursued by a number of Ex-
Confederate soldiers, and took refuge in a sort of block house
in Wilkes County, which was called Fort Hamby. In a
charge upon this house, when it was captured Second Lieu-

SEVENTEENTH BATTALION. 377

tenant Henly, of Miller’s company, was killed. There
was not a more daring man in any army. The storming of
Fort Hamby 14 May, 1865, is the subject of an interesting
article by Hon. R. Z. Linney in this volume. The men who
fought and fell there imperiled their lives for the protection
of their friends and families and moreover incurred the risk
of being punished by the Yankees, at the instance of their

irregular soldiers, who were in sympathy with such robbers.
A. ©. Avzry.

Moreanton, N. C.,
30 May, 1901.