Nortu Carorina Troops, 1861-65.

iments (First, Second and Third J uniors), commanded by
Colonel J. H. Nethercutt. This brigade belonged to Hoke’s
Division, and met the enemy next at Bentonville 19-21 March,
1865. A portion of General Johnston’s army was there con-
fronting the advancing columns of Sherman’s army approach-
ing from the south. At this engagement the battalion took
part and while not engaged in the hottest of the conflict it was
exposed both to the artillery and musketry fire of the enemy
at frequent intervals for three days and sustained some losses.
There were quite a number of the boys wounded at this en-

gagement, but I am unable to give the names of any except
Private Carter, of Company E.

THE RETREAT.

After the Bentonville engagement the Battalion made no
other history except in common with the retreating forces of
General Joseph E. Johnston before the victorious columns
of Sherman’s invading army. The fortunes of the Confeder-
acy were rapidly yielding to the force of overwhelming num-
bers and the want of army supplies. This great leader, sec-
ond only to Lee, with his army must soon capitulate to an
army of invaders of far superior strength. The fate of that
army was shared by the First Battalion of Junior Reserves.
Tt moved with the brigade and that wing of our army from
Bentonville on through Smithfield, Raleigh, Durham and
other intervening points until the final surrender 26 April
near Greensboro, then, along with their fathers and older
brothers, scar-worn veterans that had contested the Federal
advance from Chickamauga to Greensboro, the boys laid down
their arms on the grave of the “Lost Cause” to return to their
homes and enter again the paths of civil life. Each officer
and man in the army was paid $1.25 in silver. The Junior
Brigade received their paroles 2 May, 1865, at Bush Hill, be-
tween High Point and Trinity College, in Randolph County.

This ends the real history of the First Battalion of North
Carolina Junior Reserves and its services in the Civil War
of thirty-six years ago. There are many incidents and mat-
ters of detail which went to make up our army life that would
no doubt, be interesting to individual members, to have re-

 

TWENTIETH BATTALION. 395

corded in history; want of information renders it impossible
to go into them. I have given the history of the organization
and its services with some of the incidents and results attend-
ing its military career in the best manner I am able with the
means at my command, which I feel sure is substantially cor-
rect in outline if not literally correct in detail.

Tt will not be improper for me to say here, that while I
have been engaged in writing this sketch that I have been
greatly aided in my work by Captain S. F. Conrad, of Com-
pany E, and Lieutenant Joseph Liner, of Company C. Also
Sergeant A. H. Matheson, of Company D, and Mr. E. E.
Smith, of Settle, N. C., who married the sister of Lieutenant
Lineberry, who fell at Kinston, all of whom have fur-
nished me much valuable data by which I have been enabled
to write up the movements of the battalion after my connec-
tion with it ceased. Without their aid my work must have
been very incomplete. I regret very much that I have not
been able to get any assistance or information from any mem-
ber of Company B, although I made considerable effort to
do so.

Before closing this sketch I think it will not be improper
for me to call attention to some inaccuracies in Major Moore’s
“Roster” which appear to my own personal knowledge or by
information from others who know the facts. The fourth
volume of his work contains many errors in names and rank of
men and officers in the companies composing our battalion. It
is not my purpose to introduce myself as his critic because I
have no doubt but his work is as perfect as he was able to
make it with the material accessible to him, and taken as a
whole he has given the State a valuable work. I think it
quite likely the company rolls were often very badly or imper-
fectly kept, either from want of proper qualification, or neg-
lect, of company officers whose duty it was to attend to them.
This, taken in connection with the confusion that existed at
the close of the war, the loss of valuable records, ete., will ac-
count for the fact that his work is not and could not be abso-
lutely correct. I will correct a few mistakes that T am aware
of, Viz. :

In Company A, J. M. Greenlee was First, or Orderly Ser-