452 Norra CaroLina Troops, 1861-’65.

kept up day and night and two-thirds of my troops were on
constant duty.

From June until March, with a force of forty-five thou-
sand men, Lee with masterly skill and courage had main-
tained a line of thirty-five miles extent, against Grant, who
had three times that number, provided with abundant sup-
plies, clothing, provisions, forage for horses and medicines,
and with a railroad line traversing his entire defences, while
we, with brave and resolute hearts, determined and fearless,
though deprived of many of the necessaries of life, never at
any moment thought of yielding to our formidable adver-
saries. Indeed, had Lee been reinforced with even twenty
thousand men, I am confident in the belief that he would have
driven Grant, as he had his predecessor McClellan, not only
from his front, but cut off his line of supplies, and made his
campaign a failure. When spring returned, it became appar-
ent that mere human endurance could not much longer defend
the beleaguered Confederate Capital, and that therefore its
evacuation was near at hand. Lee at once began to quietly
remove his surplus material to Amelia Court House and
make ready for withdrawing our army, but his purposes
were not properly seconded by the civil authority. While
making these preparations, Grant was concentrating his
forces to complete the investment of his line. Sheridan’s
well equipped and well mounted cavalry were called in from
the Valley, while Sherman was marching through Georgia,
menacing the Carolinas, our bases of supplies. Lee was not
idle. His purposes were well considered. His object was,
in the event of abandoning our lines, to retreat to the hills
of the Blue Ridge and protract the war until honorable terms
of surrender could be exacted. On the first of April Sheri-
dan supported by two corps of infantry, advanced upon our
lines at Five Forks, where, after a severe engagement, he was
repulsed and driven back. In this engagement my command
was near at hand to render any support to our cavalry which
the emergency might demand.

The attack of the Federals was renewed the ensuing day,
and as it was successful, our lines were drawn back towards
Petersburg. I was occupying the right of the division when

a eee ee

Tur ANDERSON-RAMSEUR-Cox BRIGADE. 453

the advance of the Federals was arrested after Wilcox’s Di-
vision gave way, by the fire of the batteries of Forts Gregg
and Alexander, in which guns of my line participated. It
was now apparent that the contest was to be continued on our
part only to enable us to evacuate our lines, and commence
our retreat under the cover of night.. For the enemy, just
before daylight, drove in our pickets on the left of Grimes’
Division, rushed in, and leaped over our breastworks, where
Grimes assaulted them with a determination and resolute
courage which would accept no defeat. He fought from
traverse to traverse for hours together, until the cowed Fed-
erals who were left upon the line sought protection under
cover of our works where they were severely punished. In
the meantime, Colonel Henry Peyton, Inspector-General of
Lee’s staff, came and told me that General Lee directed that
I should hold my line at all ventures; for while I was cover-
ing a mile of our breastworks with my men ten feet apart,
this line was well protected with siege guns, and fire from my
pickets, so that the enemy were kept at a respectful distance.
Still there was a long unoccupied traverse on my right, run-
ning diagonally to my line. At this moment, I discovered
an engineer corps composed of 350 negroes, under the com-
mand of a Colonel, who were used for strengthening our
works. I requested Colonel Peyton to place this corps un-
der my command, which he did. Using them as dummies,
I extended them on this unoccupied line, and as only their
heads were exposed, the enemy naturally supposed they were
there to meet any assault that might be made. This ruse
accomplished the object that I had in view, and I presume it
may be safely said it is the only time during the war when ne-
groes were employed in aiding us to fight our battles.
General Lee, in his report to President Davis, in describ-
ing our retreat from Petersburg to Appomattox, among other
things, said: ‘Arriving at Amelia Court House on the
morning of the 4th, and not finding the supplies ordered to
be placed there, nearly twenty-four hours were lost in endeav-
oring to collect in the country, subsistence for men and
horses. This delay was fatal, and could not be retrieved.
The troops, wearied by continued fighting for several days