498 Norto Carorina Troops, 1861-65. :
CLINGMAN’s BRIGADE. 499

and on the night of the 20th evacuated that city. Cling-
man’s Brigade did noble service in protecting the rear of our
retreating forces. “The men seemed to appreciate the im-
portance of the duty they were called upon to perform.”

brigades of Hoke’s Division, who had won enduring renown
in the Army of Northern Virginia. Here also were assem-
bled those regiments of Junior Reserves, who under Colonels
Hinsdale, Anderson, Broadfoot and Walter Clark emulated

 

 

 

After a few days rest at Northeast river, the brigade was or-
dered below Kinston to oppose the enemy’s advance from
New Bern. On 8, 9 and 10 March, there was fighting, at
times severe, and quite a number of the command were killed
and wounded, but the enemy in overwhelming numbers now
confronted the small Confederate force and the latter had to
fall back, first to Goldsboro, thence to Smithfield and on 17
March united with the remnants of the Western army under
General J. E. Johnston just before the battle of Bentonville
(19-21 March, 1865). This battle was one of the most
hotly contested fights of the war, entirely creditable to the
Confederate arms and Clingman’s Brigade in this, its last
battle, sustained its honorable record. In the death of Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Edward Mallett, commanding the Sixty-first
Regiment, the brigade lost one of its most meritorious of-
ficers, who had won his promotion by years of honorable ser-
vice.

After the battle of Bentonville, General Johnston retired
his army to Smithfield, where he remained confronting Gen-
eral Sherman for some three weeks. While here General
Johnston held a review 6 April, at which many ladies and
civilians from Raleigh, including Governor Vance and of-
ficers of the State and Confederate Government were pres-
ent. The army presented a fine appearance and the men
were in excellent spirits. There were in this army remnants
of commands who under Albert Sidney Johnston won the
first day’s battle of Shiloh, and nearly annihilated Grant’s
army. Men who under Bragg, had won the battles of Mur-
freesboro and Chickamauga, and under Johnston had con-
fronted Sherman from Dalton to Atlanta; and men who un-
der Hood, had been in the disastrous battle of Franklin; who
had sustained all the horrors of a siege at Vicksburg; who
had followed Forest and Wheeler and Hampton and had suc-
cessfully defended Fort Sumter for four years against the
combined land and sea forces of the United States, and the

the heroism of their veteran comrades, and who on the bat-
tlefields of Kinston and Bentonville had shown they were of
the same metal as their sires and deserving of imperishable
record in the history of their country.

It was a splendid body of American soldiers ; survivors of
a hundred battlefields; and as they marched proudly in re-
view before their General, they were conscious of duty nobly
done and nerved for any further service that might be re-
quired of them in defence of their country. General Cling-
man visited his brigade while in camp at Smithfield, and

though on crutches, asked of General Johnsto

n the honor of
commanding the rear guard.

This was denied him, as he
was physically unable to perform such duty, and he ad-
dressed the Southern commander as follows:

: “Sir, much has been said about dying in the last ditch.
You have left with you here thirty thousand of as brave
men as the sun ever shone upon. Let us take our stand here
and fight the two armies of Grant and Sherman to the end
and thus show to the world how far we can s
mopylee of the Greeks.”

This brave, patriotic man of extraordinary mental endow-
ments, great learning, boundless ambition: 1
goal of his life when he resigned his se
Senate to take up arms in defense

urpass the Ther-

; who gave up the
at in the United States

nat of his State, after serving
faithfully in the army for four years ,

). 8, was allowed to retire to
Be oe aT er nae
private life, and, except a brief service in the Constitutional

Convention of 1875, never again filled public office in his
State.

The last shot had been fired, the last charge h
the last rifle pit had been dug; nev
2 be heard in fierce combat and exulting triumph. The lit-
tle army under Joseph E. Johnston sadly took up its retreat
through the once proud Capital of North Carolina. Now all
was wrapped in gloom, uncertainty and dread. As day fol-
lowed day, disaster succeeded disaster.

ad been made:
er more was the rebel vell

First, the news of Gen-