504 NortH Caroxina Troops, 1861-’65. Shortly before Cooke was made Brigadier, there was a gen- eral change in the brigades in the Army of Northern Vir- ginia, and the regiments were brigaded by States. At this time the Thirtieth Virginia was sent to Corse’s Brigade; the Third Arkansas—the only regiment from that State in the Army of Northern Virginia—to Hood’s Texas Brigade, and the Second Georgia Battalion to Wright’s Georgia Bri- gade. The Fifteenth North Carolina, Colonel Wm. Mc- Rae, was transferred from Cobb’s Brigade to Cooke’s. Thus Cooke’s North Carolina Brigade was now composed of the Fifteenth North Carolina, Colonel Wm. McRae; Twenty- seventh North Carolina, Colonel John A. Gilmer, Jr. ; Forty- sixth North Carolina, Colonel E. D. Hall; Forty-eighth North Carolina, Colonel R. C. Hill. In November, 1862, we moved to Fredericksburg, Va. About the middle of December, 1862, Lieutenant Wright, having been elected a member of Congress from Georgia, re- signed his position as Ordnance Officer of the brigade. Cooke appointed Lieutenant J. A. Graham, of Company G, Twenty-seventh North Carolina, to the place, and on his de- clining it, appointed Lieutenant B. G. Graham, of Company B, Twenty-seventh North Carolina, as Acting Ordnance Of- ficer. This brigade took an active part in the battle of Fred- ericksburg 13 December, 1862, the Twenty-seventh and For- ty-sixth North Carolina being behind the rock wall at the foot of Marye’s Heights, and the Fifteenth and Forty-eighth on the top of the hill just above the wall. : General Cooke, while with his two front regiments (Twen- ty-seventh and Forty-sixth North Carolina), at the rock wall, at the foot of Marye’s Heights, was severely wounded by a bullet just over the left eye. At the time he was wounded, Cooke was talking with General Cobb, of Georgia, who was killed a moment after Cooke fell. Everybody admits that Cobb’s Brigade was at the: rock wall and that General Cobb was killed there. Yet Longstreet and others try to put Cooke’s Brigade among the reserves during this memorable battle. How could that be, when Cooke was wounded while talk- ing with Cobb; Colonel Gilmer, Twenty-seventh North Car- CookEr’s BRIGADE. 505 olina, wounded, and Lieutenant S. P. Weir, Forty-sixth North Carolina, killed, at the rock wall? After the wounding of Cooke, Colonel E. D. Hall, of the Forty-sixth North Carolina, commanded the Brigade until Cooke was able to return to duty, about February, 1863. 3 January, 1863, we were ordered south, and passing through Virginia and North Carolina without any incidents worthy of note, reached Charleston, S. C., 22 February, 1863. It was intended for this brigade to go to Morris’ Island, but when we reached Charleston, it was found that Cooke outranked the officer at that point, and it was not de- sired to displace him. So, after remaining one day at Charleston, we were ordered to Pocataligo, 8. C., and became a part of General W. S. Walker’s command, and spent about two months at Pocataligo and Coosawhatchie. 26 April 1863, we left Coosawhatchie, S. C., and after short stops at Wilmington, N. C., Magnolia and Goldsboro, we reached Kinston, N. C. While here we assisted in driving back the enemy who had attacked and almost overpowered Ransom’s Brigade at Gum Swamp. Early in June, 1863, we were ordered double-quick to Richmond and destined to form a part of Heth’s Division in the Gettysburg campaign. On arriving at Richmond, we were, however, at the request of General Elzy, retained there and assigned to his command. During the summer of 1863, we were kept on the move around Richmond and Fredericksburg and the points be- tween them and had several little “affairs” with the enemy, but no regular battle. In September, 1863, we were reas- signed to Heth’s Division, and 8 October, 1863, started in the pursuit of Pope. 14 October, 1863, we struck the enemy at Bristoe Station, near Manassas, Va., and although Cooke protested against the advance and informed A. P. Hill, our Lieutenant-Gen- eral, that the enemy in front far outnumbered him and that he was flanked on the right by a heavy force, yet our brigade was sent in for slaughter by a peremptory order from Hill. In less than thirty minutes we had lost 700 men and of- ficers out of about 1,400 carried in.