508 NortH Carorina Troops, 1861-’65.

Yellow Tavern) and Reams Station, and many other engage-
ments of greater or less importance, and that it was never
driven by the enemy from any position it had taken during
this whole campaign. And further, that while its losses, in
killed and wounded were exceedingly heavy, yet it lost only
thirty-five captured during this whole campaign and not a
single one captured from its line of battle, all of those cap-
tured being either on picket or scouting duty. Its action at
Reams Station, Va., 25 August, 1864, was highly compli-
mented by General Lee in his official dispatch.

About the end of August it found itself in the trenches in
front of Petersburg.

On 30 September, 1864, it left the trenches and assisted in
an attack on the enemy near Fort McRae, on the right of
Petersburg. From that time on its position was near the
right of Lee’s line of battle, generally on the extreme right.
So that by the end of October—which was generally consid-
ered the end of this campaign—it had reached Hatcher’s

Run, seven miles from Petersburg. Here we spent the win-
ter of 1864-65.

Upon the death of Lieutenant R. W. Anderson, Lieuten-
ant W. N. Mebane, of Rockingham County, N. C., (since

Judge of the Superior Court), had been appointed Ordnance
Officer of the brigade.

Some time in the summer or early fall of 1864—I cannot
give the date—the Fifty-fifth North Carolina, Colonel J. K.
Connally, which had been in Davis’ Mississippi Brigade, was
attached to our brigade and remained with us during the bal-
ance of the war.

The opening of the campaign of 1865 for this brigade was
5 February, 1865, when another brigade from our left, was
moved to our position and we, going a mile or a mile and a
half up our lines to the left, passed to the front, with Arch-
er’s Tennessee and Virginia Brigade and Cook’s Georgia
Brigade, and attacked the enemy just in.front of the position
from which we had been moved.

That night we returned to our original place; but, the next
morning were moved again to the front of our line and held
the left bank of Hatcher’s Run to prevent the Federals from

Cookr’s BRIGADE. 509

crossing and flanking Pegram, who was attacking them on the
right bank of the creek.

After this we were allowed quiet for a while and were ac-
tively engaged in strengthening our breastworks and building
new ones, until 24 March, 1865. That night we were or-
dered, in a hurry, to Petersburg, and on the morning of 25
March, acted as a part of the reserve of Gordon’s command
which made the attack on the Federal works on Hare’s Hill.
When Gordon was repulsed and had returned to his breast-
works, we were hurried back to our place at Hatcher’s Run.
In the meantime the Federals had captured our picket line
(which had been left in charge of our disabled men), as well
as the picket lines of two other brigades, on our left. Within
an hour after our return, we recaptured our picket line, but
the enemy kept those on our left. For a day or two we had a
little rest and, after that, we were kept busy replying to the
enemy and dodging their shells and sharpshooters, though we
had no regular engagement.

Before day on the morning of 1 April, a detachment from
this brigade, with the Second Mississippi Battalion, attacked
the Federal picket line in our front and captured and held, a
small part of it for a while; but, as day broke, we were com-
pelled to fall back. On the night of 1 April, we were moved
across the creek (Hatcher’s Run), into Fort Euliss and, as
day broke, 2 April, the storm opened again.

The lines were broken between us and Petersburg and
about 8 or 9 o’clock that part of Lee’s army on the side of
the creek farthest from Petersburg began its retreat. The
enemy followed, and we had a sharp engagement at Suther-
land’s Tavern, on the Southside Railroad, that. day. Cooke
was the ranking officer in the four brigades thus cut off. Still
retreating and endeavoring to find Lee’s main army, we had a
sharp skirmish “affair” at Deep creek, on Monday, 3 April.
Tuesday morning, 4 April, we rejoined Lee and continued
the retreat, acting a part of the time as the rear guard.

We were under heavy fire near Farmville, Va., and Thurs-
day, 6 February, the Twenty-seventh and Forty-sixth North
Carolina Regiments were sent to attempt to drive off a bri-
gade of Sherman’s cavalry which was burning our wagon