544 NortH Carorina Troops, 186]-’65.

men were knee-deep in water a Federal regiment rose up out
of the bushes and fired into the head of our column. They
had discovered us just in time to throw this one regiment for-
ward. Some of our cavalry in search of buttermilk had
strayed off and aroused the foe. But it was too late. This
sudden check to Hoke and his Generals was startling, and
here the Major-General displayed his genius. He did not or-
der his division “Forward into line!” but raised his hat and
shouted to those around him, ‘Make all the men cheer!”
Shout and cheer they did like a tornado among the pines and
rushed with great spirit upon the enemy. Hoke thus pre-
vented either his own troops or the enemy from seeing that
he was for the moment himself surprised. But this unex-
pected fire in the rear completely demoralized the forces of
General Cox at this point. They fled before us in confusion,
leaving several hundred prisoners and a battery of light ar-
tillery in our hands, besides their camp and many small
arms. Our line was reformed after the pursuit and the divis-
ion resumed its position on the right of Bragg’s army, highly
elated at the success of the day. Kirkland’s Brigade was in
front in this assault.

The next day, 9 March, Bragg attempted a flank movement
around the enemy’s right, D. H. Hill’s command in advance,
but fcund intrenchments and resumed his former position.
Again, on the 10th, he moved Hoke around by our right flank
to attack the enemy in rear, Kirkland’s Brigade in front.
After much marching through the swamps and pocosins and
dense pine forests Hoke decided to attack. The enemy
showed a very strong skirmish line, which stubbornly resisted
Kirkland’s battalion of sharpshooters commanded by Major
Robinson, of the Sixty-sixth, who fought them bravely. On
my reporting to Kirkland that Robinson could not drive back
the enemy’s skirmishers General Hoke ordered Kirkland to
support them with his entire brigade and we formed line with
the Forty-second on the right, Sixty-sixth center and Seven-
teenth on the left, and moved forward. I rode with the Sev-
enteenth, and Major L. J. Johnson, Inspector, with the Forty-
second, Kirkland with Lieutenant Stoddard in rear of the
center. As we advanced to the front the guide, named

 

THe Martin-KirKLANpD BRIGADE. 545

Wooten, passed me going to the rear, and said: “Captain,
your brigade has not gone far enough to the right, and Hoke
is doing wrong to attack here.” Hoke says he told Kirkland
to feel the enemy, but not to attack breastworks. But the bri-
gade made a charge through the woods, which were very thick,
with great spirit and drove the skirmishers before them. We
encountered a brisk fire of musketry and artillery. As I
heard a battery to our right and rear I changed the direction
of the Seventeenth, and told them if they would push on they
would turn and capture that battery. They sprang forward
with a cheer. I was riding on their extreme left and remem-
ber Captain Daniel and Lieutenant Wilson G. Lamb waving
their swords and urging on the men. All the field officers of
the regiments were on foot except Colonel Nethereutt. As
soon as our line emerged from the woods we ran up against a
very strongly intrenched line of the enemy, obstructed by trees
they had cut down, and supported by artillery. They poured
a hot fire into us and we made our men lie down. _[ told the
Seventeenth, Lieutenant-Colonel Sharpe, to hold their posi-
tion and I would go to General Kirkland and get reinforce-
ments from our division. I then rode to Kirkland and told
him we had struck a strong line of works. He replied: “Go
back and hold our line and I will go to Hoke for help.” Dur-
ing this time the Forty-second had broken its lines and rap-
idly fallen back, leaving Major L. J. Johnson, our Inspector,
a prisoner. Colonel Nethereutt tried to force his regiment
over the works, and I learned that he rode his horse right up
among the obstructions. But the Sixty-sixth followed the
Forty-second ; then Colonel Sharpe withdrew the Seventeenth,
which fell back in good order, shouting defiance to the foe and
daring them to come out of those woods. The enemy mean-
time threw out a regiment on our left, which was unprotected.
So when I returned to the front, instead of finding friends, I
rode into the advance skirmish line of the enemy, as the woods
were very thick. Four of them halted me and inquired who
IT was. The shells and bullets were still falling fast around
us and my captors were dodging and did not make me dis-
mount. TI took advantage of this, told them to put down their
guns and go with me or we would all be killed. They fool-

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