560 NortH Carouina Troops, 1861-65.

proaching by twos at an easy hand-gallop. They carried a
flag easly discernible as that of the United States. Our
men were in line of battle—the extreme right protected by a
small field work without a gun in it—and the order to fire was
given, but General Heth, in peremptory tones, called out,
“No, don’t fire.” General Pettigrew then calmly told the
uien to be ready, and they stood so, waiting the order to fire,
which was never repeated. Only a few shots were fired by
some of our men who could not restrain themselves, and the
enemy met with no effective resistance until they had ridden
around our right and attacked us in the rear, when our men
came about face and fired a volley into them. There ensued
then a hand-to-hand fight, in the course of which one of the
troopers, separated from his command, was deliberately
firing at us whenever he could do so without risk of hitting
his own men. As he was doing effective work, General Pet-
tigrew, who had been thrown from his horse, which reared
when the volley was fired almost in its face, called to the men
near him to shoot this trooper, but they were busy with those
in their midst, so the General drew a small pistol from his
breast (being lame in right arm and left hand he could not
use a heavy weapon), he walked quietly towards the man to
shoot him, but his opponent fired first, and the General fell
mortally wounded. A shot from one of our men then
brought down the horse of the trooper, who rising up, sought
shelter behind a barn near by, and continued his shooting.
He was soon after killed. The fight was of short duration
and the squadron destroyed, some killed, some wounded,
some captured, a few escaping. They came up under a mis-
apprehension, thinking to receive the surrender of a few
stragglers, but when they found their mistake they made a
brave fight.

Our loss in numbers was very small, but the loss of Gen-
eral Pettigrew to the army and to the country was irrepara-
ble. General Heth came to me at night and said that he had
lost nearly his entire division, but that the loss of the one
man (Pettigrew) was greater than all else. He realized with
great grief the mistake he had made. His explanation was
that he believed that our rear was covered by our cavalry;