572 NortH CaroLina Troops, 1861~’65.

Division (Walker had gone to the west and Brigadier-Gen-
eral Robert Ransom was now in command of the division ),
held the left of Lee’s army at Fredericksburg, supporting and
supported by the Washington artillery. By far the heaviest
fighting of the battle, and perhaps the hardest during the
war, took place in defence of this position. The flower of
Burnside’s army was concentrated to earry the Heights, but
it was firmly held by these troops and the great day was won.
The conduct of the brigade on this day was exceptionally
grand.
EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA.

On 3 January, 1863, the. brigade was ordered to North
Carolina to protect that State from invasions, and for some
months effectually guarded the eastern part of the State.
About the last of May the brigade went to Petersburg, Va.
General Robert Ransom was promoted to Major-General and
sent to Tennessee. Colonel Matt. W. Ransom 13 J une, 1863,
was made Brigadier-General, upon the recommendation of the
officers in the brigade, and assigned to its command. His staff
was constituted as follows: Captain J. C. Pegram, Adjutant-
General ; Captain Sterling H. Gee, Inspector-General ; Major
Broadnax, Commissary ; Major Clay C. Drewry, Quarter-
master; Lieutenants Wm. B. Meares, and Waverly John-
ston, Aides; Lieutenant Louis D. Goodloe, Ordnance Of-
ficer. The brigade then became a part of Hill’s Division.
The division started to go to Lee’s army in Maryland, but
an advance of General Butler from Fortress Monroe detained
the division too long for it to reach Maryland in time. The
movement against Richmond was dissipated. While the
brigade was stationed near Richmond and Petersburg, Col-
onel Spears, of the Union army, made his formidable raid
against Weldon. The brigade was ordered to meet it. A
small part of it under General Ransom’s immediate com-
mand, met Spears’ Brigade near Boon’s Mill, in Northamp-
ton County, on 28 July, 1863, and signally repulsed it.
The railroad line from Petersburg to Wilmington had sev-
eral times been raided and the brigade was stationed at Wel-
don to meet any advance of the enemy at any point between

Ransom’s BRIGADE. 573

Petersburg and Wilmington, which duty was performed so
faithfully that the railroad was not in any peril again.

In the winter of 1863-64, the brigade, mainly for the pur-
pose of obtaining provisions and making General Butler’s
negro troops behave themselves, advanced upon Norfolk, cap-
tured the enemy’s outposts at North West Lock with a num-
ber of prisoners; on the next day drove a brigade of the en-
emy from Suffolk and captured their camp and all their sup-
plies at Barnard’s Mills; then returning to Weldon, was with
General Pickett’s movement against New Bern. It went
from Kinston with General Barton’s Brigade. Barton was
to attack New Bern on the south, but upon reaching the vicin-
ity of Brice’s creek and the Trent river, General Barton very
properly decided not to attempt to cross the river. It was
manifestly impracticable, owing to the formidable defences
of the enemy at that point.

PLYMOUTH.

The brigade returned to-Weldon and about 12 April went
with General Hoke’s Brigade, General Kemper’s Brigade,
Branch’s and Blount’s artillery and the Montgomery (Ala-
bama) Blues, artillery, to attack Plymouth. The Forty-
ninth Regiment was on duty upon the Chowan river, and
the Eighth North Carolina, of Clingman’s Brigade, un-
der the gallant Colonel Murchison, was substituted for it.
General Hoke commanded the expedition. Captain Cooke,
with the iron-clad Albemarle, was sent down the Roanoke river
to join in the fight. The troops reached Plymouth on Sun-
day night, the 17th, threw up some works and sent some shells
into the town. On Monday the place was thoroughly in-
vested. On Monday night General Hoke’s Brigade stormed
and captured Fort Mercer, an outwork about a mile and a
quarter from the town, Ransom’s Brigade making a heavy
demonstration upon the works in the opposite direction. On
the same night, Captain Cooke, with the Albemarle, went
down the river and destroyed the enemy’s gunboats guarding
Plymouth, but was compelled to move down- the river out of
the range of the enemy’s 200-pound guns, which had been
placed in battery on the river bank. On Tuesday night, just