184 Nortu CaRotina Troops, 1861-65.

of the Forty-ninth, now on Ransom’s staff, drove those of the
enemy before them. The infantry now move forward, and
the artillery, consisting of Blount’s, Pegram’s, Marshall’s
and Lee’s batteries, under Colonel Branch, dash forward on
the left at a full gallop and open upon the town and the forts
ahead on both sides of the Columbia road.

The enemy has brought to bear both siege and field guns,
and concentrated a terrible fire in the face of our assaulting
column. Just at this time General Hoke opens with his ar-
tillery under Majors Moseley and Reid a rapid fire, and his
infantry sent up yell after yell as if about to charge. The
Virginia Brigade on the south is also obeying the command
to “shout,” and several of that brigade are killed and
wounded by the enemy shelling them from Fort Williams.

As our artillery is kept somewhat in rear of the advancing
line, the enemy fire over the heads of Ransom’s Brigade at
first, but soon get a more accurate range.

Steadily the line goes forward, and performs the duty as-
signed, carrying out to the letter the precept, “Whatsoever thy
hands find to do, do it with all thy might.”

It will be best to describe the course taken by each regi-
ment of the brigade, so far as can be gathered from the ac-
counts written shortly after the battle, or subsequent authen-
ticated statements.

In the communication of “Lone Star” on 22 April, 1864,
the Twenty-fourth is fortunate in having its deeds recorded,
which shows that regiment took the two works immediately
on the Columbia road—“‘the one on the south of the road, by
the left of the Twenty-fourth, led by Colonel Clarke, and the
one on the north by the right of the Twenty-fourth, assisted
by the Thirty-fifth.” And the account further states: “We
were now in the town, and the head of every street running
east and west, was held by one or more of our regiments, but
their positions in line were somewhat changed. The Twenty-
fourth was still on the Columbia road, now street (Second),
with the: Fifty-sixth and Twenty-fifth to the right, and the
Thirty-fifth and Eighth to the lett. Halting a moment to
breathe the men and dress the line, we pushed slowly and
earefully forward, clearing the enemy from every street, yard