ENE EL REEL fT

ais

260 NortH Carorina Troops, 1861-—’65.

that our forebodings were well founded. The enemy during
the night had succeeded in his march around our left and was
upon our front. Hurrying rapidly through the town we
formed line of battle a half or three-quarters of a mile beyond
and on the left of the road. We were a part of the troops

General Grimes mentioned in his article on Appomattox,
as a division commanded by General Walker “composed

principally of Virginians.” That division, in fact, was com-
posed mostly of North Carolinians, Johnston’s and Lewis’
Brigades (North Carolinians), and Pegram’s old brigade
(Virginians). The troops on the right of us were Grimes’
Division. Along the whole Confederate line as it advanced,
the firing so far as I could discern, was opened simultane-
ously, and when the men of Johnston’s Brigade were ordered
back I heard thereafter no continuous firing of small arms.
The advance was supported by a battery of five pieces in po-
sition on the western slope of the hill, and that battery kept
up its fire some minutes after the infantry had ceased to be
engaged. In our advance we raised the usual rebel yell and
the line of Federals, dismounted cavalry, was quickly driven
from its hastily constructed breastworks of rails and brush
to the main line, on the hills, consisting of infantry and ar-
tillery. I saw the wheels of the gun carriages and the men
with knapsacks and guns. They were not plainly discerni-
ble because of the thick and low growth of the timber along
their line, although the ground over which we advanced was
half meadow land, through which ran a ditch with running
water parallel to the line, the whole sparsely timbered, but of
large growth.

The battle was severer on our right and we understood at
the time that General Cox, with his brigade, had the brunt
of it, and that they claimed the honor of firing the last rounds.
Snddenly and just as it seemed to us we were about to engage
the Union infantry, the order was given to march “right
about,” and we retired a few hundred yards in the direction
of our first position, where we remained, perhaps an hour.
During that time nobody seemed to know anything about
what was going on. There was a general idea that a truce
was on, but no particulars. It was common talk, then, that

ste cease seamen artis epee man: eee ener mina

See hecacemiit on Sas sometinmengen earns ee sheen

APPOMATTOX AND THE RETURN Hog. 261

at this very stage an interview took place between General
Gordon and General Custer, the latter having come into our
lines, under flag, to meet the Confederate General in com-
mand for a conference and to prevent further bloodshed ; that
Custer assured Gordon that the Union cordon was complete
and strong enough to destroy the Confederates if they should
attempt to break through; and that if General Gordon desired
a verification of the statement he would take him on a round
of inspection of the Federal lines; that the proposition was
accepted and after the inspection had been made our Second
Corps was ordered back to places convenient for camp. The
generous treatment we afterwards received at their hands is
proof that they were magnanimous enough to have made such
a proposition. It is certain that General Custer about that
hour, or little later, sought and found General Longstreet.
That officer, in ‘‘From Manassas to Appomattox,” says that
Custer demanded of him the surrender of the Confederate
Army in the name of General Sheridan; that he was excited
in his manner; that he received from him (Longstreet) a
rebuke for his intrusion; that he then became more moderate
and said, “It would be a pity to have more bloodshed upon
that field.”

It seems that up to that time the two commanders had not
yet met, and that Longstreet was preparing for battle after
Gordon had withdrawn his corps from the front. I remem-
ber while we were standing awaiting orders, Sergeant White-
ner, of Company A, said to me that the Army of Northern
Virginia was about to be surrendered. I answered: “But
we will have no difficulty in clearing the way; we have
already shown that we can do that.” He then pointed to the
right and left to columns of Union troops, infantry, remark-
ing: ‘We only struck their cavalry just now; we can never
drive their infantry off; they are too strong.” Our brigade
was ordered back probably a mile for camp into a small piece
of poorly timbered land, white and post oak, on the right
of the Lynchburg road ; and the guns were stacked as usual on
bivouae.

The first few hours were spent in uncertainty. We could
not know that the terms would be of such a nature as to be