The 55th NC Regiment was organized at Camp Mangum, near Raleigh, in the early part of 1862. The companies composing the regiment were:

Company A—From, Wilson County—William J. Bullock, Captain.
Company B—From Wilkes County—Abner S. Calloway, Captain.
Company C—From Cleveland County—Silas D. Randall, Captain.
Company E—From Pitt County—James T. Whitehead, Captain.
Company F—From Cleveland, Burke, and Catawba Counties—Peter M. Mull, of Catawba County, Captain.
Company G—From Johnston County—Jesse P. Williams, Captain.
Company H—From Alexander and Onslow Counties—Vandever Teague, Captain; Alexander J. Pollock, 1st Lieutenant.
Company I—From Franklin County—Wilson H. Williams, Captain.
Company K—From Granville County—Maurice T. Smith, Captain.

John Kerr Connally, of Yadkin County, who was for a while at the National Naval Academy at Annapolis, and who had been Captain of Company B in the 11th NC Volunteers, was elected Colonel of the regiment.

Captain Abner S. Calloway, of Company B, was elected Lieutenant Colonel.

Captain James S. Whitehead, of Company E, was elected Major.

William H. Young, of Granville County, was appointed Adjutant.
William N. Holt, of Company G, was appointed Sergeant Major.
George W. Blount, of Wilson County, was appointed Quartermaster.
William P. Webb, of Granville County, was appointed Commissary.
Dr. James A. Smith, of Granville County, was appointed Surgeon.
Dr. Isaac G. Cannady, of Granville County, was appointed Assistant Surgeon.
Rev. William B. Royall. of Wake Forest College, was appointed Chaplain.
Alonzo H. Dunn, of Company I, was appointed Quartermaster Sergeant.
William B. Royall, of Company I, was appointed Commissary Sergeant.
J. W. C. Young, of Company I, was appointed Ordnance Sergeant.
Peterson Thorp, of Company K, was appointed Hospital Steward.
Charles E. Jacke, of Pitt County, was appointed Chief Musician.

Lt. Colonel Abener S. Calloway resigned and Maj. James S. Whitehead died within a few months after the organization of the regiment, and Capt. Maurice T. Smith, of Company K, was made Lieutenant Colonel, and Capt. Alfred H. Belo, of Salem, who commanded a company in the 11th NC Volunteers, was made Major. Lt. Colonel Maurice T. Smith was killed at Gettysburg and Maj. Alfred H. Belo became Lieutenant Colonel, and upon the resignation of Col. John K. Connally, on account of severe wounds received in the same battle, Lt. Colonel Belo became Acting Colonel. On account of the fact that the senior Captain of the regiment was in prison from Gettysburg until the close of the war, the regiment had no other field officers.

Adjutant William H. Young resigned on November 1, 1862 and Henry T. Jordan, of Person County, was appointed Adjutant. He was captured at Gettysburg and, after that 3rd Lt. Charles R. Jones, of Iredell County, acted as Adjutant for several months and then Charles M. Cooke, from Company I, was assigned to that position and held it until the close of the war. Surgeon James A. Smith resigned on November 1, 1862, and Dr. Benjamin T. Green, of Franklin County, was appointed Surgeon. Alonzo H. Dunn died on July 12, 1862, and Henry S. Furman, of Franklin County, was appointed Assistant Quartermaster Sergeant. William N. Holt, Sergeant Major, was made 3rd Lieutenant in Company H, and Jesse A. Adams, of Johnston County, was made Sergeant Major.

The regiment, after it had been sufficiently drilled to take the field, was sent to the Department of the Pamlico, then under the command of Brig. Gen. James G. Martin (NC), and remained there during the summer and early part of the fall of 1862. It was on duty a greater part of the time around Kinston and in Trenton. The first time the regiment was under fire was on August 7, 1862. A Federal gunboat had come up the Neuse River to a point a few miles below Kinston, and the regiment was sent down to prevent the landing of the troops. We were formed in a line on the south side of, and not far from the river; the gunboat came up to a point nearly opposite the position occupied by the regiment, but after the firing of a few shells went back without attempting to land any troops.

The regiment during the time spent in that section was thoroughly drilled and disciplined.

WASHINGTON, N.C.

On September 3rd, while the regiment was in camp near Moseley Hall [now LaGrange, in Lenoir County], there was a special order read on dress parade that 200 men were needed for daring service and volunteers were called for. That number was at once obtained and they were organized into two (2) companies of 100 each. Capt. Peter M. Mull, of Company F, was put in command of one company, and Capt. Maurice T. Smith, of Company K, in command of the other, and the Lieutenants were selected from the different companies. Capt. Wilson H. Williams, of Company I, was so anxious to be among the number that he procured the consent of the Colonel to his going as 1st Lieutenant of one of the companies. It was ordered that these companies be prepared with three (3) days' rations to march the next morning at sunrise. Capt. Mull was senior officer and in command of the detachment. Just as the sun rose the next morning we moved out of camp, marching a little north of east, and we were then informed that the movement meant a surprise attack upon Washington, NC, and that we would be joined before we reached the place by other troops.

We met on September 5th, between Greenville and Washington, a detachment from the 8th NC Regiment, and also from the 17th NC Regiment, and an artillery company, but without cannon, armed as infantry, under the command of Capt. Stephen D. Pool, who, from this time, being the ranking officer [of the 10th NC Regiment (1st Artillery], took command of the force on the march, although Brig. Gen. James G. Martin had the general direction of the movement. Later, Capt. Rufus S. Tucker, with his company of cavalry [41st NC Regiment (3rd Cavalry)], joined us. We camped on the night of September 5th within a few miles of Washington, and before dawn the next morning, we commenced our march upon the town. We struck the Federal pickets just outside of the town before it was fairly light; we followed at double-quick, and with a "Rebel Yell," entered the town. The Federal troops were taken by surprise, and after firing a round or two, fell back through the town upon the river, under cover of their gunboats. We were in possession of the town, the troops from our regiment being stationed on a square near the center of the town. We held the position for several hours, but the cannon from the gunboats were turned upon us, and the Federal infantry, having reformed, commenced to fire upon us with long-range rifles, while we were armed with the old smooth-bore muskets. We were forced to fall back to the place where we had camped the night before; the enemy did not pursue us, and the next day we commenced our march back to camp. Captains Mull and Williams, both of whom behaved with great bravery, were wounded; of the men of the 55th NC Regiment engaged, seven (7) were killed and eight (8) wounded. There was no other meeting with Federal forces while the regiment was in this section.

On October 1st, while the regiment was doing picket duty at Wyse's Fork, between Kinston and New Bern, we was ordered to Virginia, and for a while did provost duty in the city of Petersburg. With the 2nd, 11th, and 42nd Mississippi, it was formed into a brigade, and Brig. Gen. Joseph R. Davis (MS) was assigned to its command. The regiment remained in this brigade until January, 1865, when it was transferred to Brig. Gen. John R. Cooke's (NC) Brigade. The 26th Mississippi Regiment and the 1st Confederate Battalion were brought into the brigade in the early part of 1864. It was a fine brigade. The 2nd and 11th Mississippi, with the 4th Alabama and the 6th NC Regiment, had constituted the immortal Bee Brigade at the first battle of Manassas, and Brig. Gen. William H.C. Whiting (VA) afterwards commanded that brigade. In forming the brigade for Brig. Gen. Davis, the 6th NC Regiment was sent to Brig. Gen. Robert F. Hoke's (NC)Brigade, the 4th Alabama was transferred to a brigade of Alabama troops, and the 42nd Mississippi, which was brought to the Army of Northern Virginia for that purpose, and the 55th NC Regiment, took their places in the old brigade. Although all the other regiments, except the 55th NC Regiment, were from Mississippi, their relations with the officers and men of that regiment were quite as pleasant as they were with each other. The regiments of Brig. Gen. Davis' Brigade were a part of the force which Lt. Gen. James Longstreet (VA) carried to Suffolk, VA, in the Spring of 1863.

DUELS BETWEEN OFFICERS

It was while near Suffolk that an incident occurred which illustrates the high spirit of the officers of the regiment and how jealous they were of its honor. One evening about dark, a heavy piece of Confederate artillery was captured by an unexpected and surprise attack by a brigade of Federal troops. Captain Terrell and Captain Cousins, the one Assistant Adjutant General of Brig. Gen. Evander M. Law's (AL) Brigade, and the other on the staff of that General, reported that the 55h NC Regiment had been assigned to protect the battery, whereas, in fact, it was a mistake. As soon as our Col. John K. Connally heard of the report, he went to see those gentlemen and stated to them that they were mistaken; that the 55th NC Regiment had held the position to which it had been assigned, and was in no way responsible for the disaster; and demanded that they should correct their report at once. This they declined to do. Thereupon Col. Connally returned to our regiment, called a meeting of the field officers and Captains, stated the circumstances to them, and insisted that the honor of the regiment required that its officers should demand satisfaction from those who had slandered it.

He proposed that the field officers should first challenge the Alabamians, and if the matter was not satisfactorily arranged, consistent with the honor of the regiment, and if they should be killed, each officer should pledge himself to take up the quarrel and fight until the last man was killed, unless proper amends should sooner be obtained. To this the officers generally assented, but Lt. Col. Maurice T. Smith, who was an elder in the Presbyterian Church, and a young soldier of unquestionable bravery, arose and stated that he was conscientiously opposed to duelling, and that he would not resort to that method of settling any question. Lt. Col. Smith's Christian character and his personal courage were so well known, that his scruples on the subject were respected, and Maj. Alfred H. Belo proposed to take his place; and so it was arranged that Col. Connally should challenge Capt. Terrell, and Maj. Belo should challenge Capt. Cousins; Capt. Edward F. Satterfield, of Person County, of Company H, was Col. Connally's second, and 1st Lt. William H. Townes, of Granville County, of Company D, was Maj. Belo's second.

The challenges were accepted and Capt. Terrell selected as weapons double barreled shotguns, loaded with buckshot, and Capt. Cousins selected the Mississippi Rifle at forty (40) paces. According to appointment, the parties next day met in a large field in the neighborhood, in one part of which were Col. Connally and Capt. Terrell and their friends. In another part were Maj. Belo and Capt. Cousins and their friends. As soon as Maj. Belo and Capt. Cousins came to their place of meeting, they took the positions assigned to them by the seconds, and at the command, fired their first shot. Maj. Belo's shot passed through Capt. Cousins' hat, and Capt. Cousins' first shot entirely missed Maj. Belo. Capt. Cousins' second shot passed through the coat of Maj. Belo just above the shoulder and Maj. Belo's second fire missed Capt. Cousins. In the meantime, in the other part of the field, the friends of Col. Connally and Capt. Terrell were engaged in an effort to make an honorable settlement of the affair, and Capt. Terrell, who was a gallant officer and true gentleman, became satisfied that he had been mistaken in the report which he had made and which had been the cause of offense, and he withdrew the same, which action prevented any further hostilities between him and Col. Connally, and came just in time to prevent the exchange of a third shot between Maj. Belo and Capt. Cousins.

SUFFOLK, VA.

On the night of April 30th, Brig. Gen. Joseph R. Davis' (MS) Brigade was in the front of the town of Suffolk, which was occupied by the Federals, and around which the Union forces were stationed behind formidable entrenchments. About 9 o'clock that night Maj. Alfred H. Belo was sent with four (4) companies of the regiment to relieve the pickets in the rifle pits to our front, with instructions to hold the position in case there should be an attack. The next day the Federal forces made several demonstrations in front of the rifle pits, and in the afternoon opened upon them with several pieces of artillery. Capt. Peter M. Mull, by command of Col. John K. Connally, took Company F to the support of the men in the rifle pits, and very gallantly did Capt. Mull and his company do this, for they went through a severe artillery fire for nearly three quarters of a mile, and although they lost some of their best men, they never faltered. About the same time two Federal infantry regiments came outside their breastworks, and formed into line. Col. Connally then ordered Maj. Belo to reinforce the men in the rifle pits with four (4) other companies of the regiment. This was promptly accomplished under a very fierce fire and not without loss. The 55th NC Regiment was the only regiment on the line that was armed with the old smooth-bore muskets. The others were armed with rifles. This must have been discovered by the enemy during the day, and was the cause of their selection of the part of the line occupied by that regiment for their attack. The two (2) Federal regiments moved forward in splendid order for the attack. The Federal artillery ceased firing upon that part of the field.

The soldiers of both armies on the right and left were watching with deep interest the movement. The attacking column had moved so near to our position, that the other troops were beginning to whisperingly inquire of each other what was the matter. But Maj. Belo knew that the effectiveness of the arms, which his men held, depended upon short range, and cool and clear-headed, as he always was, he had ordered that not a shot be fired until he gave the command. The advancing column was now so near, that the features of the men's faces could be distinguished. Every one of the men in the rifle pits had his musket in position and his finger on the trigger, and at the word ''fire" the sound of Maj. Belo's command, seemed to expand into one grand roll of musketry; for there had been the fire of five hundred (500) muskets as if by one man. Not one had snapped fire and there was not a single belated shot. The shower of leaden hail was too much for human courage. The assaulting regiments fell back in confusion, with some loss. But they were quickly rallied by their ofiicers, and returned to the attack. This time the fire by Maj. Belo's command was reserved until they had advanced several yards further than before, when again a deadly fire swept them back with greater loss.

Again and yet again they attempted to storm the picket force, but were repulsed each time, until finally abandoning their purpose, they retired from the field. The old smooth bore muskets in the hands of 500 brave North Carolina Patriots had done their work. About this time Lt. Col. Maurice T. Smith came down to Maj. Belo with Col. Connally's compliments to inquire if he needed other reinforcements. Maj. Belo returning his compliments to Col. Connally, replied that he thought the battle was over. The 55th NC Regiment had been but a short while in Brig. Gen. Joseph R. Davis' (MS) Brigade, and it was their first engagement since then, and the cordial words of commendation of the gallant behavior of the regiment expressed by the Mississippians was very gratifying to us. Thence forward they were as jealous of and as quick to defend the honor of our regiment as we were ourselves. Some years after the war, Maj. Belo met an officer of one of the regiments engaged in this attack, and he informed Maj. Belo that the term of enlistment of the men of those two (2) regiments was to expire the next day and they were to be mustered out of service, and that it was at their own request they were ordered to make the attack, but that it proved a very sad experience to them.

Shortly after this, Lt. Gen. James Longstreet (VA) returned with his command to the Army of Northem Virginia, our brigade accommpanying him. When the 55th NC Regiment left the cars at Hamilton's Crossing, near Fredericksburg, to take its place in its brigade, now in Maj. Gen. Henry Heth's (VA) Division, Lt. Gen. A. P. Hill's (VA) Corps, of the Army of Northern Virginia, it was both in respect to its discipline and its appearance one of the finest regiments in the army. Col. John K. Connally was a fine tactician, and was without a superior as a disciplinarian. He was admirable on the field in his handling of his regiment. The time which had been spent in Eastern North Carolina had allowed the opportunity for the drilling of the regiment, and it had been faithfully attended to. The regimental band, composed of seventeen (17) pieces, led by Professor Charles E. Jacke, educated at Heidelberg, was a very fine one. The men of the regiment were well clad, and the ranks of each company were full. It was well officered, and all had full confidence in its field officers, and no volunteer regiment, in the opinion of the writer, ever had three (3) better field officers. They were all young men—erect and soldierly in their bearing, proud of their regiment and enthusiastic in their patriotism. Col. Connally was about 26 years of age. Daring in spirit—with confidence in himself and his regiment and the pride of his troops. Lt. Col. Maurice T. Smith, the eldest, not yet 30 years of age, was from Granville County. He was an accomplished gentleman and had been a 2nd Lieutenant of the "Granville Greys," Company D, 2nd NC Volunteers. He was of commanding presence, and a prudent and efficient officer. Maj. Alfred H. Belo was a fine specimen of young Southern manhood, had seen service before as Captain of Company D, 11th NC Volunteers, and was about the same age as Col. Connally. Intrepid, but always cool and ever alert.

Changes had taken place in the company officers since the organization, and the following were the officers of the companies at that time:

Company A—Captain, Albert E. Upchurch; Lieutenants, Peter M. Briggs, Thomas J. Hadley, Thomas R. Bass.
Company B—Captain, George A.Gilreath; Lieutenants, John T. Peden, Hiram L. Greer.
Company C—Captain, Edward D. Dixon; Lieutenants, George J. Bethel, Philip R. Elam, Thomas D. Falls.
Company D—Captain, Silas D. Randall; Lieutenants, William H. Townes, James H. Randall, Joseph B. Cabaniss.
Company E—Captain, Howell G. Whitehead; Lieutenants, James A. Hanrahan, Godfrey E. Taft, William S. Wilson.
Company F—Captain, Peter M. Mull; Lieutenants, Joseph J. Hoyle, Archibald H. A. Williams, Peter P. Mull.
Company G—Captain, Walter A. Whitted; Lieutenants, Marcus C. Stevens, Charles R. Jones, Mordecai Lee.
Company H—Captain, Edward F. Satterfield; Lieutenants, Nicholas W. Lillington, Benjamin J. Blount, Wiliam N. Holt.
Company I—Captain, Wilson H. Williams; Lieutenants, Burton H. Winston, Charles M. Cooke.
Company K—Captain, Robert W. Thomas; Lieutenants, Wilkins Stovall, William H. Webb, Jr., Reuben McD. Royster.

The regiment, as it marched from the railroad depot to take its place in the line, with its bright arms gleaming in the sun of that beautiful day, with quick martial step, its company officers splendidly dressed, as if for a grand parade, its field officers mounted on fiery chargers, and its magnificent band playing first "Dixie," and then "Maryland, My Maryland"—presented one circumstance of war, that is, its pomp, and if not its most impressive, certainly its least horrible. Little did it occur to any of us that the aspect of this organization would be so completely and so unhappily changed within a few weeks.

GETTYSBURG.

The regiment crossed the Potomac River with the Army of Northern Virginia in fine spirits, and when it reached Cashtown on the night of June 29th, it was in splendid condition. The regiment marched out of Cashtown early on the morning of July 1st, going down the Chambersburg Turnpike toward Gettysburg. We came in sight of the town about 9 o'clock a.m. The Union forces were on the ridge just outside of the town and formed across the turnpike to dispute our advance. Marye's Battery was placed by Maj. Gen. Henry Heth (VA) on the south side of the turnpike and opened fire on the enemy. Brig Gen. Joseph R. Davis' (MS) Brigade was immediately thrown into line of battle on the north of the road and ordered to advance. Brig. Gen. James J. Archer's (TX) Brigade was formed on the south of the road and was ordered forward about the same time. There was a railroad which had been graded but not ironed, which ran nearly parallel with the turnpike and about one hundred (100) yards from it.

The 55th NC Regiment was on the left of the brigade, and owing to the character of the ground was the first one to come into view of the enemy, and received the first fire in the battle. It was a volley fired by the 56th PA Regiment, commanded by Col. John W. Hofmann, of Brig. Gen. Lysander Cutler's Brigade. Two (2) men in the color guard of our regiment were wounded by this volley. The regiment immediately returned the fire and inflicted considerable loss upon the 56th PA Regiment. The 11th MS Regiment was on detail duty that morning, so only three (3) regiments of our brigade, the 2nd and 42nd MS Regiments, and the 55th NC Regiment, were present. The regiments in our front were the 76th NY, the 56th PA, and the 147th NY of Brig. Gen. Cutler's Brigade. After the enemy's position became known by their first fire, our brigade charged them in magnificent style. The left of our regiment extended considerably beyond the right of the enemy's line—and at the proper time our left was wheeled to the right. The enemy fled from the field with great loss. From the beginning of this engagement it was hot work.

While the regiment was advancing, Col. John K. Connally seized the battle flag and waving it aloft rushed out several paces in front of the regiment. This drew upon him and the color guard the fire of the enemy and he fell badly wounded in the arm and hip. His arm was afterwards amputated. Maj. Alfred H. Belo, who was near him at the time, rushed up and asked him if he was badly wounded. Col. Connally replied: "Yes, but do not pay any attention to me; take the colors and keep ahead of the Mississippians." After the defeat of the forces in front of us, the brigade swung around by the right wheel and formed on the railroad cut. About one-half of the 55th NC Regiment being on the left extended beyond the cut on the embankment. In front of us there were then the 95th and 84th NY (known as the 14th Brooklyn) Regiments, who had been supporting Hall's Battery, and were the other two regiments of Brig. Gen. Cutler's Brigade, and the 6th WI Regiment, of the Iron Brigade, which had been held in reserve, when the other regiments of that brigade were put in to meet Brig. Gen. Archer's advance. Just then the order was received to retire through the road-cut, and that the 55th NC Regiment was ordered to cover the retreat of the brigade.

The Federal regiments in front of us threw themselves into line of battle by a well executed movement nothwithstanding the heavy fire we were pouring into them, and as soon as their line of battle was formed, seeing a disposition on our part to retire, charged. They were held in check, as well as could be done, by the 55th NC Regiment covering the retreat of the brigade; a part of the regiment was in the road-cut and at a great disadvantage. One of the Federal officers on the embankment, seeing Maj. Belo in the cut, threw his sword at him, saying: "Kill that officer, and that will end it." The sword missed Maj. Belo, but struck a man behind him. Maj. Belo directed one of the men to shoot the officer and this was done. This somewhat checked their charge, and we fell back to another position. The loss of the regiment was very great in killed and wounded, and a large number were captured in the road-cut. From that time until 3 o'clock in the afternoon we were not engaged. About that time Maj. Gen Jubal A. Early (VA) came in with fresh troops from the left. We formed in line with them on their right and were hotly engaged in the battles of that afternoon, driving the enemy before us and capturing a number of prisoners. At sundown we were in the edge of Gettysburg, and the regiment was placed behind the railroad embankment just in front of the Seminary.

In the afternoon Lt. Col. Maurice T. Smith, while the regiment was waiting in reserve, walked towards the right to reconnoitre and was mortally wounded and died that night. Maj. Alfred H. Belo was also severely wounded in the leg just as the battle closed that evening. Brig. Gen. Joseph R. Davis' (MS) Brigade, during the night, was moved from its position on the railroad cut near the Seminary to a piece of woods across Willoughby Run, west of the mineral springs, and there rested during July 2nd. On the night of July 2nd, it was moved to its position on the Confederate line known as Seminary Ridge, on the right center, and stationed in McMillan's woods. Our division (Maj. Gen. Henry Heth's) on the left of Lt. Gen. James Longstreet (VA), and Brig. Gen. Davis' Brigade the left center of the division. Maj. Gen. Heth had been wounded on July 1st and Brig. Gen. James J. Pettigrew (NC) was now in command of the division. Maj. Gen. George E. Pickett's (VA) Division of Lt. Gen. Longstreet's Corps was on the right of Maj. Gen. Heth's Division, and occupied a position just in the edge of Spangler's woods.

FARTHEST AT GETTYSBURG.

It was from these positions that we moved out to that last fatal charge, on the afternoon of July 3rd. Maj. Gen. Henry Heth's (VA) Division was not supporting Lt. Gen. James Longstreet (VA), as has been repeatedly published, but was on line with his troops. Our regiment had suffered so greatly on July 1st that in this charge it was commanded by Capt. George A. Gilreath [of Company B], and some of the companies were commanded by non-commissioned officers. But the men came up bravely to the measure of their duty, and the regiment went as far as any other on that fatal charge, and we have good proof of the claim that a portion of the regiment led by Capt. Edward F. Satterfield [of Company H], who was killed at this time, reached a point near the Benner barn, which was more advanced than that attained by any other of the assaulting columns. 3rd Lt. Thomas D. Falls, of Company C, residing now at Fallston, Cleveland County, and Sgt. J. Augustus Whitley, of Company E, now residing at Everetts, in Martin County, who were with Capt. Satterfield, have recently visited the battlefield, and have made affidavit as to the point reached by them.

This evidence has been corroborated from other sources and the place has been marked by the United States commission, and the map herewith copied from the United States official survey of this historic field will show the position attained by these men of the 55th NC Regiment, in relation to other known objects on the battlefield such as the Benner barn and the Bronze Book which marks the highwater mark of the struggle for Southern independence. The measurements for the map were made by the late Colonel Batchelder, of the United States Commission, and by Colonel E. W. Cope, United States Engineer, for this field. This map shows that those killed farthest to the front belonged to the 55th NC Regiment.

The forces engaged in this last charge which settled, not only the result of the battle of Gettysburg, but the fate of the Confederacy, were as follows:

Lt. Gen. James Longstreet's (VA) Corps, composed of:

1. Maj. Gen. George E. Pickett's Division—Brig. Gen. James L. Kemper's (VA) Brigade, 1st, 3rd, 7th, 11th, and 24rth VA Regiments; Brig. Gen. Robert S. Garnett's (VA) Brigade, 8th, 18th, 19th, 28th, and 56th VA Regiments, supported by Brig. Gen. Lewis A. Armistead's (VA) Brigade, 9th, 14th, 38th, 53rd, and 57th VA Regiments in the second line.

2. Maj. Gen. Henry Heth's (VA) Division [other sources assert that Heth was actually under Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill, and not Longstreet], commanded by Brig. Gen James J. Pettigrew (NC); Brig Gen. James J. Archer's (TX) Bngade, commanded by Col. Birkett D. Fry [AL], 13th AL Regiment, 5th AL Battalion, and the 1st, 7th, and 14th TN Regiments; Brig. Gen. James J. Pettigrew's (NC) Brigade, commanded by Col. James K. Marshall [NC], 11th, 26th, 47th, and 52nd NC Regiments; Brig. Gen. Joseph R. Davis' (MS) Brigade, 2nd, 7th, and 42nd MS Regiments, and the 55th NC Regiment; Col. John M. Brockenbrough's (VA) Brigade [Heth's old brigade], 40th, 47th, and 55th VA Regiments, and the 22nd VA Battalion.

3. One-half of Maj. Gen. William D. Pender's (NC) Division, to-wit: Brig. Gen. Alfred M. Scales' (NC) Brigade, commanded by Col. William Lee J. Lowrance (NC), 13th, 16th, 22nd, 34th, and 38th NC Regiments, and Brig. Gen. James H. Lane's (NC) Bngade, 7th, 18th, 28th, 33rd, and 37th NC Regiments. [other sources assert these were also under Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill and not Longstreet]

So there were eighteen (18) regiments and one battalion from Virginia, fifteen (15) regiments from North Carolina, three (3) regiments from Mississippi, three (3) regiments from Tennessee, and one (1) regiment and one (1) battalion from Alabama, in the assaulting columns.

The contention between Maj. Gen. George E. Pickett's (VA) division and Maj. Gen. Henry Heth's (VA) Division, the latter commanded then by Brig. Gen. James J. Pettigrew (NC), has doubtless arisen from the following: The portion of the enemy's forces just in front of Maj. Gen. Pickett's Division was behind a low rock wall which terminated at a point opposite Maj. Gen. Pickett's left. About eighty (80) yards to the rear of this point there was another stone wall which commenced there and ran along by Benner bam towards the cemetery, and the enemy, instead of continuing his line to his right from the termination of the first wall, and through the field, dropped eighty (80) yards to the second wall, and continued his line behind that. So to have reached the enemy in Brig. Gen. Pettigrew's front, his troops must have marched eighty (80) yards beyond a continuation of their line from the point where Maj. Gen. Pickett reached the enemy in his front. Some of Maj. Gen. Pickett's men passed over the first line of the enemy and a few of them reached a point some forty (40) yards in the rear of the line and near the Federal battery.

Some of the 55th NC Regiment reached a point within nine (9) yards of the rock wall in front of them. That was seventy-three (73) yards beyond a continuation of the line of the first wall, and allowing two (2) yards for the thickness of the first wall, and adding to that the forty (40) yards beyond the rock wall to the point reached by some of Maj. Gen. Pickett's men, and running a line parallel with the first wall so as to strike the most advanced point reached by Maj. Gen. Pickett's men, and continuing beyond to the most advanced point reached by the men of the 55th NC Regiment, it will be found that the latter point is thirty-one (31) yards in advance of that line.

The 55th NC Regiment was a part of the rear guard on the retreat, and in the attack made upon them at Falling Waters [aka 1st Hagerstown], they lost several killed and wounded. The loss of the regiment at Gettysburg amounted to 64 killed and 172 wounded, including the few casualties at Falling Waters, plus the number of captured, about 200, added to these made an aggregate of more than one-half the number of men in the regiment. All of the field officers and all of the Captains were either killed, wounded, or captured. 1st Lt. Marcus C. Stevens, of Company G, was the ranking officer, and commanded the regiment on the retreat until it reached Falling Waters, when Capt. Walter A. Whitted, also of Company G, had sufficiently recovered from his wound to take command. Capt. Robert W. Thomas, of Company K, however, returned to the regiment soon after we went into camp on the Rapidan River, and commanded the regiment with great acceptability until the promoted Lt. Col. Alfred H. Belo's return the following winter in January of 1864.

In the official report of his division at Gettysburg, made by Maj. Gen. Henry Heth (VA), and found in the records published by the United States Government, Col. John K. Connally, Lt. Col. Maurice T. Smith, and Maj. Alfred H. Belo are particularly mentioned for gallant and meritorious conduct, but Col. Connally was so severely wounded that he was never able again to command the regiment. This was a great loss, for he was not only brave and loyal in his support of the Southern cause, but his sentiments and conduct were so chivalric, that he impressed all the men and officers of the regiment with his own lofty ideals, and Lt. Col. Smith was dead. The very soul of honor, he was older and less impetuous than Col. Connally, but gentle and refined as a woman; he was conscientious and painstaking in the discharge of every duty and enforced among the men the same rigid rule of attention to duty he prescribed for himself. No hasty utterance and no unclean word ever escaped his lips, and by his daily life, he taught us what a beautiful thing it is to be a Christian gentleman.

Col. Connally was left in a house near the battlefield and fell into the hands of the enemy. His left arm was amputated and from that and the wound in his hip it was thought for a long while he would die. His brave spirit pulled him through. As a lawyer and in politics he attained high position in Galveston, TX, and Richmond, VA, but after several years he became an eloquent preacher of the Gospel and now resides at Asheville, NC.

The regiment, after its return to the line of the Rapidan River, was engaged in drilling and picketing at the fords until October, when it went with the Army of Northern Virginia to Manassas and became engaged in the battle of Bristoe Station. The position of the regiment in that battle was on the left of the brigade, which was just to the right of Brig. Gen. John R. Cooke's (NC) Brigade. A piece of forest was in front and consequently our loss was slight as compared to the loss of some of the regiments of Brig. Gen. Cooke's Brigade. The regiment was also with the army at Mine Run [aka Payne's Farm], and was a part of a line that was formed for the charge upon the enemy's left flank in the early morning, when it was discovered after throwing out a skirmish line that Federal Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, during the night, had withdrawn his forces.

Lt. Col. Alfred H. Belo returned to the command of the regiment late in January of 1864, but he had not entirely recovered from his wound received at Gettysburg. It was made on the leg by the fragment of a shell, and in his determination not to be captured, he fell back with the army from Gettysburg. A portion of the time he was in such danger of capture that he exposed himself greatly, and by the time he reached Winchester the condition of the wound was so serious that for several days it was feared that amputation would be necessary.

Soon after his return to the regiment, our brigade, one severely cold night, was ordered out of camp and marched to Gordonsville. As soon as it reached that point, the 55th NC Regiment was sent out to picket the roads on the south. The rain was falling and sleeting and the clothing on the men was frozen. The next day the regiment with the brigade was marched some distance to the southwest and bivouacked for the night with orders to have very few fires, the purpose being to intercept a raiding detachment of the Federal army, but the detachment went around us, and after enduring the intensest suffering that night, the regiment returned to camp.

THE WILDERNESS.

On May 5, 1864, the regiment. Lt. Col. Alfred H. Belo, now recovered of his wounds, commanding, left its camp near Orange Court House, and commenced its march to the Wilderness. It was going down the Plank Road towards Fredericksburg about 2:30 o'clock in the afternoon of May 5th, when it was discovered that the enemy were advancing up the road, Maj. Gen. Henry Heth's (VA) Division was formed into line of battle, not for the purpose of advancing or bringing on an engagement, but as General Robert E. Lee said to Lt. Gen. A. P. Hill (VA), to hold tlie enemy in check until Lt. Gen. James Longstreet's (VA) Corps and Maj. Gen. Richard H. Anderson's (SC) Division of Lt. Gen. A. P. Hill's Corps should come up. Brig. Gen. Joseph R. Davis' (MS) Brigade was formed on the left of the road; our regiment was the right center of the brigade and on the crest of a small hill or ridge. It was in a dense forest of small trees; the hill in our front sloped gradually to a depression or valley which was a few yards wide, and then there was a gradual incline on the opposite side until it reached a point of about the same altitude as that occupied by us, about 100 yards from our line. We had 340 men, including non-commissioned officers, in our regiment.

About 3:30 o'clock, our skirmish line was driven in and the first line of the Federal forces charged, but they got no further than the crest of the hill in front of us, and were repulsed with great loss; from then until sunset, they charged us with seven (7) successive lines of battle, but we repulsed every one of them. Our line never wavered. The officers and men of the regiment realized that the safety of the army depended upon our holding the enemy in check until the forces left behind could come up, and there was a fixed determination to do it, or to die. About 6 o'clock the enemy were pressing us so heavily with their successive lines of fresh troops it was thought that they would annihilate us before nightfall, and a conference of the general officers on the field determined that it would probably become necessary as a last resort, to make a vigorous and impetuous charge upon them with the hope that we might be able to drive them back. Lt. Col. Alfred H. Belo, who was sitting just in the rear of the regiment by the side of a little poplar tree, sent his orderly to the line to the writer of this sketch (Acting Adjutant Charles M. Cooke), instructing him to report to him immediately. I went at once.

He then stated to me that the necessity of a charge seemed apparent and that the order for making it would probably soon be given, and he desired that I return to the line and notify the men that they might be prepared for it, and take the command of my own company [Company I] and also Company C, which was the flag company, the commanding officer of which had a few moments before been severely wounded, and to see that the flag was kept well to the front, and to make the charge with all the dash that was possible. I went back to the line and gave the men the information. They expressed hope that it might not be necessary to make the charge, bnt there was no disposition to shirk the duty if it had been imposed. But the order for the charge was not given, and about sunset the firing had nearly ceased in our front, and Brig. Gen. Edward L. Thomas' (GA) Brigade of Maj. Gen. Cadmus M. Wilcox's (NC) Division came in and relieved us, and we were sent to the right of the road where we rested for the night. We had held the enemy in check. Not one yard of our line had given away one foot during the three (3) hours the fearful onslaughts had been made upon us, but of the 340 of the regiment, 34 lay dead on the line where we fought and 167 were wounded. The Sergeant of the ambulance corps counted the next day 157 dead Federal soldiers in front of our regiment.

On May 6th, early in the morning before sunrise, the Federal forces opened the battle on our left before Brig. Gen. Joseph R. Davis' (MS) Brigade was in line, and while our arms were yet stacked, and forced the troops to the left of us, and our brigade along with them, back upon and along the road. These were fresh troops which Federal Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved into position during the night, and they were attacking the troops of Lt. Gen. A. P. Hill's (VA) Corps, which had been fearfully depleted by the engagements of the day before. But just at this time Lt. Gen. James Longstreet's (VA) Corps came up and Brig. Gen. Joseph B. Kershaw (SC) leading Maj. Gen. LaFayette McLaw's (GA) Division relieved our division. Our regiment was not engaged further during the Wilderness fight. Our brigade composed part of the rear guard of the army on its march from the Wilderness to Spotsylvania, and consequently, the regiment did not reach Spotsylvania until May 9th. We had some skirmishes along the march—nothing serious. On the afternoon of May 10th, our regiment was part of the force which made an attack upon the enemy's right near Talley's Mill. We charged and captured a piece of artillery and drove the enemy across the Mattaponi River.

The regiment upon this occasion behaved with great gallantry, charging for half a mile up the hillside through an old field. Though subjected during this charge to a fire from both artillery and small arms, the loss was not very great; we were charging uphill and the fire of the enemy went over our heads. On this charge three (3) color bearers were shot down in succession before we captured the artillery. The regiment was engaged in the battle of May 12th at Spotsylvania, but as we were behind temporary breastworks, and some distance to the right from the point where Federal Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant broke the Confederate lines, our losses on that day were comparatively small.

SECOND COLD HARBOR.

At the second battle of Cold Harbor the regiment reached the field late in the afternoon of June 2nd. The Federal troops were attempting to occupy an advanced position on our left for the battle of the next day. Brig. Gen. Joseph R. Davis' (MS) Brigade was put in to prevent this, and charged them just about sunset. We checked the advance of the enemy, but it was a fearful charge. The ground was unfavorable on Lt. Col. Alfred H. Belo was seriously wounded in this charge and was never able afterwards to take command of the regiment. We were engaged in the battle all the next day, but we were protected by temporary breastworks, and we did not suffer as heavily as some of the regiments, but the punishment we inflicted upon the enemy was fearful.

Lt. Col. Belo's wound was in the arm, halfway between the elbow and shoulder joint; the bone was shattered and the operation of re-section was performed. The loss to the regiment was irreparable. He had been with the regiment in all its hard-fought battles, and had the absolute confidence of every man in the regiment. He was cool and intrepid. He never lost his head in the midst of the fiercest conflict, nor failed to discover and seize the advantage of a position. He had a genius for organization, and appreciated every detail that contributed to the effectiveness or character of a military organization. He was in North Carolina at the time of General Robert E. Lee's surrender. He went to General Pierre G.T. Beauregard (LA) and was assigned by him to the command of a force. He was detached from the main body of General Joseph E. Johnston's (VA) army, and when the latter surrendered, instead of surrendering with it, he and Capt. Nicholas W. Lillington, of Company H, who was with him at the time, rode off to join the army of General Edmund Kirby Smith (VA), across the Mississippi. But before he reached that army it had surrendered and he went to Galveston and made that place his home. He became the editor of the Galveston News and acquired both fame and wealth. He died at Asheville, NC, a few months ago and was buried at Salem, NC, his old home.

The regiment after this time was commanded at various times by Capt. Peter M. Mull, of Company F; Capt. Robert W. Thomas, of Company K; Capt. Walter A. Whitted, of Company G; Capt. Benjamin F. Briggs, of Company A; Capt. Nicholas W. Lillington, of Company H; and Capt. John T. Peden, of Company B; but Capt. Whitted was in command the greater part of the time.

The regiment, after Cold Harbor, spent about a month on the north side of the James River, near Malvern Hill, and during that time had an engagement with the enemy near White Oak Swamp, in which the Federals were repulsed, and the regiment lost several men. We were afterwards transferred to the lines southeast of Petersburg, and the point occupied by the 55th NC Regiment was to the right of the point where "the Mine" was sprung on July 30th. The part of the line occupied by our regiment was so near to that of the enemy that sharpshooting was kept up constantly between the lines with casualties of almost daily occurrence. The enemy had a number of mortar guns planted just in rear of their lines, from which shells were discharged almost constantly night and day. As some measure of protection, the men and officers of the regiment dug holes in the side of the hill, upon which the line of our regiment was formed. The headquarters of the regiment was a hole six by nine (6x9) feet square, thus made in the side of the hill with an opening to the rear, and it was in this place that the writer, Adjutant of the regiment, received all orders from superior officers, received and made all reports and all regimental orders, and there the commanding officer and himself slept at night.

THE CRATER.

On the morning of 29 July, the Federal commander made a feint by advancing a part of his forces on the north side of James River, near Malvern Hill, towards Richmond. This was done in order to cover his real purpose of springing "the Mine" near Petersburg, and to weaken opposition at that point by inducing us to withdraw our troops towards Richmond. The 55th NC Regiment, with its brigade, was a part of the forces which were moved rapidly across the country, crossing the James River near Drewry's Bluff, to check the enemy's advance. We reached a point in front of the enemy not far from Malvern Hill, on the night of July 29th, and were placed in line to reinforce troops already there, but the enemy made no attempt to advance further. At a very early hour the next morning, we were awakened by the reverberation of a great sound which seemed to have been produced a long way off, and at the same time there was a trembling of the earth, such as that caused by an earthquake. A few hours afterwards a courier came with orders directing us to return at once to the lines near Petersburg. We commenced to march immediately and beneath a scorching sun; we went at almost a double-quick, and in crossing the large, shadeless fields in the low lands of the James River, a number of men were overcome by the heat, but we reached Petersburg on the night of July 30th, and found that the enemy had been driven back from the advanced position which they had gained, and for a while occupied after the springing of "the Mine."

Early next morning, there was a truce for several hours to bury the dead between the lines, and our line was formed then just as it was before, except there was a bend around the excavation made by the explosion of "the Mine." The position of our regiment was some yards to the south of the excavation. The 15th NC Regiment of Brig. Gen. John R. Cooke's (NC) Brigade was just in the rear of it. The springing of "the Mine" was a complete surprise to us, and both officers and men were for several weeks thereafter anxiously expecting a repetition of the act, and were nervous over it. At one time or another, every member of the regiment was sure that he heard the sound of the sappers and the miners digging away down in the ground beneath him. There was scarcely a night that some one of the regiment would not come out of his hole and crawl to the regimental headquarters and whisper the announcement that he could plainly hear the sound of the digging in the ground way below him. The suggestion of the adjutant or commanding officer that it was mere imagination would never avail, and so it would often happen that a good part of the night was spent by those officers in going around and testing the accuracy of these reports; and in assuring the men that there was no real sound, but only that of imagination. It was customary to relieve the regiment about one day in every ten (10) from the terrible strain of this service in the trenches, and to take them to some point in the rear where there was shade, and allow them to bathe themselves and to wash their clothing.

DAVIS' FARM.

August 18th was one of those days off with Brig. Gen. Joseph R. Davis' (MS) Brigade. About one-third of the men had been detailed that morning and sent to work on the breastworks. The balance of the brigade about the middle of the afternoon, were resting about a mile in the rear of the line, when we were ordered to move rapidly to the right some two or three (2-3) miles, to meet the enemy, who, passing around the extreme right of our infantry line, had crossed the Petersburg & Weldon Railroad at Davis' Farm [aka Globe Tavern, aka 2nd Weldon Railroad]. As soon as we came in sight of the enemy, we were formed in line of battle and ordered to charge. The charge was made with the 55th NC Regiment in the center of the brigade. The charge was made with dash and spirit, at double-quick, for half a mile, and through a cornfield a greater part of the way, under a fierce fire of both artillery and infantry. After passing through the cornfield, we came to a pine forest of scattering growth. We drove the first line of the enemy through this, and then came to a forest from which the large trees had been mainly cut, and which was very thick with small growth and underbrush. It was so dense that the enemy, who were only about 75 or 100 yards from us, behind some temporary breastworks, could not be seen. We stopped a moment and reformed our line and then continued the charge, but in the difficulty to our advance presented by the thick undergrowth and the brush from the large trees which had been felled, we had not gone more than forty (40) yards before we were repulsed with great loss.

It was then about twilight, and the volley the enemy poured into our ranks appeared to be a veritable sheet of flame. The losses of our regiment there were relatively greater than in any other battle in which it participated. There was scarcely an officer or man who did not bear either in his body or clothing the marks of the terrible conflict. Of the 130 men who went into the charge, at least one-half were either killed or wounded. 1st Lt. Joseph J. Hoyle, of Company F, was mortally wounded while gallantly leading his company; he was ever a faithful and conscientious officer; 1st Lt. William H. Townes, of Granville County, as brave an officer as ever drew a sword, commanding Company D, was also mortally wounded. Of the thirteen (13) men of Company I present, three (3) were killed and all the others were wounded. After the repulse, we fell back some fifty (50) yards waiting and expecting that the enemy would advance, but this he failed to do, and during the night we were moved further to the rear. Capt.Walter A. Whitted commanded the regiment in this engagement. The next afternoon the men detailed the day before having come in, our regiment had nearly as many men in ranks as it had the day before, and Capt. Benjamin F. Briggs, of Company A, was in command. Our line was lengthened by fresh troops, and late in the afternoon another attempt was made to dislodge the enemy from his position, our regiment charging over the same ground as on the day before, and it was repulsed at just about the same point, and with very nearly as great losses.

We returned to the trenches near Petersburg and there remained until the engagement on October 1st on the right of our line, in which Maj. Gen. Henry Heth's (VA) Division was engaged with an infantry division of the Federal forces and some of their cavalry at Pegram's Farm [aka Peeble's Farm] , and in which Brig. Gen. James J. Archer (TX) was mortally wounded. The losses of the 55th NC Regiment in this engagement were slight. In the battle of Hatcher's Run or Burgess' Mill, on October 27th, the right of our brigade rested on Hatcher's Run. One of the Mississippi Regiments was on the right, and our regiment was in the center. About 4 o'clock in the afternoon, the enemy had broken through our lines on the south side of Hatcher's Run and the first we knew of it they had crossed the run and were firing into our rear. Maj. Gen. Henry Heth (VA) and Brig. Gen. Joseph R. Davis (MS), who were just in the rear of our regiment at the time, directed Col. John M. Stone, of the 2nd MS Regiment, since Governor of the State of Mississippi, to wheel the three (3) right regiments of the brigade perpendicular to our line, and to drive the enemy back across the run. The order was promptly executed, and the 55th NC Regiment, being the third regiment from the right, was next to the angle, and was subjected, therefore, to enfilading fire from the main army of the enemy, and to a front fire from the flanking force. The charge was made with great desperation and the enemy were driven in great disorder and confusion across the run, and our lines on the south side were re-established. The losses of the regiment were serious. 1st Lt. Marcus C. Stevens, who, up to this time, had escaped unhurt, rashly exposed himself in this exigency and was killed.

BELFIELD.

About December 7, 1864, when the enemy with considerable force of both cavalry and infantry, cut the Petersburg & Weldon Railroad, near Jaratt's Station, and threatened the base of our supplies at Belfield, our regiment was a part of the force that was sent to attack and drive him back. We came upon the enemy near Jarratt's Station [aka Stony Creek Raid], and drove in his skirmish line. We formed in line of battle and charged through a piece of pine forest that was covered with sleet; the long icicles hung from every limb, and the trees were so weighted that many of the limbs touched the ground. It was fearfully cold and the men suffered terribly, for we were neither well shod, nor warmly clad. A few shots were fired into our column as we were marching through the forest, but when we emerged from it into an open field near the railroad, the enemy had fled. This movement was noted for the great suffering of the men on account of the severe weather. The snow and sleet fell upon us the second night after we left camp.

On February 6, 1865, the regiment in the meantime having been transferred to Brig. Gen. John R. Cooke's (NC) Brigade, participated in the fight of Brig. Gen. Cooke's, Brig. Gen. Bushrod R. Johnson's (TN), and Brig. Gen. John Pegram's (VA) Brigades with some of the Federal forces, in the battle fought between the lines north of Hatcher's Run [aka Dabney's Mill]. The casualties of the regiment were small. On March 24th, the regiment, with its brigade was moved to the left and put into position to support Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon's (AL) attack the next morning, on the forts and line of the enemy east of Petersburg at Hare's Hill [aka Fort Stedman]. When the attacking forces moved over the intrenchments for the charge, we moved into their places, but as the attack was a failure we were not put in action; when we returned to our former position we found that the enemy had just attacked and captured the men we had left in the rifle pits in the morning. They made a movement as if they were going to charge our main line, but after a few shots from us they changed their purpose.

LINES BROKEN.

When the general attack was made upon the right of our line on March 31st, we occupied a position a few hundred yards north of Hatcher's Run. In the battle of Boydton Plank Road that day, the writer of this sketch was seriously wounded. The regiment was engaged with its brigade in the stubborn resistance that was made and continued until the morning of April 2nd to prevent the enemy from turning our flank. The lines around Petersburg being broken that day, the glorious remnant of the unconquered 55th NC Regiment shared in the vicissitudes of the heroic and historic retreat which ended in the surrender at Appomattox. The handful of the regiment on April 9, 1865, was commanded by Capt. Walter A. Whitted.

C.M. Cooke
Louisburg, NC
9 April, 1901.