The 57th NC Regiment was organized at Salisbury on July 6, 1862. Its field officers were:

Archibald Campbell Godwin, Colonel.
Hamilton C. Jones, Jr., Lieutenant Colonel.
James A. Craige, Major.
Edward A. Semple, Adjutant.
William G. McNeely, Quartermaster.
Charles S. Morton, Surgeon,
Albigon H. Binion, Assistant Surgeon.

Of the company officers, the Captains were as follows:

Company A—Rowan County-—William H. Howard.
Company B—Rowan County—William S. Brown.
Company C—Rowan County—John Beard.
Company D—Forsyth County—James E. Mann.
Company E—Catawba County—Daniel W. Rhine.
Company F—Cabarrus County—James C. Cannon.
Company G—Lincoln County—John F. Speck.
Company H—Rowan County—William H. Howerton.
Company I—Alamance County—William A. Albright.
Company K—Rowan County—Alfred A. Miller.

There were many changes in the personnel of the company officers in the course of time, by resignation or death.

Of the field officers Col. Archibald C. Godwin was a native of Nansemond County, VA. He had left home when only 19 years old, and in 1849 crossed the plains on foot in the throngs of the thousands seeking the gold fields of California. There he remained until the beginning of the war, having in the meantime amassed considerable fortune, a greater part of which he left in California and hastened east to tender his services to Virginia, his native State. At the beginning of the war he was made Major in the Confederate regular army, and for a short while was assistant Provost Marshal of Richmond, and afterwards was sent as commandant of the prison at Salisbury, where he organized the 57th NC Regiment. He was in every sense a magnificent gentleman. He was of commanding presence, being about six (6) feet high and symmetrically formed. He was a man of intelligence, possessed a high order of courage and very great self-reliance, all of which combined to make him the type of the Confederate soldier. He commanded the regiment until August 5, 1864, when he was made Brigadier General, succeeding to the command of Robert F. Hoke's Brigade, and was killed in the battle of 3rd Winchester on September 19, 1864.

James A. Craige, the Major of the regiment, had seen service as Captain of Company B in the 6th NC Regiment prior to his appointment to the 57th NC Regiment, and the writer, the Lieutenant Colonel, Hamilton C. Jones, Jr. had seen service as Captain of Company K in the 5th NC Regiment, all State Troops. Of the company officers, non-commissioned officers and privates, few, if any, had seen any active service. There were many Scots-Irish from Rowan, Iredell, Cabarrus, and Mecklenburg counties; there were Germans from Catawba, Lincoln, Rowan, Forsyth, and Alamance counties. They had been reared in the ways of peace, but they made magnificent soldiers, patient, enduring and fearless.

THE BATTLE OF FREDERICKSBURG.

After the regiment was organized at Salisbury, in the summer of 1862, it was ordered to Richmond, and was there attached to Brig. Gen. Joseph R. Davis' (MS) Brigade in the division of Maj. Gen. Gustavus W. Smith (VA), commanding the Department at Richmond. The main army at the time lay along the line of the Rapidan River. The 57th NC Regiment remained at Richmond until November 6th. While there it had been carefully drilled and admirably disciplined; it was well equipped, and when it was sent, in November, to join the army upon the Rapidan River, it numbered more than 800 rifles, and was a soldierly-looking body of men. It was then attached to Brig. Gen. Evander M. Law's (AL) Brigade, Maj. Gen. John B. Hood's (TX) Division, along with the 4th AL, 6th NC, and 54th NC Regiments. Within a few weeks after it joined the army at the front, came the battle of Fredericksburg, on December 13, 1862.

In that battle the Confederate army occupied a semi-circular line of hills that overlooked the river bottom below Fredericksburg, and terminating at Marye's Heights, just above the town. The enemy occupied Fredericksburg, the river bottom, and the Bowling Green Road that runs not far from the river. Across this river bottom ran the railroad, about halfway between the Confederate line and the Bowling Green Road. The fight began on the Confederate right and left. Furious assaults had been made on Marye's Heights and had been repulsed. Repeated assaults had been made on Maj. Gen. A. P. Hill's (VA) Division on the Confederate right, and were meeting with momentary success, when the Federal troops were driven back by Robert F. Hoke, then a Colonel commanding a brigade. During this furious fighting on the extreme right and left, the Federal troops had effected a lodgement in the railroad cut just where it crosses the small stream known as Hazel Run. This railroad cut was just deep enough to make an excellent breastwork for infantry, and the position was occupied by a brigade of New Jersey troops. Two commands had been sent by Maj. Gen. John B. Hood (TX) to dislodge this force from the railroad, but were both repulsed. A line of woods stretched along the outer edge of the river bottom, where the ground was marshy, and between this line and the railroad there was some six or eight hundred (600-800) yards of almost level ground. About 3 o'clock in the evening Brig. Gen. Evander M. Law (AL) was ordered by Maj. Gen. Hood to make another effort to clear the enemy from the railroad.

He ordered the 57th NC Regiment to make the attack, supported by the 54th NC Regiment, also a new regiment. The regiment, when it received the order, was in the woods just spoken of, and in order to clear the woods, owing to swamps and thickets, was compelled to go across a corduroy road out into the open. It went by fours-left-in-front. As the first company cleared the woods, a battery opened on it from the Bowling Green Road, yet under this fire, company after company, as it cleared the woods, went steadily into line without a falter or a sign of confusion, and the line was formed as accurately as if on parade; then at ''quick step" it started for the enemy's line on the railroad. It was in full view of almost the entire Confederate army on the surrounding hills, and of a larger part of the Federal along the Bowling Green Road. As it started there came a cheer from the hills. The line moved at "quick step," with arms at right-shoulder-shift. The enemy's artillery redoubled its fire, but the marksmanship was bad, and the regiment was receiving little punishment, and moved as if on parade.

At about 400 yards the enemy opened with their rifles from the railroad, but the regiment had been ordered not to return the fire until the enemy broke, and so they marched in silence. Then the files began to fall out, killed or wounded sometimes from shells and sometimes from the infantry fire, but the gaps were closed up and the regiment marched steadily forward still silent. Then the bullets flew thick and the ground in the wake of the regiment began to be strewn with those brave men, thicker and thicker. Then the fire became terrific, and at about 125 yards from the railroad the order was given to ''double-quick." Then it was that those men who had never seen a battle before, had never seen Confederate troops in action, raised that Confederate yell that seemed to be a part of the nature of the Confederate troops. There was a sudden dash forward into the thunder and smoke of guns, and the 57th NC Regiment was at the railroad with their guns loaded, and those of the enemy who had not fled were captured then and there. The regiment had received no orders to halt at the railroad, so Col. Archibald C. Godwin, in obedience to what he considered his orders, planted his colors upon the far bank of the railroad, and immediately the regiment was again in line and making towards the Bowling Green Road. It was now attacked upon its flank, yet it never faltered nor hesitated until it had gone through this ordeal, a distance of nearly 200 yards, and an order came from Brig. Gen. Law to retire to the railroad.

Then was seen what is rarely seen even with veteran troops. The regiment faced about under a murderous fire, marched back and took its position in the railroad cut without confusion. Just before this movement, Company F, from Cabarrus County, which occupied the left of the line, made a half turn to the left and held the enemy in check upon Hazel Run while the regiment was retiring to the railroad. It was one company standing alone in the midst of a great battlefield, and yet when its task was done it went in good order to the railroad. The struggle had lasted in all perhaps twenty-five (25) minutes, and in that time 250 of the 57th NC Regiment were stretched dead or wounded upon the plain. Of the officers, four (4) of the Captains were either killed or permanently disabled. Capt. Alfred A. Miller and two Lieutenants—3rd Lt. Richard Frank Hall and 2nd Lt. Hugh Lawson Brown—were killed; Capt. James G. Cannon, of the Cabarrus company, was permanently disabled, and Capt. John F. Speck, of Lincoln County, lost a leg. Capt. Elias J. Butner, of Company D, from Forsyth County, was also killed.

This was the first experience of this regiment in battle, and the writer looks back now in wonderment how these raw troops endured so manfully the shock of such awful battle. They were nearly all conscripts and nine-tenths of them were farmers or farmers' sons from the counties mentioned above. They fought under the eye of their comrades on the hills, who cheered them with a mighty cheer when they came back to the railroad. They fought, too, under the eye of their great commander-in-chief, and he repaid them with a flattering notice in an order issued the next day. This regiment was engaged in many battles after this, and when it surrendered at Appomattox its fame was still untarnished, but it had no such trial as befell it upon the threshold of its experience. The lesson that the writer drew from this experience was that, the high-spirited Scots-Irish and the patient Germans of North Carolina are unsurpassed in the qualities that go to make great soldiers.

It is not the purpose of the writer in any degree to disparage the conduct of the 54th NC Regiment, for it came across that awful plain in good order, but the place assigned it was too far in the rear to break the force in any great measure or the shock to the 57th NC Regiment, but it did all that it could do and all that it was required to do, under the leadership of its gallant commander, Col. James C. S. McDowell.

ANOTHER BLOODY VICTORY.

The winter of 1862-'63 the regiment spent in camp at Port Royal, on the Rappahannock River, below Fredericksburg, where it remained until the opening of the campaign in the spring of 1863. When Federal Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker crossed the river on May 2, 1863, and took his position on the line of Chancellorsville, Maj. Gen. Jubal A. Early (VA) was left with his division and several other brigades to hold the line below Fredericksburg, while Lt. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson (VA) made his celebrated flank movement and gave the enemy battle at Chancellorsville. During this engagement the enemy's extreme left, under Maj. Gen. John Gibbon, pressed forward and occupied the turnpike leading out of Fredericksburg, a few miles above Marye's Heights. Here on May 4th, the 57th NC Regiment had another rough experience. Brig. Gen. Robert F. Hoke (NC) was ordered with his command to dislodge a part of the enemy from a strong position on this turnpike. Unlike the position at Fredericksburg, the ground in front of the enemy's position up to within 100 yards of the turnpike was broken by defiles, and covered with the stunted post oak that seems to grow in that part of Virginia where nothing else is planted. The advance was under the immediate leadership of Brig. Gen. Hoke, and was exceedingly difficult, and anything like true alignment was out of question, so that when the advancing line of four (4) regiments reached the level ground near the enemy's line it was necessarily in considerable disorder.

Here, as it reached the open ground, it was greeted with a most terrific fire of musketry and canister from the enemy's line. For a moment it looked as if the exploit would result in a failure, but in that supreme moment there came that same Confederate yell, so well known to Confederate ears, and equally well understood by the foe, and in another instant there was a rush, the enemy's line was taken and the enemy driven back with great confusion. The regiment had maintained its former renown, but it won another bloody victory. Col. Archibald C. Godwin, its gallant leader, was wounded, as was also Adjutant Edward A. Semple. Among the company officers, Capt. William C. Lord, of Company A, a gallant and gifted gentleman from Salisbury, was mortally wounded, 1st Lt. John H. Boyd, of Lincolnton, who commanded Company G was killed, and Capt. William Johnston, of Company H, of Cabarrus was mortally wounded and died later that same day.

THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN.

When the Gettysburg Campaign opened, Maj. Gen. Jubal A. Early's (VA) Division led the column into the valley and surprised Federal Maj. Gen. Robert H. Milroy at Winchester, VA. With him went Brig. Gen. Robert F. Hoke's Brigade (NC), under the command of Col. Isaac E. Avery, of the 6th NC Regiment, that brave and most efficient commander, who within a few weeks was to fall mortally wounded on the heights of Gettysburg. Maj. Gen. Milroy's command was surrounded by an entrenched camp and consisted of some 1,500 or 2,000 men, and Brig. Gen. Hoke's Brigade, the 57th NC Regiment, being still a part of it, was selected to charge one face of the entrenched camp. The enemy made a poor defense, however, and were all captured with little or no loss to the Confederates, Maj. Gen. Milroy having in the meantime effected his escape and left his command to their fate. Then came the momentous march into Pennsylvania. Maj. Gen. Early's Division, with Brig. Gen. Hoke's Brigade, marched by Gettysburg and went to the city of York. During the march of the division through Pennsylvania to this point, within twelve (12) miles of the Susquehanna River, the column had encountered no opposition, had seen no Federal troops, nor even heard the sound of their drums or bugles. The country through which it had marched was largely inhabited by Germans, proverbially phlegmatic, and no sign of excitement had been visible among them. The Confederate Army was restrained by strict orders and there was little sign of invasion from an hostile army to be seen along the route of their march. The barns were filled with grain, the fields were dotted with cattle and horses, and the Confederate Quartermaster and Commissary in an orderly way provided the army with sustenance. There was no straggling and consequently the passing army left only the tracks of its soldiers and its artillery on the highway; it left the fences and the houses, too, yet these same men had just come from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, a fenceless and houseless country, thanks to the presence of the Federal army.

IN THE ENEMY'S COUNTRY.

The column entered York on Sunday morning. It looked as though they were unexpected, for the church bells were ringing and crowds of well-dressed men and women were on the sidewalks on their way to church. They stopped and gazed at the troops as they passed with something like stupefaction, but there was no sign of alarm even among the ladies. They, however, seemed to give up the idea of going to church that day, and the ladies went to their homes and during our stay there they were rarely ever seen on the streets. The men, however, mingled freely with the Confederate officers, and there was little or no sign of bitterness apparent. They drank together and discussed the war and many other subjects together. Some of the men, of course, were ardent Union men, and expressed their sentiment freely, but a great many, and it seemed to the writer a majority of them, were bitterly hostile to Mr. Lincoln's administration and condemned the war on the South. The seeming preponderance of the anti-administration sentiment might have been due to the fact that the Union men had fled or were keeping themselves close. When the division left the place some prominent men even went so far as to insist that leading Union men should be arrested and carried away prisoners, for the reason, as they said, that the Union men had been dominating and tyranizing over them ever since the war began. Maj. Gen. Jubal A. Early (VA) preserved the most perfect order during our stay there. He levied a contribution of $100,000 on the banks, but took no private property without paying for it. A foundry in the outskirts of the town which was used by the government for the manufacture of war material he burned.

ON TO GETTYSBURG.

After remaining some five or six (5-6) days in York, the division took up its march for Gettysburg. Its march was leisurely, for no enemy had been seen or heard of since leaving Virginia. As the head of the column reached a point some three or four (3-4) miles from Gettysburg, somewhere about mid-day, two (2) reports of field guns were heard in the direction of Gettysburg, and forthwith officers began to discuss the significance of it. Owing to a peculiar atmospheric condition, the sound seemed farther off than it really was, and it was supposed by all to be a cavalry engagement some twenty (20) miles away, but in a few minutes the firing became rapid, many guns apparently being engaged, many more, in fact, than were generally used in cavalry engagements.

While officers were still discussing the matter, John W. Daniel, now United States Senator from Virginia, then the young and brilliant Adjutant General on Maj. Gen. Jubal A. Early's (VA) staff, was seen approaching the head of the column at full speed. He brought an order from Maj. Gen. Early saying Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill (VA) was hard pressed at Gettysburg, and for the division to make all haste to his assistance. Men disengaged themselves of their blankets and whatever else encumbered them, leaving them to be gathered by the rear guard and wagon train, and took the quick step for Gettysburg. The last mile was made at double-quick, for they could already see a cloud of white smoke floating over Gettysburg and could hear the noise of the great conflict. When the division reached the suburbs of Gettysburg it took position on the extreme left of the Confederate line. There was three (3) brigades, Brig. Gen. Robert F. Hoke's (NC) under Col. Isaac E. Avery, on the extreme left, next Brig. Gen. Harry T. Hays' (LA), and then Brig. Gen. John B. Gordon's (GA) Brigade. The division went into line and halted ten (10) minutes to rest the men. From our position we could see the Confederate and Federal lines arrayed one against the other in open ground, no breastworks, no fortifications, but they stood apart in battle array and were in plain view for two (2) miles except where the line was lost in the depressions of the hills. Then a Confederate brigade away on our extreme right, moved forward upon the expectant enemy; there came a jet of white smoke from along the enemy's line and a scarcely audible roar of musketry, filled in by the sound of the artillery; then there came the expected yell, a rush, and the enemy's line broke.

As this first brigade moved, a second was moving in echelon; there was the same yell, the same rush, and the same flight of the enemy. Still another brigade; the sound of the conflict and yell of men becoming more distinct; a rush forward and the Stars and Stripes were seen in full retreat. As the conflict neared our position the effect was marvelous; the men were wild with excitement, and when their time came they went in with the wildest of enthusiasm, for from where they stood they could see two (2) miles of the enemy's line in full retreat. It looked indeed as if the end of the war had come. The 57th NC Regiment was on the extreme left of the Confederate line, and its opponents broke at the first fire, in fact they scarcely waited to receive the fire, and consequently the loss of the regiment at this point was comparatively slight. On the right of the brigade, however, the 6th and 21st NC Regiments had a bloody combat with their portion of the enemy's line. The Federal troops retreated to Cemetery Hill, broken and apparently utterly routed. There was not an officer, not even a man, that did not expect that the war would be closed upon the hill that evening, for there was still two (2) hours of daylight when the final charge was made, yet for reasons that have never been explained, nor ever will be, under the eye of that matchless commander, that the South loves and reveres, and the whole world honors, someone made a blunder that lost the battle of Gettysburg, and, humanly speaking, the Confederate cause.

CEMETERY HILL.

During the night of July 1st, the brigade lay in position between the town and Cemetery Hill. The night passed quietly, except that we could hear the picks and shovels of the enemy engaged in fortifying their line, and the rumble of guns and the tramp of infantry, as at intervals during the night their reinforcements arrived. When morning came, they had worked wonders in fortifying that hill in so short a time. Towards evening heavy cannonading began on our right, extending all along the full extent of our line from the town towards Round Top. Immediately afterwards Lt. Gen. James Longstreet (VA) assailed this position with part of his corps, but was unsuccessful. Late in the evening Brig. Gen. Harry T. Hays, of Louisiana, received orders to attack the ridge in front of us with his brigade and ours, he being the senior of Col. Isaac E. Avery, who was in command of our brigade (Hoke's). The Louisiana brigade, though composed of five (5) regiments, was small in numbers, and of our brigade only three (3) regiments were present, the 54th NC Regiment having been detached at Harper's Ferry on special duty.

All during the day these two (2) brigades, Brig. Gen. Hoke's and Brig. Gen. Hays', had lain quietly in a depression that in some measure protected them from the fire of the enemy's guns. The sun was low when the order came, and when the bugle sounded the advance, the line advanced in beautiful order, and as it pointed to the southwest there was a glint all along the line of bayonets that was very striking and marked how beautifully they were aligned. In an instant after becoming visible the enemy opened fire with artillery, but the brigades went forward in the same beautiful order across the interposing valley lying between the town and Cemetery Hill. Not only from the front but away out towards Gulp's Hill, on the enemy's extreme right, artillery had opened on us. Before the hill was reached, the musketry fire had become very heavy, and the 57th NC Regiment, which was on the extreme left of the line, suffered heavily from both artillery and infantry. At the point where this attack was made there was a sort of bay or indentation in the ridge which compelled the 57th NC Regiment, or rather the left battalion of it, to swing round almost half a turn before it struck the face of the ridge. In the meantime the 6th and 21st NC Regiments and the right battalion of the 57th NC Regiment had reached the foot of the ridge and were driving the enemy from his entrenchments up the hill, so that when the 57th NC Regiment was fully in position a rush was made and the enemy driven to the top and over the crest of the hill.

There was but little daylight left when the attack commenced and twilight and then darkness settled on the conflict as this comparatively small force reached and occupied the summit of the historic Cemetery Hill. They had driven everything before them and dislodged every portion of the enemy's line in their front except a redoubt occupied by a battery of artillery and a body of infantry. The two (2) brigades had lost heavily and were moreover much exhausted by the labor of the struggle, otherwise even this last stronghold would have boon carried. Had they received a reinforcement of another brigade they would undoubtedly have effected a permanent lodgement upon the crest of the ridge, which they had won. But no reinforcements came, but instead there came an order to retire, which was effected with considerable loss, as reinforcements began to arrive on that part of the enemy's line. So far as the writer's knowledge extends, this was the only portion of the crest of Cemetery Ridge that was taken and held by any portion of the Confederate line.

DEATH OF COLONEL AVERY.

In this charge the gallant Col. Isaac E. Avery, who commanded Brig. Gen. Robert F. Hoke's (NC) Brigade, fell mortally wounded and the command of the brigade devolved upon Col. Archibald C. Godwin, of the 57th NC Regiment. Col. Avery fell before reaching the foot of the hill and his fall seriously impeded the attack, as it was not known to some parts of the line for some little time that he had fallen. The writer supposes that others will write the story of Col. Avery's military life, or perhaps have done so, but I cannot forbear to say here that he was a gallant soldier, a very efficient brigade commander and had he lived, would have doubtless risen rapidly in rank.

The 57th NC Regiment took no further part in the battle of Gettysburg after this attack on Cemetery Hill on July 2nd. It was in the rear of the army on the march to Hagerstown and afterwards to the Potomac River. It crossed at the ford just above Falling Waters about 2 o'clock in the evening on the day that Brig. Gen. James J. Pettigrew (NC) was killed; in fact we distinctly heard the volley, the short struggle as the enemy's advance struck Brig. Gen. Pettigrew's Brigade. After the return of the army to Virginia, the regiment, along with the other regiments, picketed along the line of the Rapidan River until the campaign began which closed with the battle of Bristoe Station. In this last named battle the 57th NC Regiment was detached from the brigade and was formed at right angles with the railroad to protect the right flank of Maj. Gen. Edward Johnson's (GA) Division during the fight. The enemy made no attack on this position and consequently neither this regiment nor any part of the brigade was actively engaged.

THE FIGHT AT RAPPAHANNOCK BRIDGE.

After this battle of Bristoe Station the army was withdrawn behind the Rappahannock River and lay at Culpepper and on the plains of Brandy Station until November 7th. In the meantime detachments were engaged in tearing up the railroad for the benefit of the iron, which was much needed in the Confederacy. In order to facilitate this work a pontoon bridge was kept at the point where the Orange & Alexandria Railroad crossed the Rappahannock River, and on the north side were some earthworks covering this bridge, and these on November 7th were occupied by Brig. Gen. Harry T. Hays' Louisiana Brigade. On that day Federal Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick with his corps advanced from Manassas and threatened the Louisiana Brigade. Brig. Gen. Robert F. Hoke's (NC) Brigade, under the command of our Col. Archibald C. Godwin, was sent across the river to reinforce the Louisianians. After crossing, the brigade was directed to move to the left and occupy some slight trenches some three or four hundred (300-400) yards off. It had scarcely reached the position assigned when a heavy column, composed of three (3) lines of infantry, moved directly upon Brig. Gen. Hays' position at the bridge. They met with a warm reception, but being protected from our artillery fire, across the river, by the nature of the ground and the breastworks, they speedily overpowered the Louisianians, driving them from their position and captured the works overlooking the bridge.

By this movement Brig. Gen. Hoke's Brigade was entirely cut off from retreat. The position occupied by it was threatened by a line in its front, but the 6th and 57th NC Regiments were formed outside of the breastworks and attacked the enemy in their position at the bridgehead, while the 54th NC Regiment kept the line at bay in front. In the first charge the enemy were dislodged from a portion of the works that they had captured, but succeeded in holding the works commanding the bridge. The struggle here lasted with varying fortunes until nightfall, when the enemy sent forward a large body of troops and completely enveloped the brigade except on the side where lay the deep waters of the Rappahannock River, which at that point had been dammed. A few managed to escape by swimming the river, but almost the entire brigade, officers and men, were captured. Some few of the officers were afterwards exchanged and took part with the regiment in its subsequent campaign, but the most of the rank and file remained in prison until the close of the war. It had been a bloody combat, and besides those captured, many lay dead and wounded about the breastworks.

As was always the case, there were a good many veterans of the 57th NC Regiment who at the time of this disaster were in the hospitals and on detached service, and a few of the officers along with them. Among the latter were Maj. James A. Craige and Capt. John Beard, of Salisbury. Of the latter the writer will have more to say later on. It is sufficient to say here that he had been with the regiment through all its service and had acquired a reputation both for courage and skill in the handling of his company. As the senior officer, Maj. Craige gradually gathered together this remnant of the 57th NC Regiment and in the course of time conscripts were sent to him and the regiment was again filled up to respectable proportions. Col. Archibald C. Godwin, who at the time of the capture of the regiment was its Colonel, was exchanged in the summer of 1864, but was soon after promoted to the position of brigadier general [August 5, 1864] and placed in command of Brig. Gen. Robert F. Hoke's (NC) old brigade. The writer, who was Lieutenant Colonel at the time, was not exchanged until February of 1865. Maj. Craige, the only other field officer, was severely wounded in the knee in the Valley Campaign in July of 1864, and disabled for active service. The writer has not been able to communicate with him and so the greater part of this sketch, after the capture, has been furnished by Capt. John Beard. The 21st NC Regiment of our brigade was on detached service in North Carolina and thus escaped capture.

After the capture of the brigade, as above stated, the remnant of the regiment, under the command of Maj. James A. Craige, retreated with the army behind the Rapidan River, and in December the brigade was sent to North Carolina to participate in the campaign against Plymouth. The 57th NC Regiment did not participate in the capture of Plymouth, as it was left at Kinston to guard against a movement from New Bern. It returned to Petersburg just in time to meet Federal Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler and there participated in the battle of 2nd Drewry's Bluff. From there it was ordered to the South Anna River to join the main army under General Robert E. Lee, and was present at the second Cold Harbor battle, where it engaged the enemy on the second day, capturing many prisoners. From there it was sent to Richmond and thence to Lynchburg by rail to meet the threatened invasion under Maj. Gen. David Hunter, who was advancing up the valley. Upon the approach of Maj. Gen. Jubal A. Early's (VA) command Maj. Gen. Hunter commenced his retreat, but was overtaken by Maj. Gen. Early at Liberty, where a severe action took place, resulting in the complete defeat of Maj. Gen. Hunter. In this battle the 57th NC Regiment bore its part, having by this time been considerably recruited. Maj. Gen. Hunter having retreated through West Virginia, Maj. Gen. Early's command moved down the valley to Harper's Ferry, which it reached on July 4, 1864, while the Federal troops were engaged in celebrating the day with a great feast.

A FEDERAL CELEBRATION INTERRUPTED.

This the Confederates, after driving the Federals off, coolly appropriated—that is, the eatables and drinkables—and many of the Confederates got gloriously drunk on the whiskey and wine that was not prepared for them. The next day they crossed the river and some skirmishing was had with the enemy under Maj. Gen. Lewis Wallace. In this fighting 1st Lt. Ferguson M. Graham, of Rowan County, a most excellent officer of the 57th NC Regiment, was killed and the regiment sustained a heavy loss in men and officers. Col. Archibald C. Godwin, soon after made Brigadier General, was in command of the brigade, which was left at Frederick, MD, during the battle of Monocacy Junction to protect the rear of Maj. Gen. Jubal A. Early's (VA) march. It fell to the lot of the brigade to care for the wounded of that battle and to have them removed to Frederick and while so doing, had quite a spirited action with some Federal cavalry. It then followed Maj. Gen. Early to Washington. Here it was posted on the Georgetown Turnpike, where it had several skirmishes witli the cavalry of the enemy. Ii brought up the rear of the army when it recrossed the Potomac River, skirmishing with the enemy, at intervals, but getting across the river with no great loss. After crossing the men started for Winchester, VA. At this time the regiment was in command of Maj. James A. Craige. On the march they met the enemy east of Winchester. The action began with the sharpshooters of the brigade, commanded by Capt. John Beard, and with this skirmish line the enemy were twice driven back. They, however, succeeded in getting a body of cavalry in the rear, and Capt. Beard was ordered to fall back. In this action Maj. Craige, commanding the 57th NC Regiment, was severely wounded in the knee and thereafter incapacitated for active field service. The regiment participated in all the subsequent actions in the valley, the now historic contest between Maj. Gen. Jubal A. Early (VA) and Federal Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan for the mastery of that luckless region.

THE WINCHESTER FIGHT.

On September 19th, occurred near Winchester another very serious engagement. Brig. Gen. John Pegram (VA) had been attacked by a heavy force and Brig. Gen. Archibald C. Godwin, with his brigade, went in haste to his support. Brig. Gen. Pegram, overwhelmed, was retreating when Brig. Gen. Godwin came up. This for a time threw Brig. Gen. Godwin's Brigade in confusion, and here again the 57th NC Regiment exhibited its old-time steadiness. It rallied first in the retreat and upon it the rest of the brigade soon rallied and opposed the advance of the enemy. At this point Maj. Gen. Stephen D. Ramseur (NC), in command of the division, finding the position untenable, took up a new position about 600 yards to the rear. Then ensued a very desperate and bloody fight. Time and again the enemy assailed the line and time and again they were repulsed with great loss. This continued until sundown, the fight having lasted nearly all day, when the Federal troops again turned onr flank and compelled our somewhat precipitate retreat. From this battlefield and under these circumstances Brig. Gen. Godwin's Brigade, after an all-day's desperate fight, and with the enemy threatening and pressing its flank, came back in perfect order and without the slightest sign of confusion.

GENERAL GODWIN FALLS.

It bore with it, however, the dead body of its beloved commander, for Brig. Gen. Archibald C. Godwin had fallen dead in the thickest of the fight. Capt. John Beard tells how, after one of the many attacks of the enemy had been repulsed, Brig. Gen. Godwin rode up to him and with his hand on his shoulder said: "I am proud of the conduct of my old regiment, the Fifty-seventh." Before Capt. Beard had time to reply a shell exploded just over them and a fragment striking him in the head, he fell from his horse into Capt. Beard's arms, dead. The writer has spoken elsewhere of this gallant gentleman and brave soldier and would be glad, if space permitted him, to say more here, but will add only this, that he was universally beloved as a man and universally admired as a soldier by all his comrades throughout his entire service. A Virginian in command of a North Carolina regiment, and afterwards of a North Carolina brigade, he was as much beloved and admired by those under him as if he had been a North Carolinian or they Virginians.

There died on that battlefield another man in humble rank and far less famous, but none the less loyal and true. He was a color bearer of the 57th NC Regiment—Private George B. Swink, of Company K, from Rowan County. After being wounded, and his color guard almost destroyed, he stuck his colors in the ground and seizing a rifle fell dead, fighting for the maintenance of his cause and his flag.

After this engagement the brigade fell back to Fisher's Hill. Federal Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan having followed Maj. Gen. Jubal A. Early (VA) up the Shenandoah Valley the two (2) forces again confronted each other at Fisher's Hill. There was considerable and heavy skirmishing for twenty-four (24) hours at that place, in which the 57th NC Regiment took a prominent part. The Federal troops, however, succeeded in turning Maj. Gen. Early's flank and getting partly in his rear, and the Confederate forces were driven in confusion still further up the Valley, with Maj. Gen. Sheridan still at their heels, till they reached Brown's Gap, where another stand was made.

END OF THE VALLEY FIGHTING.

About the middle of October, Maj. Gen. Jubal A. Early (VA) again moved down the Valley as far as Cedar Creek. On the night of October 18th the 57th NC Regiment formed a part of the force which crossed the mountains and fording the Shenandoah River, attacked Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan's forces in the rear at Belle Grove. Seldom in the annals of war has there been witnessed such vicissitudes of fortune as befell these armies that day. By 8 o'clock the Confederate forces had captured the entire camp equipage of that army, twenty-four (24) pieces of artillery, and a large number of prisoners, but by 9 o'clock that night the tide had so completely changed that the Confederate forces were again in full retreat up the Valley. It has been many times recorded that Brig. Gen. Robert D. Johnston's Brigade of North Carolinians was the largest body of Confederate troops that retired from its position on that field of battle in good order. Beside this noble brigade stood the 57th NC Regiment, which was next in line, and this regiment came off with Brig. Gen. Johnston's Brigade in like good order and with great steadiness. This closed the fighting in the Valley and the 57th NC Regiment with the rest of the brigade, was sent to Petersburg and stationed on our extreme right at Hatcher's Run. Here it participated in what is known as the "Fight at Hatcher's Run," [aka Burgess' Mill] and there it saw much hard service, the ground being covered with snow and ice. After this it was sent to a position immediately in front of Petersburg.

COLONEL JONES TAKES COMMAND.

At this point before Petersburg, in the month of February, 1865, the writer, having been exchanged, took command of the 57th NC Regiment as Colonel on March 1st. He found the regiment in command of Capt. Philip W. Carpenter, of Lincoln County. Capt. John Beard being absent on some detached service. The brigade was under command of Brig. Gen. William Gaston Lewis (NC), who had been temporarily assigned to the command of it. On March 25th, about 3 o'clock in the morning, the writer was summoned to Brig. Gen. James A. Walker's (VA) headquarters— or to Brig. Gen. Lewis'. There he found Brig. Gen. James A. Walker (VA), Brig. Gen. Robert D. Johnston (NC), Brig. Gen. Matthew W. Ransom (NC) and, he tliinks, Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon (AL) also. He was informed that it was contemplated to make an attack upon the enemy's line before daylight and the writer was informed that he would command the force directed against Fort Stedman at Hare's Hill, a part of the enemy's line; and was directed to indicate two (2) regiments which he would choose to make the attack at this point. He chose his own regiment, the 57th NC Regiment, and the gallant 6th NC Regiment, one that had never flinched on any of the many battlefields in which it had borne a part from 1st Manassas down to that eventful morning. It was then commanded by Lt. Col. Samuel McDowell Tate.

THE OBSTRUCTION REMOVED.

In front of Fort Stedman there was a chevaux de frise of rails sharpened, stuck deep into the ground and pointing outward. These had been bound together by a strong wire. To cut down this obstruction in front of the advancing line volunteers were called for from the two (2) regiments and were quickly in readiness. At the writer's request, Lt. Col. Sanmuel McDowell Tate designated an officer of the 6th NC Regiment to command this apparently forlorn hope. He chose for this service 2nd Lt. Wood W. Fleming, of the 6th NC Regiment, a beardless boy not more than 19 years old. It was desperate work, and he knew it, but he was marvelously cool and at parting the writer said to him:

"If you do this work this morning, and we both survive, your rank will unquestionably be considerably advanced."

He replied:

"I do not say that I do not regard this, but I assure you if these men follow me, we will cut that abatis in your front."

Then in the dead silence of the night he moved out with his detachment armed with axes and they spread themselves along the front of Fort Stedman, and the two (2) regiments moved out and lay down just behind this party. In the meantime the obstructions in front of the Confederate line had been stealthily removed. Brig. Gen. James A. Walker, who commanded Maj. Gen. Jubal A. Early's division had notified us that the signal for the assault would be the firing of a pistol immediately in our rear. There was a wait in perfect silence for perhaps 20 minutes or possibly half an hour. There was absolutely no sign of life along the enemy's lines. Their pickets lay just in front of their abatis in their rifle pits. Away in the east there was a hand of white light in the sky which marked the approach of day.

THE CAPTURE OF FORT STEDMAN.

Suddenly there rang out on the stillness the sharp crack of a pistol. Instantly the enemy's pickets fired and there was a muffled sound of feet where Lt. Fleming's party was and along the line of the two (2) regiments. Then came the rush and the rapid sound of axes and the crash of falling timber and the wild cheer from the axemen. The two (2) regiments were at their heels and followed rapidly. Instantly there came a heavy fire of artillery and rifles from Fort Stedman, but it was of short duration, for in another minute the assaulting party mounted the enemy's works, capturing their guns and many prisoners. The writer's impression is that Lt. Fleming was the first man upon the breastworks, for he stood there when the line reached it and around him stood some of his men with their axes still in their hands. The enemy were pushed back, and through this gap the Confederate forces pushed in.

THE REGIMENT FORCED TO RETIRE.

On the right, however, at Fort Haskell the attack had been less fortunate and thus when the day broke the enemy commenced a furious cross fire and from the front Brig. Gen. William G. Lewis' (NC) Brigade was ordered to assault an earthwork diagonally to the left, the name of which is unknown to the writer. It was heavily armed, however, and after a desperate struggle the regiment was forced back after suflering very heavy loss. The writer was among the wounded and the command of the regiment devolvedl upon Capt. Philip W. Carpenter, a most gallant and efficient officer, who had borne a part in nearly every struggle in which the regiment had been engaged. Ultimately the whole line was ordered back within the Confederate lines and Capt. Carpenter brought off the regiment in as good order as possible under the murderous crossfire. Next day Capt. John Beard returned and took command of the regiment and was in command of it during the eventful march from Petersburg to Appomattox.

After the bloody repulse at Hare's Hill on March 25th, the Confederate line retired to its trenches before Petersburg and lay there like a wounded lion at bay. Before it was the magnificent Federal army commanded by Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant—a great captain of a great host. That army, infantry, artillery, and cavalry was armed, equipped, and supplied with all that money poured out in lavish abundance could supply. Its ranks were fully recruited, its horses fresh, its caissons and ordnance wagons loaded down with tons of ammunition, its commissary trains abundantly suppplied—all in readiness to receive the word from its great commander that would launch it on its hapless foe. And that foe! It was but the shadow of its former self, a remnant after the carnage of a hundred battlefields and of four (4) years of ceaseless marching and fighting. Its ranks were thin, its guns were worn with use, its ordnance and commissary stores but scant. The men were but half clothed and were pinched from want and constant exposure in the trenches. But there they stood! No bugle could recall to their aid the thousands of their dead comrades whom they had buried on the battlefields, but the spirit of their noble dead abided with them and they feared nothing but God and the shame of fear; and so they waited.

On April 1st, the great tragedy began. Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan attacked our extreme right at Five Forks and drove back our cavalry and infantry supports. By this movement our flank was completely turned and the position at Petersburg rendered untenable. On April 2nd, the Federals opened all along the line, the fire was kept up during the entire day, and repeated assaults were made at different points in overwhelming numbers. At some points they were repulsed, at others they were successful, or partially so, but the result of it all was that the immediate evacuation of Petersburg and Richmond became necessary. By the morning of April 3rd, the army had crossed to the Chesterfield side. Then commenced the memorable march to Appomattox; and the 57th NC Regiment was in the midst of it all, still patient, obedient and fearless. Day by day they struggled on without food and with incessant fighting. Almost hourly they had to turn and beat off the attacking Federals, but they struggled on with spirits still undaunted as though they hoped that even at the last fate itself would relent at the sight of their devotion to their fast-falling cause. This march from Petersburg to Appomattox was not simply a retreat nor yet a conflict; it was the funeral procession of the Confederacy; it was an oblation of blood to the Manes of a heroic nation that had been born and had died on the field of battle.

But the struggle went on. On the second day after leaving Petersburg, Brig. Gen. William G. Lewis (NC) was wounded and Capt. John Beard, of the 57th NC Regiment, took command of the brigade as senior officer. When the command reached Sailor's Creek on April 7th, they found that the High Bridge near Farmville had been broken down, and Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon (AL), in whose corps our brigade was, turned and made a last fight to hold the enemy in check till the bridge could be repaired and thus enable the artillery and trains to pass. The fighting was fierce. The brigade occupied a position just where the crossing of the road by a depression in the bed of the road afforded a slight protection. Here the enemy were repeatedly repulsed. The 57th NC Regiment maintained its reputation on this last of its battlefields and faced its foe with undaunted courage, but the end of it was that the constantly increasing numbers of the enemy enabled it to surround this brigade and capture it almost to the last man. This was the last of the many battles in which the 57th NC Regiment played its part so well, and here the curtain falls upon its story.

The writer has prepared this sketch from his personal recollections of the events where he was present and for the rest he has used the notes furnished him by Capt. John Beard. There were from first to last in this regiment men and officers who richly deserved mention and encomium, but it is impossible in the allotted space to mention them. Some died valiantly fighting and some are still alive, and some have passed away in the peaceful walks of life since that Sunday at Appomattox. But there are some names in addition to those already mentioned that occur to the writer in concluding the sketch, which for special courage deserve at least a passing tribute, and this without detraction from others.

SOME BRAVE MEN.

Among those who fell while fighting with this regiment was 1st Lt. Daniel W. Ringo, of Company E. His home was in Arkansas and his father was Judge Ringo of that State. He came to the regiment a mere boy, I think from some military school, and became a 1st Lieutenant. On every occasion and upon almost every battlefield that the 57th NC Regiment took part, he was conspicuous not only for his high courage, but for his remarkable intelligence and aptitude for the business of a soldier. After being shot in the knee and disabled, he served with the sharpshooters upon horseback and was killed on October 19, 1864, near Winchester at the battle known as Cedar Creek or Belle Grove.

Capt. Joseph G. Morrison, of Lincoln County, served with this regiment, first as Adjutant, which position he resigned to become Aide-de-Camp to Lt. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson (VA), who was his brother-in-law. After the death of the latter he became Captain of Company F. Later he resigned to take a place on Maj. Gen. Robert F. Hoke's (NC) staff, in which position he lost a foot in the early struggles around Petersburg in August of 1864. He was well known throughout the brigade for his coolness and alertness in the face of the enemy.

3rd Lt. James F. Litaker, of Cabarrus County, was a quiet, unambitious man, but possessed of a courage rarely equaled and never excelled by any one the writer saw on the field of battle. 3rd Lt. L. H. Roney, of Alamance County, was distinguished likewise for great courage and efficiency. He was killed at Gettysburg and fell dead on the skirmish line on July 1st. Edward A. Semple, the first Adjutant, was also a gallant and very efficient officer. He was wounded on May 4, 1863, at Salem Church above Fredericksburg and disabled from active service. Our Assistant Quartermaster, Capt. William G. McNeely, of Rowan County, is entitled to mention for his faithful service during the entire history of the regiment. The surgeon, Dr. Charles S. Morton, and the Assistant Surgeon, Albigon H. Binion, were able, cool, and very efficient officers and were universally beloved in the command.

Corporal John D. Barrier, another member of Company F, though a mere boy, was distinguished for his cool courage and at the battle of Hatcher's Run [Hare's Hill], Capt. John Beard selected him to bear the colors of the regiment, which he did through most trying circumstances and most heroically.

Sergeant John F. Pace, of Company C, from Salisbury, was only 16 years of age at the organization of the regiment, and was mustered in as a Private in Company C. His courage was so conspicuous at the battle of Fredericksburg that he was made 1st Sergeant of his company and in many of the later battles he commanded his company with great courage and skill. Private James R. Muse, of Company H, of Union County, was a most gallant soldier. In the retreat from Fisher's Hill, Brig. Gen. Robert F. Hoke's (NC) Brigade covered the rear, marching all day in line of battle. On this retreat Private Muse commanded his company and in one of the many attacks made upon the rear guard, he was killed, hat in hand cheering his men.

Richard Van Eaton, of Davie County, a Private of Company A, was also a most gallant soldier.

Among those most conspicuous for his gallantry and who fell at the head of his company at Gettysburg, was Capt. Samuel W. Gray, of Company D, from Forsyth County. He had been in all the battles in which the regiment had taken part and in all save the battle of Fredericksburg he had commanded his most excellent company.

THE FIFTY-SEVENTH DID ITS DUTY WELL.

In conclusion, the writer has only to say that when in the course of time history of this great civil struggle comes to be written by able and impartial historians, it is not to be expected that any one regiment can be designated among so many as specially distinguished for courage or efficiency; but in justice to the men and officers of the 57th NC Regiment the writer can conscientiously say that few, if any, contributed more to the imperishable renown that surrounds the memory of the Confederate soldier. They did their duty well and valorously, and in fighting, in common with their comrades, they have fixed a standard for the American soldier below which it is hoped he will never fall.

Hamilton C. Jones,
Charlotte, N.C.
9 April, 1901