Reminiscences of the Civil War, 1861-1865

by Preston Lafayette Ledford

Fourteenth N. C. Regiment.—

The beginning of the war was to some a surprise,

But the old Fourteenth at once organized;

The regiment marched to the front along with the first.

And was on the front line when shells began to burst.

It was composed of ten companies of stalwart men,

Who were determined with the enemy to contend;

At Seven Pines and battles below Richmond to Malvern Hill,

The regiment fought with a determined will,

Many of the men gallant and brave

On these battle fields filled bloody graves,

Receiving recruits the regiment again took a start,

Displaying courage and endurance on the Maryland march,

Near Sharpsburg the regiment was in an old road aligned,

And fought the Yankees advancing in three lines;

The boys were conspicuous at the Wilderness, Chancellorsville and Mine Run

And at Spotsylvania and Gettysburg handled their guns,

In the thickest of the fight the regiment would be,

Fought to the finish and surrendered with Lee,

While not pretending to write the history of any special command, the writer belonged to Co. B. 14th Regiment N. C. Infantry which accounts for a casual reference to the regiment in these sketches. The regiment was composed of the following companies—all North Carolinians:

Company	A, Halifax	County
”	B, Davidson	”
”	C, Anson	”
”	D, Cleveland	”
”	E, Wake	”
”	F, Buncombe	”
”	G, Rockingham	”
”	H, Stanley	”
”	I, Davidson	”
”	K, Wake	”

Company Officers.—Company B, of which I was a member was made up at Thomasville and the immediate surrounding country. The company was at first commanded by Capt. Miller, but when the company reorganized J. H. Lambeth was elected captain, S. Hepler first lieutenant, C. P. Jones second lieutenant and Alex Leach third lieutenant. Captain Lambeth was promoted to the position of major and served in that capacity, until the close of the war. Lieutenant Hepler was wounded at Sharpsburg, lost an arm and was not with the company very much afterward. To fill a vacancy M. H. Cross was elected lieutenant. Lieutenant Jones was killed in battle, Lieutenant Leach’s health failed in consequence of which he was absent a great deal of the time and the command of the company devolved upon Lieutenant Cross. Neither of the lieutenants were promoted to the captaincy. The regiment was at first commanded by Colonel Daniel, Lieutenant Colonel Lovejoy, Major Faison and Adjutant Seaton Gales. When the regiment reorganized Roberts was elected colonel, Bennett lieutenant colonel, Dixon major, and Marshall adjutant. Roberts and Dixon died and Bennett became colonel. Johnson lieutenant colonel and J. H. Lambeth major. Rev. Powers was chaplain all the time. The 2nd, 4th, 14th, 30th and 1st and 3rd consolidated—all N. C. regiments composed a brigade commanded by Pemberton, Colston, Anderson, Ramseur and Cox consecutively. The brigade belonged to a Division, commanded by D. H. Hill, Rodes and Grimes consecutively. The regiment served through the war and was under the invincible Jackson until his death and was proud of the distinction of being in an army commanded by the immortal Lee.

Unique Characters.—In every command there are unique characters, and the Fourteenth was by no means an exception to the general rule, for in the regiment were members noted for varied peculiarities or eccentricities. Surviving soldiers of the regiment will pleasantly remember Webb of Co. A and Crow of Co. K, Charlie Hall of Co. B and Lee of Co. G.

There were two great big fellows in the regiment that did not look hungry but a double daily ration had no charms for them. Their names were Sergeant Rawly of Co. G and Lieutenant Mitchell of Co. E.

A Brave Soldier.—At South Mountain the regiment was exposed to a shower of minnie balls, and was located at the foot of a hill in a thicket of sprouts, weeds and briers. A call was made for a volunteer to carry a message through the thick underbrush. In Co. B was an obscure soldier named Morgan considered a kind of a go easy good for nothing kind of a fellow, although barefooted he at once responded and stepped to the front to perform the task without considering it to be a perilous brave undertaking. He was sustained by nerve and pluck that stamped him as a brave man worthy of admiration.

Color Bearer.—Bennett Russell color bearer of the regiment, who carried the colors in many hard fought battles, though not a commissioned officer deserves honorable mention. Although illiterate, unassuming in manners, plain and not preposessing in appearance.

He was noble, generous and brave,

And imperiled his life his country to save.

Amusing Scenes.—The wit or humorist was there to contribute his enlivening influence to vary the sometimes sombre or gloomy conditions existing in the camp. Sometimes ludicrous incidents would occur to excite laughter and amusement even when danger was threateningly near. Imagine soldiers running for life to keep from being captured and thinking themselves out of danger, swearing that they would not move another inch if the entire Yankee army pounced down upon them, and a few shells burst throwing dirt upon them and hissing singing minnie balls like swarms of bees humming uncomfortably near them, then think how soon they forget their decided resolution to discontinue running, start again and fairly burn the wind until again out of harms way. To one looking on, it is amusing to see the movements and afterwards to hear their quaint sayings. To the participants it is anything else but funny, but after it is all over they laugh about it and joke and jeer each other unmercifully.

In the campaign in the valley the Rebels ran the Yankees many a time, and occasionally their speed was very much accelerated by their being in front and the Yankees keeping up close in the rear, and treating them to volleys of shot and shell.

On the Campaign.—The regiment was conspicuous in the battles of Williamsburg, Seven Pines, through the battles below Richmond to Malvern Hill. After coming out of this strenuous campaign the regiment very much worsted by exposure, disease and loss of killed, wounded and missing in battle went into camp near Richmond and rested awhile. Many of its gallant officers and men had fallen to rise no more, and others were sick or wounded in the hospitals or at home on furlough. Recruits came to take the places of the absent ones, and very soon the regiment with the command started on the famous march to Maryland. The regiment passed through the battlefield of the second Manassas fight and a gruesome, sickening sight presented itself.

Distressing Scenes.—Dead bodies of Yankee soldiers were strewn thickly over the field, that in the hasty retreat of the Yankee army and pursuit of the Southern forces, were left unburied on the field. The boys endured exposures and hardships galore and many of them had to succumb. It was necessary to enforce rigid discipline which under the circumstances was a difficult matter. Many hardships had to be endured that were apparently unfair and uncalled for but the demands of war are imperative and must be submitted to. Soldiers in the ranks and officers in command were compelled to witness distressing scenes, and were powerless to render assistance to the suffering and dying. On the march soldiers exhausted fell out of ranks sometimes when there were no facilities to provide for them, were obliged to take their chances and often lost their lives for want of attention. On the battlefield the surging masses intent on the destruction of each other had no time to give to personal friends however near and dear they might be. Distressing scenes were witnessed and assistance given when possible to do so. Sometimes near friends or even brothers were shot down in battle and the demands so urgent to move forward that the poor dying comrade had to die without being permitted to listen to the voice of a friend to comfort him while passing to the unknown land. On two occasions the Fourteenth was called out to witness the execution of some poor soldiers belonging to the army pay the penalty of desertion. It is heartrending to see a comrade shot down in the heat of battle, but it is a more distressing scene to see a soldier shot at the stake.

Battles Engaged In.—At Sharpsburg the regiment was aligned in an old road near the village and fought the Yankees advancing in three lines of battle. The regiment was cut to pieces and many were killed, wounded or missing. The regiment also figured conspicuously in the battles of Gettysburg, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, Hatchers Run, Winchester, Mine Run, Cedar Creek and many other battles and skirmishes down to the surrender at Apomattox.

Victory and Defeat.—At Cedar Creek the Fourteenth in one day experienced the exultation of victory and the humiliation of defeat. The following lines give a partial description of the exciting transactions of the day:

Just after dark an order came

To fall in line and answer to our names;

An order then came to move without delay,

And very soon we were marching on the way.

Around the hill our line was strung,

There was no blowing of the fife or beating of the drum,

An order in a whisper came down the line

That no one must talk even in a whisper at any time.

We marched all night with scarcely a stop

So still we could have heard a pencil drop;

We were marching on to a certain doom,

Destined to engage in a battle very soon.

Far to the right we heard the report of a signal gun

And to the left the report of another one,

In front we saw the flash and heard the report of a gun,

And was ordered to move forward in a run.

Forward double quick march was the cry,

And the surprised Yankees did swiftly fly;

They were in their tents their breakfasts cooking

And were by no means for the Rebels looking;

They left meat and vegetables cooking in the pot

And cans of coffee smoking hot.

When they heard the familiar Rebel Yell

There was not one left the tale to tell;

We captured wagon trains, ammunition and men,

Drove prisoners to the rear and put them in a pen,

It was fun to see the Yankees run,

And we hurried them on by firing our guns.

We emptied our cartridge boxes of fifty rounds;

The continued firing made the hills resound,

We ran the Yankees down and pulled them in,

And the way we captured prisoners was a sin,

It is said it is a long lane that has no turning,

And we finally got to the end of our journey,

The enemy was reenforced by another command,

Then we turned and run and raised the sand.

For five long miles under shot and shell

For real swift running we made it tell,

Finally the sun went down and darkness came

And the Yankees ceased their fiery flame.

The armies scattered, ran to and fro,

Not knowing how or where to go,

The enemy halted in the darkness of the night

And our scattered forces continued the flight.

In our hasty retreat we lost in our flight

All we had gained in the morning fight.

The surprise was successful and our victory complete,

If we had been able the prisoners guns and wagon trains to keep.

Fortunes are made and lost in a day,

And battles sometimes won and lost in the same time and way.

After the battle was over we had cause to weep,

And regretted meeting the enemy at Cedar Creek.

Decisive Battle.—At Gettysburg perhaps a battle which was the turning point of the war, the elements seemed to be a lurid flame of fire, so desperate was the conflict and so hot and appalling the work of death and destruction. The machinery of warfare seemed to be turned loose and its operators proud of the distinction of handling it in such an effective manner, enabling it to do its deadly work.

The Enemy Surprised.—One sultry morning marching orders were received and the Fourteenth in column with other portions of the command, for hours marched at quicktime, and sometimes double-quicking. Men overcome with heat fainted by the wayside, but positive orders to continue the march were rigidly enforced. Late in the evening the enemy was surprised and attacked in the rear and a fight ensued beginning the Chancellorsville engagements.

Battle at Chancellorsville.—After dark Jackson and his staff rode through a piece of woods and was fired upon by his own men, obeying his own orders, receiving a wound which was the indirect cause of his death. The soldiers in the regiment distinctly heard the volley that caused the death of their loved commander. It is said that Lee seriously remarked upon the death of Jackson that it was a loss of his right arm. When the fatal shot was fired and Jackson received the death blow, the hopes of the Confederacy began to wane. General Stewart was put in command in Jackson’s place and the next day a hotly contested battle was fought. After being engaged in the battle several hours we were relieved and orderly falling back. The general came along and thinking there was a stampede ordered the forces back to the front. Col. Bennett said to him, “Gen. Stewart we have been relieved by the Stonewall brigade” adding “I have the most gallant regiment in the field.” The general then said, “I beg ten thousand pardons” and moved on leaving the impression on the minds of the soldiers that he was a chivalrous brave commander. After we had gotten to the foot of the hill Gen. Ramseur undertook to congratulate the men but was so overcome with emotion that he said he could not talk. Col. Bennett came to the rescue saying “I can talk” and in a stentorian tone began to praise the men. He was cheered to the echo and the surrounding hills and valleys resounded with the Rebel Yell.

At Apomattox.—The gallant Fourteenth was a fighting regiment and fought to the finish. At Apomattox though it did not retain the appearance of its former glory. But few of the tried and true were left to see for the last time the immortal Lee and with tears in their eyes hear his farewell address. The regiment broke ranks and turned their faces southward glad to return to their homes and loved ones, but sad at the thought of the humiliation of defeat and uncertain about how they would be treated by their conquerors.

General Officers.—The short sketch of the few officers of the army of Northern Virginia who were distinguished for their generalship, heroism and bravery could be continued by the addition of other names equally as brave and equally as famous. Scores of them who wore the stars or bars did many acts of daring and gained many victories by their good judgment, cool and deliberate maneuvering, but we must not forget the rank and file for upon the private soldiers the heavy burden fell, and they usually responded in a manner entirely satisfactory. Honor is due to the brave men in the ranks who were prompted by duty alone and who fought so gallantly without reward or the hope of reward.

General Cox was a young man and as an officer presented a fine appearance, dressed up to date and one not familiar with his ways would come to the conclusion that he was vain or selfconceited, but seeing him in the performance of duty in his every day soldier life would dispel any such illusion. He set an example of neatness, and his military bearing was not put on but natural. His nature and disposition were generous, and he looked after the welfare of the men under him and was not tyrannical in his discipline. When the time came for action he did not think of soiling his clothes but entered into the thickest of the fight and unwaveringly stayed with his command and fought to the finish. He survived the war and has figured conspicuously in the management of affairs to perpetuate good government and the enforcement of the law as a just judge on the bench.

General Grimes by the casual observer, would not have been selected from a crowd of officers as a man of extraordinary ability or above the average as a military commander. Though plain and unassuming he was a soldier of fighting proclivities and his shrill, clear, fine voice heard above the din common in the beginning of an engagement was an inspiration to his men. He was the hero of many battles and lived to witness the closing scenes of the war and near his home was the victim of assassination from ambush by parties lying concealed waiting for him.

General Ramsuer was impetuous, impatient, aggressive and by some regarded as foolhardy. If fighting was going on he was not satisfied if he was not permitted to take a hand. He has been known to ride between our own and the enemy’s picket lines apparently insensible of danger, and at a time too when a fight was momentarily expected. He was known and acknowledged as a fighter and his men followed him without questioning the expediency of his movements. He was tender-hearted to the extreme and in the presence of his men has been seen to break down and weep like a child, verifying the old adage that “The brave are tender-hearted.”

General Rodes was an officer having a commanding appearance. Decision of character was plainly depicted upon his countenance. It is often said that a man’s face is an index to his character. The casual observer looking into the face of the general could not fail to see stamped there a plain indication of a generous disposition. His cordial and lovable disposition drew men to him, and his deportment in battle stamped him as a fearless brave soldier. Cool and collected as he was in battle, in the engagement in which he was killed just before he was slain he seemed to be excited as if he had a premonition of his impending doom, but his sun set in a halo of glory and his name will go down in history as a hero.

General D. H. Hill, was a brave commander, had a tender regard for the welfare of his men and being of a humane disposition looked after minor details that the most of officers of his rank left entirely to subordinates. At one time on a march he discovered that many of the men were barefooted and their feet sore—some of them bleeding. He was powerless to furnish shoes and issued an order for the soldiers to make shoes out of rawhides. The order was given with a view of ameliorating the condition of the men and really did to some extent, but was not received by the men in the same spirit it was given and they in ridicule named him “Rawhide.” He was held in high esteem by his men, and they admired his fighting qualities. In battle he was firm as an unshaken rock, and the boys said that not a muscle would quiver even when shells were bursting around him and bullets were cutting close.

General A. P. Hill was a peer of the bravest and most successful general officers of his rank who were co-workers with him in the army of Northern Virginia. He commanded with judgment; maneuvered and executed with skill and proved himself worthy of the position he occupied. In the hour of danger he did not waver and in the heat of battle stood firmly with his men.

General Ewell was a little, scrawny, weakly looking fellow but a fighter with a reputation. He succeeded Jackson in command and while he did not claim to be his equal. The mantle of the famous general fell upon a worthy one, who did not degrade but kept the command up to a respectable standard. In an engagement when perhaps many a commanding officer would have been far enough to the rear to have protected himself, he was wounded and in consequence of the wound had to submit to an operation and had his leg amputated, but did not make his misfortune an excuse to retire from service, but remained with his command and fought to the finish.

General Early was regarded as rather eccentric, and acquired a reputation for gaining many battles and losing out in the end. After bagging his game he seemed not to have the ability to retain it. On one occasion after driving the Yankees unceremoniously from their position he passed along and familiarly said to the soldiers, “Boys you walloped it to ’em this time.” For many weeks he kept his command on the run either in hot pursuit of the Yankees or running in a stampede from them. He kept the Yankees in constant dread and did some very effective work as a commanding officer.

General Stuart was a dashy cavalry general and when he went on the warpath there was something doing. He with other cavalry officers, such as Hampton, Mosby, Imboden and others terrorized the Yankees and often made them hit the grit and burn the wind to get out of the way. The cavalry force under his leadership very materially assisted the main army in successfully carrying out its plans on the campaign. General Stuart took Jackson’s place at Chancellorsville, and successfully prosecuted the engagement that occurred the day after Jackson’s unfortunate adventure while riding along the lines, resulting in his serious wound that disabled him and finally caused his death. He was a fine looking man and a gallant commanding officer and lost his life in a cavalry engagement at the Yellow Tavern.

General Longstreet held a high position among the officers of the army, and in its counsels his fine military mind exerted an influence towards shaping aggressive campaigns. His command did some hard and effective fighting. Wherever the tramp of the soldiers in his corps was heard, Southern soldiers were encouraged and the Federal troops terror stricken. The Yankees learned of his name and fame and feared him accordingly.

General Breckenridge was tall symmetrical and impressed one in his presence with his attractive personality. He belonged to a leading Kentucky family and was in the war prompted by a sense of duty and loyalty to his country. He was a leading factor in the counsels of the officers in shaping the character of the military movements.

General Gordon was a fair type of the Southern gentleman, and his very appearance indicated soldier qualities of a high order. He was an educated man and his literary attainments gave him prominence in the counsels of war held by the general officers. In prosecuting military movements he called into requisition his fine military talent, experience, good judgment and discretion. After the war he became distinguished for his eloquence and became a fine platform lecturer.

General Wheeler, better known as fighting Jo Wheeler, a good portion of the time had his headquarters in his saddle, and his command was expert horseback riders. With his boys he was in his proper element when chastising the Yankees. It was said that he slipped upon their blind side and it seemed that all sides were blind for he was liable to attack them from any point of the compass, and his raids were a great help to the main army. His command returning home after the surrender was followed by a gang of looters that stole horses and committed other depredations claiming to be Wheeler’s men. General Wheeler figured conspicuously in the Spanish-Cuban war retaining in his old age his fire and courage as a soldier.

General Jackson was a military chieftain whose equal in his special line or plan of conducting a campaign could not be found in the army. He never tried to evade a battle when it was in the interest of the cause he represented to fight, but by his dashing movements often accomplished by strategy victories that could not have been achieved in battle. He was loved by officers and men in his command, and they placed implicit confidence in him. His name and presence cheered them on to deeds of valor, and the mere rumor in the camp of the enemy that Jackson was coming made officers and soldiers tremble in their boots. They feared him as a foe, but respected him for his clever management, and admired him for his heroism and wonderful achievements.

The name of the illustrious Jackson should have a place

In the history of heroes on the brightest page,

He was a born commander and leader of men,

A terror to his enemies—a beacon light to his friends.

On the march or in battle he moved without fear

Of the world’s greatest generals he was a peer;

His artful maneuvering and quick movements did save

The live of many a soldier brave.

Passing down the line soldiers always could tell

That Jackson was coming by the Rebel yell;

His name and heroism gave hope to the Nation,

And his presence among the soldiers caused an ovation,

When the fatal shot was fired that struck the hero down,

The cause of Southern independence waned and gloom did abound;

The sad news of his wound gave to Lee alarm,

And he mournfully said, I have lost my right arm.

General Robert E. Lee, commander of the army of Northern Virginia, was in many respects superior to any military chieftain the world has ever produced. He was a patriot, statesman, scholar, military hero and consecrated christian gentleman. On one occasion a portion of the Southern army was facing the enemy in full view of the line of battle. Dark threatening clouds were near and pelting hailstones and fleaks of snow were beginning to fall. The soldiers were shivering with cold, obeying orders issued not to move from their position or build any fires. The general in a soft tender voice so characteristic of the man ordered the officers to allow the soldiers to build temporary shelters with pine brush to shelter them from the hail and snow and to build fires. In a very short time they were protected from the storm and fairly comfortable by the blazing fire prepared. He lead the grand army to victory in battles, and when at last overpowered by superior numbers he was obliged to surrender, he went down not in disgrace but glorious in defeat, and when history gives a true record comparing him with the greatest of military heroes his name will be emblazoned on the brightest page outshining them all.

In our country’s broad arena no generation ever will see

A military chieftain—an equal of the immortal Lee;

He could have commanded armies backed by wealth and display,

And have been recognized as the greatest general of the day.

While over that army the Stars and Stripes waved

He could have commanded soldiers gallant and brave,

But he sacrificed wealth, position and fame,

And to the rescue of his native home gallantly came.

In victory he was magnanimous heroic and great,

But his luster shined more brilliantly in defeat.

Among the world’s greatest generals he stands at the head,

The greatest military chieftain living or dead.

When his sun went down there was sorrow and gloom

Among the inmates of every Southern home;

He commanded an army of soldiers without a peer

And to every Southern soldier his memory is dear.

Recapitulation.—The short sketch of the general officers named closes the Reminiscences of the war period. There may be some discrepancies and possibly some errors as everything noticed is quoted from memory, and a lapse of more than forty years ought to be accepted as a valid excuse for any mistakes. The narrative is claimed to be true, and the object of the writer has been to deal fairly and impartially with all classes referred to.

These general officers leaders in their time,

With gallant subordinates all along the line,

Commanded an army that was complete,

Glorious in victory and defeat.

The world never saw and there never will be

An army to equal the one commanded by Jackson and Lee,

Soldiers in the ranks from the best families came,

And fought for their country and not for a name;

At home they left property, mothers, sisters, sweethearts and wives

To protect these treasures they imperiled their lives

The Union was preserved not alone by Union men,

But by Aliens that came across the cause to defend,

The Stars and Bars folded trailed in the dust,

And the Stars and Stripes waved as it waved at first.

The Southern army overpowered in the struggle lost out,

But left to Southern people an inheritance of which they are proud.

Now all sections of our country fight under one flag,

And when the Southern boy is called for he does not lag.

We love our country no less than before,

But fight for it because we love the Sunny South more.

CHAPTER XII.
RECONSTRUCTION PERIOD.

Surrender of Lee.—On the ninth day of April 1865 at Apomattox Virginia General Lee surrendered to General Grant, after four years struggle in perhaps the most awful war of modern times. Only a remnant of the once powerful and vigorous army was left to share in the humiliation. A large proportion of the gallant soldiers of the army over which the immortal Lee was the commander had fallen to rise no more, and the few remaining were broken down by the continued hardships of the four years struggle. Being overpowered they humbly submitted to the inevitable and in good faith accepted the terms given by their conquerors and returned to their homes, thousands of which were broken up, and thousands more in mourning for loved ones who had perished in the war.

Right to Secede.—The question as to whether a State had a right to secede from the General Government could not be settled by arbitration or legislation, and had been submitted to the arbitrament of the sword and decided in the negative. The Federal government through its civil representatives and military hosts claimed and proclaimed a State had no right to secede. An overwhelming majority of the people north of Mason and Dixon’s line embraced this theory. Southern people embraced the opinion that States had the inalienable right to rebel against the government, if the rights vouchsafed to said states by the constitution were infringed upon. After four years of civil war unparalleled for its severity and extent of loss of life and property, the issue was settled in favor of the Northern idea, and Southern soldiers accepted their parole, took the oath of allegiance to the government of the United States in good faith, and returned home to take up life again as peaceable, loyal citizens.

Sherman’s March to the Sea.—A few days previous and subsequent to the surrender of Lee, Johnson with his army was retreating towards North Carolina, with Sherman in hot pursuit, on his famous march to the sea. General Sherman, talented, as he was, holding a key to the situation, must have known that the end of the so called rebellion was near at hand, but leading his Vandal hosts with pine torch in hand, careless with fire, seemed to take a fiendish pleasure listening to the crackling conflagrations and witnessing the lurid sheets of flame as it swallowed up barns full of feed and stock and palaces, cottages and all kinds of residences with the accumulation of the lifetime of the occupants, and the inmates themselves, helpless women and children driven out of doors, groping their way through the dense smoke and darkness, hurried on with agonizing fear and dread of personal harm that was terrible beyond description. A man of intelligence raised in a land of Bibles under christian influence that could gloat over such orgies is more in need of missionary influence than the inhabitants of Greenland’s icy mountain or India’s coral strand.

Home Coming of Soldiers.—For several weeks after the surrender of Lee and Johnson, the soldiers continued to return to their homes and returning divested themselves of their army clothes worn, dirty and sometimes infested with vermin sad reminders of camp and prison life. The old clothes were burned and the soldiers dressed in citizens clothes that had been laid aside four years before, or in new clothes that thoughtful mothers, sisters or wives had prepared in anticipation of their home coming. The soldiers were welcomed home by their people who rejoiced to see them return. On some occasions they were met by mothers, sisters or wives who had passed through four years of great tribulation, and sometimes by hungry, ragged children, made more than orphans by the war. To welcome the return of the soldiers. Nature seemed to smile in extravagant luxuriance. Flowers were blooming, growing crops were springing up in a prolific growth, promising a bountiful harvest. The soldiers became citizens and relieved women and children of burdens of farm work that their forced absence had put upon them, and under the changed condition of affairs everything was in a fair way to resume normal conditions.

Assassination of Lincoln.—Very soon after the surrender of Lee, Abraham Lincoln, president of the United States, was assassinated and Southern people deplored the sad event. Although the leaders and common people of the South had nothing to do with the awful crime, it had a tendency to intensify the already bitter feeling of the radical element North, and this element began to clamor for revenge, demanding the punishment of innocent people of the South for a crime for which they were in no way responsible but entirely innocent. If Lincoln had not have been removed by death from the presidency and could have exerted an influence that the promptings of his really generous nature would have caused him to endeavor to use, it would have been a boon to the downtrodden people of the Southland. The average soldier was disposed to get to work and really did get to work with an honest endeavor to repair the damage done, and to build up the waste places.

Federal Officers.—The rulers or representatives of the general government could have immortalize themselves and their names would have gone down in history as benefactors, but instead they took a different view of the situation and apparently actuated by a revengeful spirit heaped up burdens that made the suffering people cry out in agony “How long will this state of affairs exist.”

Conduct of Yankee Soldiers.—Early in the Spring of 1865 the war was rapidly coming to a close and the Yankee soldiers were invading every nook and corner. Some of them acted very gentlemanly and did what they could to protect private property, but others committed depredations, terrified the people and stole or impressed, as they called it, the most of the good horses, sometimes leaving worn out old scrubby plugs for farmers to make their crops with, and then other gangs would come along and take these leaving farmers without horses. In the Summer the army horses were corralled at different places, sold at auction to the highest bidder and brought from one to fifty dollars a piece. In this way they got about all the money the citizens had managed to get hold of.

Looters Follow Yankee Army.—In the rear of the Yankee army there followed a motley gang of looters that were ignorant, vicious and some of them penitentiary convicts. This despicable class, that would not have been invited into the homes of respectable people where they lived, set themselves up as leaders to plunder, steal and overawe the good citizens of the desolated country.

Provisional Government.—The Southern people soon learned to their sorrow that if a state did not have a right to secede that the states which were in rebellion were not considered in the union. Provisional Governments were forced upon the Southern States and in North Carolina W. W. Holden, who perhaps had done more to bring about, foster and encourage the secession of the state than any other man within her borders, was made governor of the state, and a reign of terror, misrule and tyranny began. A governor with a retinue of ignorant, vicious, dishonest followers, willing and anxious to humiliate and punish the leading and best citizens of the state, caused a distressing state of affairs to exist.

The Negro Enfranchised.—To still further humiliate the Southern people an amendment was added to the constitution which placed the ballot in the hands of every negro man in the South twenty-one years old, and not satisfied with this leading citizens of the South were disfranchised. Thousands of the most prominent and influential citizens of the State of North Carolina were disfranchised. An election was ordered and held but everything was one way, and many of the poll holders were big “buck niggers” that would not have known the Constitution of the United States from the Ten Commandments.

Carpetbaggers.—The carpetbaggers and low down thieves, thugs and bums that were tacked on to the tail end of the Yankee army and left to torture, torment and terrorize the peaceable, law-abiding citizens of the South were now busy with their fiendish work. They had already done effective preparatory work by visiting and mingling freely with an element congenial to their degraded and vitiated tastes. They had frequented negro cabins which were thickly scattered over the country. These ignorant, confiding negroes were easily prevailed upon to meet in old fields, woods, or old houses located in obscure places where they organized and instructed them.

The Negro Politicians.—The negro politician loomed up and these self-constituted bosses pictured to them in glowing colors the beauty and grandeur of a position they would occupy where their former owners and other leading white citizens would have to bow the knee and acknowledge their royal authority. They were informed that the lands owned by Southern white people would be confiscated and divided out among them. Some of them in obedience to instructions went so far as to stake off forty acres of land where they wanted it, with the assurance that it would be given them. They were also promised with the forty acres of land and a mule, and were happy in anticipation in the near future of being in possession of immense wealth. Their political aspirations were if possible more extravagant. Offices not wanted by these designing political robbers were parcelled out to negroes that they could use to do their bidding.

Election a Farce.—An election was held that was worse than a farce. The negroes marched up to the polls like droves of sheep and deposited a piece of paper in a box that they could not have told by looking at it whether it was a ballot or ticket for passage on a railroad or admission into a theatre. In North Carolina the ballot boxes were sent to Charleston, S. C., for the ballots to be counted by a military commander. To the legislature were elected a few good citizens and a host of carpetbaggers, scalawags, and negroes, the last three named having overwhelming majorities.

Legislature.—The legislature met composed of this motley crew to enact laws for the government of the people of our loved State. In the legislature were a few representative members mixed in with the disreputable carpetbaggers, scalawags and ignorant negroes, and an organization effected by a few sharp unprincipled alien adventurers who at once began to plan a system of robbery bold, insolent and disgraceful, and their corrupt ignorant tools were ready to do anything dictated by them. The legislature remained in session an entire year, the members voting themselves seven dollars per day, and some of them computing their mileage over a roundabout way to give them an excuse to augment their mileage accounts. The public school fund that had been sacredly preserved through the four years vicissitudes of war was taken to pay the per diem of the members of the mob that had convened under the name of legislature. State bonds were voted and issued for millions of dollars ostensibly to build railroads, but the proceeds of the bonds were gobbled up by money sharks and no railroads built. Many of these bonds were later repudiated by the state as fraudulent. A system of state, county and municipal government prevailed that was oppressive, and the good people of the state were humiliated and felt outraged without having any chance to remedy the evil existing.

County Officers.—In the legislature were several negroes and in some counties were negro sheriffs, registers of deeds, county commissioners, magistrates and school committees. While such a state of affairs was humiliating, perhaps the carpetbaggers and some of the homemade scalawags who forgetting and forsaking their race and color, acting with them were, if possible, a worse curse to the state than the negro himself. White people were arrested upon warrants issued by negro magistrates who tried their cases and gloated over an opportunity to punish them. Extortionate taxes were levied and collected and in some counties claims were held by officers and people were obliged to sell them at a tremendous discount and the officers and their pet partners would buy them in and pay themselves full value from the county fund. Their outrageous extravagance disgusted all decent white people and their methods were universally condemned. The negro as a politician became aggressive and the bosses were obliged to put their names on the ticket because in many places they furnished the voting population. Negroes became offensive and entirely ignored their former owners and other white friends who were disposed to treat them fairly, and accepted as their advisers these low down carpetbaggers and if possible lower scalawags. The negro depended almost entirely for his living upon the better class of white people and notwithstanding all his prejudice and bitterness, acknowledged this fact, but a dirty thief or a dirty, no account white man of the class used to do their dirty work would tell them if they voted with the old secession crowd, as they called them, they would be put back in slavery, but if they voted as they suggested they would surely get the forty acres of land and a mule, and what was still more pleasing to them would place themselves in a position to wreak revenge on this now despised class. Some of the hireling serfs were willing to sell their birthright for less than a miserable mess of potage, and went so far as to advise the poor, ignorant, confiding negro, in case he was refused work by this class of white people, to steal such as he needed from the corn cribs, wheat houses, smoke houses and if that would not suffice to burn their barns or to burn them out of house and home.

Crimes Committed.—Under this wicked teaching or training crimes galore were committed and men were unsafe and women insecure to go along the streets or highways. Instead of law and order anarchy reigned supreme and crime stalked boldly in the land heretofore noted for peace, happiness and prosperity.

Negroes Offensive.—Young negroes became offensive as a result of the false training of this vicious class of men and some women, pretended religious enthusiasts, who knew nothing of the class of people to whom they were teaching a doctrine of direct or indirect social equality. Ambitious notions took possession of the bestial natures of some of the worst element of the race and results revolting to think of blackened the page of history of this fearful period.

W. W. Holden was then governor of North Carolina, and could have used his fine talent, directed in a proper channel, to have been a blessing instead of a curse to the people of the State whom it was his sworn duty to protect instead of persecuting. The Executive and Judicial powers of the State were silent as the grave and by their silence put their seal of approval upon the disgraceful transactions, thus staining their administration with crime and the approval of crime and becoming a party seeking and wreaking revenge.

Ku Klux Klan.—The ferocious wretches became so bold in the commission of their outrages that in defense of life and property the good people of the country organized a society called by different names in different places but known every where as the “Ku Klux Klan.” The object of the organization was to secure protection that the pretended officers of the law failed to give to the oppressed people.

Holden and Kirk.—Governor Holden prevailed with his gang of blind partizans in the legislature to pass a law authorizing him to declare martial law in any part of the state. This he proceeded to do in a few counties and had some citizens of the highest character, accused of committing heinous crimes. Federal troops were sent to these counties, not troops made up in the state, but a gang of cut-throats from Tennessee, commanded by an acknowledged vicious wretch by the name of Kirk.

Governor Holden was not satisfied with the scope of power given him, but wrote to the president asking for Federal authority allowing arrests to be made and parties tried before a military tribunal hoping to have some of the best citizens of the state shot at the stake. Congress refused to confer on the president the power to declare martial law. The governor and his crowd had to depend on such state authority as they had managed to usurp. Col. Kirk with his gang had invaded the state under the direction of the governor and more than one hundred citizens were arrested and imprisoned by Kirk and his minions.

Judiciary Exhausted.—Chief Justice Pearson had until this time been regarded as a just judge, and application was made to him for a writ of habeas corpus that men in prison might know why they were imprisoned. Judge Pearson granted the writ but when an attempt was made to serve it on Kirk he ignored it under the plea that he was acting under orders from Governor Holden. Counsel of the prisoners asked for further process to punish Kirk but the Chief Justice held that his power was exhausted and that the Judiciary could not contend with the Executive. The highest judges in the state claimed to be powerless and the Holden Kirk conspirators, although panting to get recognition from the Federal Government, began to make preparations to form a Drumhead court to consist of thirteen members—seven to be appointed by the governor and six by Colonel Kirk. The Chief Executive of the state expecting to preside over this court and try cases with the Judiciary in sight and hearing, declaring itself helpless.

Judge Brooks.—The right will usually prevail and Judge Brooks a Federal Judge listened to the cry of the distressed and oppressed and gave them relief. Governor Holden and Colonel Kirk could not intimidate him with their scarecrow cries of war and bloodshed. He gave Kirk peremptory orders to allow his prisoners to come before him at Salisbury within ten days. Governor Holden asked the president to interfere and he promptly informed him that Judge Brook’s order must be obeyed. Nothing was against the prisoners and they were released, and the state was soon relieved of the presence of the Kirk mob. Governor Holden was impeached, convicted and expelled from his high office. The people rose in their might and partially redeemed the state, but it took years to accomplish the desired effect.

One hundred thousand ignorant negroes were enfranchised and their proportional numerical strength of the voting population enabled them to exert a baneful influence which very much afflicted the counsels of our state.

Negro Problem.—This brings to the surface the negro problem, which will not be discussed here, but the different phases of negro life at different periods of time will be noticed. The negro was brought to this country from a heathen land centuries ago and it was soon discovered that a Southern climate was suitable to his health and growth and as a commercial commodity in the South he would be profitable. The negro living as a servant of the white families developed many commendable traits of character. Under the influence of an acknowledged superior race he became partially civilized and became very much attached as a servant to his master and mistress as he was pleased to call them. He brought with him from the dark continent some traits of character that were inherent and hard to eradicate. As a slave he was faithful and the great mass of them were happy, and growing up with white children loved and respected them without once thinking himself their social equal. Before the war and during the war it was a very rare case to hear of an outrage being committed. The negro was happy in his surroundings, having no cares for the future, knowing he would be provided for even in sickness and old age. During the war he cared for and as far as he was capable protected the white women and children at home while their fathers, brothers and husbands were in the army.