REMINISCENCES
OF THE
GUILFORD GRAYS,
CO. B, 27TH N.C. REGIMENT,
BY JOHN A. SLOAN.
WASHINGTON, D.C.:
R. O. POLKINHORN, PRINTER.
1883.
CONTENTS.
| [CHAPTER I.] |
| Organization of the Grays — General Joab Hiatt — Original members — Election of Officers — Drill — Arms received — First public parade — "Jake Causey" — Exercises at Edgeworth — May Queen; presentation of banner. |
| [CHAPTER II.] |
| The Greys celebrate Fourth of July — Visit the Orange Guards at Hillsboro — Dinner and Ball — Celebrate 22d February at Greenboro — The "boom" of War — Secession of the Gulf States — Correspondence between Gov. Ellis and Secretary Holt — Organization of the Confederacy at Montgomery — We celebrate our own Anniversary — Our Visitors — The Ladies — Feasting and Dancing — "Call" on Gov. Ellis for troops — Ellis' Response. |
| [CHAPTER III.] |
| Effect of Lincoln's call for troops — Gov. Ellis convenes the Legislature — The Greys ordered to report at Goldsboro with three days rations — Ordered to report at Fort Macon — Ladies' Aid Society — Political excitement — North Carolina Secedes — New recruits — The Greys sworn in — Arrival at Fort Macon — Latham's Woodpeckers — Assigned to the 9th Regiment — Assigned finally to the 27th Regiment — Deaths — New recruits — Routine duty at the Fort — Sports and Past-times. |
| [CHAPTER IV.] |
| Election of Regimental Officers — Ordered to New Berne — Burnside approaches — Fleet arrives on the 12th — The morning of the 14th — The Battle — The retreat — At Kinston — Changes and promotions — Expiration of enlistments — Regiment reorganized — Grays reorganized as Company B — Election of commissioned and non-commissioned officers. |
| [CHAPTER V.] |
| More recruits — Sam'l Park Weir — Leave North Carolina for Virginia — The Seven Pines — The seven days fight — Malvern Hill. |
| [CHAPTER VI.] |
| Marching in the rain — From Drury's Bluff to Petersburg — Riddling the "Daniel Webster" — Shelling McClellan's camp — Ordered to Richmond — At Rapidan Station — Discharges and deaths — Regimental Band formed — First Maryland campaign — Across the Potomac — Two Grays captured — Lost in the woods — Turn up in Loudon County, Va. — At Harper's Ferry — Surrender of Harper's Ferry. |
| [CHAPTER VII.] |
| Battle of Sharpsburg — The 27th Regiment in the fight — Complimentary notice by President Davis, Gen. Lee and others — Cook's heroism — Casualties — Captain Wm. Adams — Recross the Potomac — Rest at Occoquan — Election of Officers to fill vacancies — Deaths. |
| [CHAPTER VIII.] |
| McClellan moves Southward — Our march through the Valley — At Upperville — Return to Paris — Cedar Mountain — Col. Cooke promoted — Major J. A. Gilmer made Colonel — On to Fredericksburg — Incidents on the march — Burnside advances — Battle of Fredericksburg — Casualties. |
| [CHAPTER IX.] |
| Muster Roll of Grays in December, 1862 — Ordered to Richmond — To Petersburg — Take cars for North Carolina — At Burgaw — The sweet potato vine — On to Charleston, S.C. — The Alligators of Pocataligo — In camp at Coosawhatchie — More deaths — Return to North Carolina — On the old grounds near Kinston. |
| [CHAPTER X.] |
| The affair at Bristow Station. |
| [CHAPTER XI.] |
| The affair at Bristow — Gallant conduct of Color-Guard W. C. Story — Losses of the Grays — Lieut. McKnight killed — Sergeant-Major R. D. Weatherly mortally wounded — The affair a criminal blunder — President Davis' comments — The surprise at Kelly's Ford — Meade crosses the Rapidan — Lee advances — Meade's retreat — In winter quarters near Orange Court-House. |
| [CHAPTER XII.] |
| Company promotions — Our "Fighting Parson" appointed Chaplain — New recruits — Transfers — Deaths — Virginia Xmas hospitality — Visited by Rev. J. H. Smith, of Greensboro. |
| [CHAPTER XIII.] |
| Relative strength of the two armies in May — Their respective positions — The Wilderness — Private Williams receives a wound — Casualties. |
| [CHAPTER XIV.] |
| The enemy re-enforced by Burnside's Corps — Heth and Wilcox overpowered — Critical situation — General Lee charges with the Texas Brigade — Enemy routed — Longstreet wounded — Night march — Moving towards Spottsylvania Court-House — Fortifying at Spottsylvania. |
| [CHAPTER XV.] |
| Barlow's attack upon our left — The little brick church — The enemy's advance on Ewell at the salient — Gen. Lee exposes himself — Terrific conflict — Heth's Division moved to the left — The enemy repulsed — Rest for a few days — Grant's desperate attack on the 18th. |
| [CHAPTER XVI.] |
| Grant abandons his plans — Moves towards Bowling Greene — On the road to Hanover Junction — Weary marches — A. "Georgy" soldier's costume — His idea of Music and Medicine — Anecdote of General Grant — Grant changes his tactics — Engagement at Attlee's Station — Brush at Tolopotomy Creek — Skirmish at Pole — Green Church — Lieut. Campbell mortally wounded. |
| [CHAPTER XVII.] |
| The army at Cold Harbor — Battle at Pharr's farm — Casualties — At Cold Harbor — Lieut. Frank Hanner's death. |
| [CHAPTER XVIII.] |
| Marching towards the James — Our Brigade in the Chickahominy Swamps — Cavalry skirmish at Hawe's Shops — Sergeant W. M. Paisley mortally wounded — Ordered to support the cavalry on the 21st. — Fighting under difficulties — On the lines near Petersburg. |
| [CHAPTER XIX.] |
| The Crater — Warren's corps seize the Weldon Railroad — The 27th at Ream's Station — The Grays lose heavily — Warren holds the railroad. |
| [CHAPTER XX.] |
| In the trenches before Petersburg — Casualties — The Federals cross to the north side of the James — Skirmish near Battery No. 45 — At Hatcher's Run — At Burgess' Mill — In line of battle — Building winter quarters — On a raid at Bellfield — The enemy in full flight — Grant creeping up on our lines. |
| [CHAPTER XXI.] |
| In winter quarters at Hatcher's Run — A midnight tramp — An affair at Hare's Hill — Our picket line in the hands of the enemy — Recaptured — At Fort Euliss — Our lines broken — The retreat — Fight at Sutherland's Tavern — Sorely pressed — Reach Deep Creek — Camp near Goode's Bridge — We celebrate — Reorganization of the regiment — A halt at Amelia Court-House — Wagon trains attacked and burned — Every man for himself — Reach Appomattox — In line of battle — Awaiting orders. |
| [CHAPTER XXII.] |
| To the reader — The morning of the 9th — Preparations to attack — A flag of truce — Negotiations between Generals Grant and Lee — The surrender — The Guilford Grays present at Appomattox — Comrades — Closing scene — Retrospect. |
| [CHAPTER XXIII.] |
| The names of all who were at any time on our rolls, and a sketch of the military record of each member — Battles fought. |
I hope no one will think that I aspire to the severe dignity of a historian in these rambling reminiscences which are to follow. I am well content to take an humbler part. With the political questions of the past, with the conduct of politicians and statesmen, with the skill of military leaders, with the criticism of campaigns, with the causes and effects of the civil war, I have here no concern, much less with the personal interests and rivalries of individuals. But for all this, the writer hopes that these contributions will not be unfavorably received by those who were actors in the scenes which are here recalled. He hopes that what is lacking of the general history of those eventful times will be compensated for in the details touching the history of the Guilford Grays themselves.
From the period when our company was called into the field by Gov. Ellis, down to the surrender at Appomattox, the writer kept a record of those events which came under his own observation, and which he thought might prove useful and interesting in future time. "Forsan et haec olim meminisse juvabit."