On the 23d of April, we received orders to return to North Carolina. We left Coosawhatchie the same day, arrived at Charleston, S.C., the following day, and on the 25th reached Wilmington, N.C. We remained in camp near Wilmington until the 5th of May, when we moved to Magnolia. Remaining here a few days, we were moved to Goldsboro; from here we were ordered to our old tramping-grounds near Kinston, where we arrived on the 16th. Meanwhile, a detachment of the enemy from Newberne, on a raiding expedition, had encountered General Ransom's brigade near Gum Swamp. General Ransom undertook to drive them within their lines, and made a feint upon Newberne. We formed a portion of the troops engaged in this expedition, and succeeded in driving the enemy within their lines, and destroying the block-houses they had made for their defence. We gained nothing by this tramping, except a few cases of malarial fever, occasioned by our swamp-wading. With the exception of an occasional skirmish with the enemy's cavalry on Batchelor's Creek, there is nothing worthy of mention during our encampment in the vicinity of Kinston. We remained here until the 5th of June, when once more we received orders to proceed to Virginia.
CHAPTER X.
In the latter part of April, 1863, the Army of the Potomac, under the command of Major-General Hooker, occupied its position in front of Fredericksburg. Here he constructed a formidable line of earthworks; from which secure position, he purposed to move on General Lee's flank. With this view, he crossed the Rappahannock and took position at Chancellorsville.
Meanwhile, General Lee, watching him, was entrenched on the line of hills south of the Rappahannock, near Fredericksburg.
On the 2d of May, these two confronting armies met each other, and commenced the memorable engagements of Chancellorsville. "On this field the star of Confederate destiny reached its zenith, when the immortal Jackson fell wounded at the head of his victorious troops; it began to set on the 10th of May, when Jackson was no more."
General Lee, deeming the true policy now to take the aggressive, at once set to work to manœuver so as to draw Hooker's army from Fredericksburg, and remove hostilities beyond the Potomac.
In pursuance of this design, our army—now reorganized into three corps, respectively commanded by Lieutenant-Generals Longstreet, Ewell, and A. P. Hill—early in June moved northward, with the view of marching into Maryland and Pennsylvania. On our arrival at Richmond, on the 6th of June, we were assigned to Heth's division of A. P. Hill's corps—which corps still occupied the lines in front of Fredericksburg, the corps of Ewell and Longstreet having advanced as far as Culpepper Court-House. On the night of the 13th, Hooker retired from his position, and on the 14th the corps of A. P. Hill left for the valley. At the urgent request of General Elzey, in command at Richmond, our brigade (Cooke's) was retained there, and Davis' Mississippi brigade was assigned to Heth's division in our stead; through which circumstance, we failed to participate in the Pennsylvania campaign and to share in the fatal battle of Gettysburg.
On the 9th of June we were sent to the South Anna bridge, on the Virginia Central road, to repel a threatened attack from the enemy's cavalry. Remaining here until the 11th, we returned to Richmond, and were ordered to Chapin's Bluff, on the James. John F. McQuiston joined the company here. We remained at the Bluff only a few days, when we were again returned to Richmond, and camped in the vicinity until the 8th of July. On the 11th, we moved to Taylorsville, on the R. & F.R.R. Remaining here until the 1st of August, we moved to Fredericksburg, and picketed the various fords on the Rappahannock. On the 28th, we retraced our steps to Taylorsville, went into camp in pine forest near the railroad, and passed the time quietly until the 24th of September.
On the 13th of July, the shattered remnant of our army recrossed the Potomac into Virginia. General Meade, now in command of the Federal troops, advanced east of the mountains, and General Lee, so as to confront him, moved his army, and established a line of defence along the Rapidan River. In this position the two armies remained, in comparative quiet, about two months. Early in October, General Lee, with Ewell's and Hill's corps, crossed the Rapidan to attack Meade's flank, or force him to retire from his position.
The Grays, having been encamped at Gordonsville since the 24th of September, were ordered to rejoin their corps, and on the 9th of October we left Gordonsville, marching via Madison Court-House, where we camped on the 10th. On Sunday morning (11th), we reached Culpepper Court-House. Just before our arrival it was ascertained that Meade was on the farther side of the Rappahannock River, which would render it necessary for our troops to make another flank movement. On Monday, the 12th, therefore, we started for Warrenton. Passing near Salem, we camped that night at Amisville. The next day, passing Warrenton Springs, we reached Warrenton. On the morning of the 14th, we resumed our march, and about ten o'clock we came upon a little place called Grinage. Here we found the deserted camp of the enemy. Their camp-fires were still burning, many articles of camp equipage were lying around, everything showing that a panic had seized them and that their retreat was hasty and terrified. We hastened on in pursuit, at a rapid rate, capturing their stragglers at every turn. At the same time, we knew that Ewell was driving another corps of the enemy on our right up the Orange & Alexandria Railroad. Our men were in the highest spirits, confident not only of victory, but of destroying or capturing everything in front of us. We knew the river in their rear was swollen, and possibly the bridges gone, and there would be no outlet for them. Governor Vance's faithful ship, the "Advance," had come in "heavily laden," and we were proudly and splendidly dressed in some of the gray cloth of its cargo, which, but a few days before, we had received; our hopes were buoyant, our rations plentiful, and it is easy to imagine with what pace we kept up the pursuit. Reasonable expectations doomed to a speedy and bitter disappointment!