against 8,500 infantry and 3,000 mounted gun-men. The thing began at daylight and kept on until dark, when flanked and worn out, Early retreated, to escape being surrounded.

'This is the story (given only in part here) of the thin grey line of North Carolina and the cavalry charge, a feat of arms before which that of Sir Colin Campbell fades into insignificance."

The brigade had a severe fight at the Monocacy river, near Frederick City, in entering Maryland. Captain W. C. Wall, commanding Company F, was severely wounded in this fight. While General Gordon's Division crossed the river and attacked the line of battle in the flank, Johnston's Brigade was ordered to capture a blockhouse on the other side of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Α considerable number of the enemy were in the railroad cut and perfectly protected. The brigade charged across the railroad on the bridge, under a raking fire from a heavy battery on the other side of the river. Seeing it could not carry the block-house in that way, a company of soldiers passed under the culvert and opened fire on the enemy in the railroad cut from the flank, drew them out of the cut, and captured the block-house. When the first attempt to take the block-house, made by Colonel Blacknall with the 23d Regiment, had failed, by reason of an enfilade fire from a line of battle behind the railroad, which caused the regiment to fall back, General Johnston sent a message to Colonel Davis to take the 12th Regiment and capture it. Colonel Davis says:

General J. was not in a very good humor and I was suffering (sick) so that I could hardly walk. However, I went forward to the ravine (not knowing the cause of the falling back of the 23d), and here halted and had picked men as videttes to reconnoitre and see all they could. Finding out about the line of battle behind the railroad, I sent General J. a message that if I advanced I would expose my men to an enfilade fire, and that if he would dislodge the line of battle behind the railroad I could take the house without loss of men. I never heard from General J. In the meantime, the fight was going on on the other side between Wallace (of Ben Hur fame) and Gordon. Three lines of battle engaged Gordon's one, and now Wallace begins to retreat. His men on our side then had to cross over quickly or be taken. I moved forward, and as we struck the bridge on our side the enemy was clearing it on the other side. The retreat and pursuit began, which continued for about two miles. We

then advanced as far as Blair's farm, in full view of Washington city, but soon deemed it wise to come back into Virginia."

Of course the operations in the valley under Early, already given, were subsequent to the action and events recorded immediately above. In the valley campaign, the brigade was transferred to Ramseur's division. At his death, General John Pegram succeeded to the command of the division. Almost simultaneous with the transfer of Sheridan from the valley to Grant's line near Petersburg, Early's command returned to the aid of Lee, at least the greater part of it.

Picket duty on Hatcher's Run, during the greater part of the winter, was onerous and severe. The 23rd took an active part in the fight at Hatcher's Run, Captain Peace, of Granville, being its commander. It was in this action that General John Pegram was killed, and Captain Frank Bennett, of Anson, formerly commander of the 23rd, lost an arm, at the time being in command of the brigade skirmishers. The division was afterwards commanded by General Walker. Johnston's was one of the attacking brigades that carried the enemy's line of breastworks at the battle of Hare's Hill, in which action General Johnston was so injured by a fall from the breastworks, a sprain of the ankle, that he was carried from the field.

On the withdrawal of the army from Petersburg, he followed in an ambulance. To the last, was he true to the high, soldierly instincts of his nature. Finding that the Federal cavalry were about to capture the whole line of wagons and ambulances, he got hold of a few stragglers, stopped an ammunition wagon, made every man get down and take a gun, and with this force he prevented the capture of the wagon and ambulance train. Further on in the great retreat the cavalry broke into the line, captured General Johnston's ambulance, and the rest including a portion of the wagon train. General Johnston cut off the insignia of his rank from his coat, and seizing a mule, the driver having fled, he mounted the warlike animal bareback, rode back behind where the outfit had been captured, organized a force of stragglers and recaptured the whole line. A cause that had such grit as that in its defence, deserved success. But we hasten to a conclusion, regretting the incompleteness of a task which has been both pleasing and sad.

At dawn on the 9th of April, the scene of a bloody midnight skirmish is passed. Gordon's command, of which the 23rd Regiment is a part, moves with spirit against a body of infantry which after a volley falls back precipitately, and once more the "rebel yell” of

victory cheers on our brave boys. But suddenly and strangely a halt is ordered, and the command marched from vigorous pursuit in the direction of the town. The whole army is massing in the vicinity of the courthouse-and see, there are Federal officers riding in the midst of Confederates, while on the neighboring hills and passing swiftly to the right, go hundreds of Federal cavalry, frantic with huzzas. Can it be? Ah, yes, the stacked arms, broken ranks, furled banners and weeping soldiers, proclaim the surrender of Lee's proud army.

Dr. R. J. Hicks, now of Warrenton, Virginia, who was a faithful surgeon to the 23rd, all through the war, says of the regiment:

"It did as much hard service, fought in as many battles, was as constant in the performance of duty as any other regiment in the army. And at Appomattox," says Dr. Hicks, "it surrendered about as many men as any other regiment in the army."

By the Appomattox "parole lists," taken from the last volume of the "Rebellion Records," it is shown that Johnston's brigade, at the surrender, numbered 463 men, rank and file. brigade was commanded by Colonel J. W. Lea.

At that time, the

We close this paper with the addition of the following statistics, taken from the source above indicated, with reference to North Carolina soldiers surrendered at Appomattox: Total, forty-two regiments and one battalion infantry; five regiments and one battalion cavalry, and five battalions artillery. That all these should have numbered only 5,022 rank and file, at the surrender, says the Wilmington Messenger, shows the wear and tear North Carolina troops had sustained. First and last, by the muster rolls, these commands had contained over 100,000 men.

[From the Richmond, Va., Dispatch, June 6, 1897.]

ROCKBRIdge secoND DRAGOONS.

A Short History of the Company-Its Roll.

Mr. J. Scott Moore contributes the following to the Rockbridge county News:

The Rockbridge Second Dragoons was organized in the lower end of Rockbridge, principally in the vicinity of Brownsburg, and was mustered into service April 21, 1861. The officers at that time were John R. McNutt, captain; Robert McChesney, first lieutenant; John A. Gibson, second lieutenant; Dr. Z. J. Walker, third lieutenant. They were ordered to West Virginia (then Virginia), where Lieutenant McChesney was killed, probably the first man killed on Virginia soil. His tragic death occurred near St. George, Tucker county. Lieutenants Gibson and Walker were promoted to be first and second lieutenants by vacancy, and John Y. Anderson was made third lieutenant.

At the reorganization in 1862, after first year's service, John A. Gibson was made captain; James A. Strain, first lieutenant; James Archibald Lyle, second lieutenant, and James Lindsay, third lieutenant. The company was then doing service in Major William L. Jackson's battalion, composed of the following companies: Churchville Cavalry, from Augusta county; Charlotte Cavalry, from Charlotte county, and Rockbridge Second Dragoons, from Rockbridge county.

The 14th Virginia Cavalry was organized in 1862, and these three companies were assigned to it, the Dragoons becoming Company H. Captain John A. Gibson was made Lieutenant-Colonel, and promotions were made in the Dragoons as follows: James A. Strain, Captain; James Lindsay, First Lieutenant; William M. Sterrett, Second Lieutenant; Z. J. Culton, Third Lieutenant, who died in Salem while the regiment was in winter quarters near that town the winter of 1862-'63. A. B. Mackey was elected to fill Lieutenant Culton's place. Lieutenant Mackey was killed near Moorefield, Hardy county, on the retreat from the burning of Chambersburg in 1864. William N. Wilson was elected to supply the vacancy caused by his death. At the surrender the company was officered as follows: Cap

tain, James A. Strain; First Lieutenant, James Lindsay; Second Lieutenant, William M. Sterret; Third Lieutenant, William N. Wil

son.

This company holds undisputed the unique position of having probably the first and the last man killed on Virginia soil. Lieutenant Robert McChesney was the first, being bushwhacked in West Virginia, and James H. Wilson and Samuel B. Walker were killed at Appomattox on the 9th of April, 1865, several hours after the terms of capitulation had been signed by Generals Lee and Grant.

The following is a list of the dead and living who at any time during the war served in the company: William Adams, James Y. Anderson, John Y. Anderson, Samuel B. Anderson, Jacob H. Anderson, Robert Anderson, H. W. Bagley, D. S. Black, William Black, A. M. Brown, Charles B. Buchanan, William Brownlee, Jno. Brownlee, S. Balser, James Breedlove, Thomas Chittum, John Chittum, Z. J. Culton, Joseph Culton, John Campbell, William Davis, L. P. Davis, David Dice, George W. Dice, John Dice, Archibald Davis, Andrew Ervin, James B. Firebaugh, James W. Firebaugh, Henry Firebaugh, Taylor Ford, Alexander Ford, Isaac Friend, Robert Fulwiler, Henry A. Green, C. P. Green, John H. Greiner, C. C. Greiner, Granville Greiner, James L. Glendy, J. W. Gibson, John A. Gibson, J. Samuel Gibson, Howard Houston, N. B. Hull, James M. Huffman, John Huffman, Lorenzo Hill, John Hanger, Charles W. Irvine, John Johnston, John M. Kirkpatrick, Joseph Kennedy, Hugh Kennedy, David Kennedy, Joseph Kinnear, W. B. F. Leech, James Lindsay, H. T. Lindsay, John Lowman, James A. Lyle, William A. Lyle, John H. Lyle, James Lockridge, Isaac Lotts, Jacob Ludwick, W. R. Lackey, H. A. Lackey, A. B. Mackey, John W. Mackey, Gideon Marks, H. Rudd Morrison, John R. McNutt, Josiah McNutt, J. J. McBride, Samuel C. McMaster, Samuel Mines, John McKinsey, B. F. McClung, D. B. McClung, James A. McClung, John T. McClung, A. A. McClung, Henry (Little) Mackey, John Henry Mackey, A. A. Moore, Jas. McChesney, Robert McChesney, John K. Moore, William A. McCutchan, N. B. McCluer, Ananias J. Miller, John L. Morter, A. H. Moore, David H. McCray, Thomas Norcross, W. A. Norcross, Chas. Newton, James W. Ott, Frank Ott, William H. Parrent, Marion Parrent, Samuel G. Pettigrew, W. L. Patterson, H. W. Patterson, Cyrus Patterson, Nimrod Patterson, David Pultz, Wesley Paxton, Abner Paxton, John A. Paxton, Brenard Pinkerton, Fay Pinkerton, Harvey Payne, Chris. Palmer, W. W. Runnels, James Runnels, Sam