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37th REGIMENT NC TROOPS The 37th Regiment N.C. Troops was organized at Camp Fisher, near High Point, where it was mustered into state service for twelve months' active duty on November 20, 1861. Shortly thereafter the regiment moved to Camp Mangum, near Raleigh, where it was transferred to Confederate service effective January 1, 1862. The regiment remained at Camp Mangum until January 10, when it was ordered to New Bern. At that time the regiment was reported to be "imperfectly" armed and "considerably reduced in effective men by sickness, principally measles and mumps." (Official Records, Series I, Vol. IV, p. 719.) At New Bern the regiment went into camp at Camp Tadpole; on February 11 it moved to Camp Lee, below New Bern. On March 13, 1862, an 11,000-man Federal amphibious force under General Ambrose E. Burnside disembarked seventeen miles below New Bern at Slocum's Creek on the Neuse River and, after advancing within six miles of New Bern, encountered a defensive line manned by 4,000 Confederates under the command of General Lawrence O'B. Branch. On the left, the line was anchored on the Neuse at Fort Thompson, a thirteen-gun earthen installation; from there it extended westward for approximately one mite to the Atlantic & North Carolina Railroad where, because of swampy terrain, it was recessed 150 yards at a brickyard. From that point the line, composed of a series of redans, stretched westward behind a small stream called Bullen's Branch. The brickyard "gap" was covered by a militia battalion, armed with shotguns and hunting rifles that had been in service for only two weeks. The 37th Regiment was the third of four regiments to the right of the brickyard. On March 14 the Federals attacked, quickly routed the militia, and broke through the Confederate line. A Confederate counterattack stabilized the situation momentarily, but a fresh Federal brigade was thrown into the fighting and Branch, seeing his men about to be outflanked, ordered a retreat. The 37th Regiment was divided into two five-company commands during the battle and, although not heavily engaged, was nearly cut off by the Federal breakthrough. After hastily burning its baggage, the regiment fell back towards Kinston with the rest of Branch's men. During the battle the 37th Regiment lost 1 man killed, 3 wounded, and 8 missing. The defeated Confederates regrouped at Kinston, where the various regiments were brigaded on March 17. The 37th Regiment was assigned to a newly organized brigade under the command of General Branch; other units in the brigade were the 18th Regiment N.C. Troops (8th Regiment N.C. Volunteers), 25th Regiment N.C. Troops, 28th Regiment N.C. Troops, 33rd Regiment N.C. Troops, John N. Whitford's foot artillery battalion, Alexander C. Latham's and Samuel R- Bunting's batteries, and Peter G. Evans's cavalry unit. The 23th Regiment was transferred shortly thereafter and the 7th Regiment N.C. State Troops was assigned to the brigade in its place. The brigade remained in the Kinston area for six weeks, during which time the foot artillery and cavalry units attached to it were reassigned. The 37th Regiment was sent to Camp Relief, eight miles from Kinston, on March 24 but returned to Kinston on April 1. On April 16, 1862, the regiment was reorganized to serve for three years or the duration of the war (rather than for only twelve months). In early May, 1862, the situation in Virginia, where Federal armies were advancing in the Shenandoah Valley and on the peninsula between the York and James Rivers, became so ominous that troops were transferred there from North Carolina, and Branch's brigade was ordered to the vicinity of Gordonsville. The brigade arrived at Gordonsville on May 5 and remained there until May 16, when it was ordered to the Shenandoah Valley. The men marched through Madison Court House and had reached the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains when they received orders to return to Gordonsville. From Gordonsville they were sent to Hanover Court House, fourteen miles north of Richmond. There the brigade performed picket duty and attempted to keep watch on both the right flank of General George B. McClellan's Federal army near Richmond and another Federal force at Fredericksburg. On May 26 Branch moved his brigade from Hanover Court House to Slash Church, a position that was still between the two Federal armies but which afforded a more direct route to Ashland should Branch be forced to retire. On the morning of May 27 Branch sent the 28th Regiment N.C. Troops forward to Taliaferro's Mill, where a small Federal detachment was believed to be approaching. The 28th Regiment speedily found itself cut off from the remainder of the brigade by a superior enemy force and succeeded in extricating itself only after heavy fighting and the loss of about half of its men. In what was in effect a separate battle, Branch's other regiments fought well, although heavily outnumbered, and the 37th Regiment suffered moderate casualties in an attack on an exposed Federal flank. Branch then fell back to Ashland. During the Battle of Hanover Court House (known also as Slash Church, Kinney's Farm, and Taliaferro's Mill), the brigade lost 66 men killed and 177 wounded, exclusive of losses suffered by the 28th Regiment. Early in June 1862, Branch's brigade moved to a point about three miles north of Richmond and encamped on the Brook Turnpike. The brigade remained there until it was ordered to the vicinity of Half Sink, about eight miles north of Richmond, on June 25 in preparation for an attack planned by General Robert E. Lee on the right wing of McClellan's army, which had advanced to within less than seven miles of Richmond. Generals D. H. Hill's and James Longstreet's divisions were placed on the Mechanicsville Turnpike, and General A. P. Hill's division, of which Branch's brigade was a part, was positioned to the northwest on the Meadow Bridge Road. Branch's men were on the left of A. P. Hill's line, and General T. J. Jackson's men were moving up on Branch's left. Lee's plan called for A. P. Hill to advance on Mechanicsville on the morning of June 26 while Jackson moved forward on Hill's left. Once A. P. Hill's troops had cleared Meadow Bridge and the Mechanicsville Turnpike, D. H. Hill and Longstreet would cross the bridge to support Jackson and A. P. Hill respectively. Lee's plan to roll up the right wing of the Federal army failed on June 26 because Jackson did not reach his assigned position on time. A. P. Hill launched his scheduled attack without Jackson's support and cleared the bridge on the Mechanicsville Turnpike, enabling D. H. Hill's and Longstreet's divisions to cross the river to support A. P. Hill's attack. The Federal right wing, under pressure, held until nightfall and then fell back during the night to a defensive position at Cold Harbor, near Gaines' Mill. During the battle of June 26 the 37th Regiment was subjected to heavy artillery fire "which wounded severely several men and two officers." (Official Records, Series I, Vol. XI, pt. 2, P. 896) Early on the morning of June 27 the divisions of A. P. Hill and Longstreet moved against the center of the new enemy position while Jackson and D. H. Hill advanced against the Federal right. A. P. Hill's division was in the lead, and the 37th Regiment became involved in heavy fighting late that afternoon. Lieutenant Colonel William M. Barbour reported the regiment's part in the Battle of Gaines' Mill as follows (Official Records, Series I, Vol. XI, pt. 2, p. 896): On the evening of the 27th we reached Cold Harbor, and my command was ordered into action. Not knowing the position of the enemy, we moved up the road some 200 yards, when the enemy opened a deadly fire upon us, killing several and wounding a large number. The swamp and thick undergrowth rendered it very difficult to form the regiment in line of battle, which, together with the destructive fire of the enemy, threw it into considerable confusion, thereby rendering it inefficient for a short time until order could be restored. It behaved during the rest of the engagement very well. The Federal line was finally broken, but darkness and fatigue prevented pursuit. The next day, June 28, was spent in bivouac on the battlefield. After recrossing the Chickahominy River, Lee launched an attack on June 30 against the retreating Federals, who were protected in part by the "desolate mire" of White Oak Swamp. The Confederate assault, made late in the afternoon, achieved a measure of success after hard fighting, but Lee again was unable to exploit his advantage. Colonel Charles C. Lee of the 37th NC Regiment was killed during the battle, and the regiment appears to have suffered moderate casualties. The next day, July 1, Lee attacked the Federals again at Malvern Hill, a formidable defensive position to which they had withdrawn the previous night. Severe casualties were suffered by units of D. H. Hill's, Benjamin Huger's, and John Magruder's divisions in frontal assaults against entrenched Federal artillery and infantry, but the 37th Regiment and Branch's brigade were not directly involved in the fighting and their losses were minor. Darkness brought an end to the contest and to the Battle of the Seven Days, during which the Confederate capital was saved from capture and the Federal army of General George B. McClellan was driven back to its base at Harrison's Landing on the James River. On July 8 Lee withdrew the Army of Northern Virginia to the vicinity of Richmond. During the campaign, the 37th Regiment lost 11 men killed, 114 wounded, and 13 missing. While at Richmond, Lee reorganized his army into two "Commands" under Longstreet and Jackson. A P. Hill's division, of which Branch's brigade was still a part, was assigned to Jackson's command. On July 13 Jackson was ordered to move with two of his divisions, under Charies S. Winder and Richard S. Ewell, to Gordonsville to intercept an advancing Federal army, commanded by General John Pope. A. P. Hill's division was ordered to join Jackson on July 27. While the remainder of the Army of Northern Virginia continued to keep watch on McClellan at Harrison's Landing, Jackson took the offensive against Pope. At Cedar Mountain, on August 9, Jackson attempted to destroy an isolated corps of Pope's army and was on the verge of defeat when Hill's division arrived to deliver a devastating counterattack. The victory, in which Branch's brigade played a key role, was remembered fondly by the men of the 37th Regiment for a "brilliant and gallant" cavalry charge made by the enemy. (Clark's Regiments, Vol. II, p. 655): The Thirty-seventh, with the whole brigade, reserved its fire until the column came in point-blank range, when it poured a withering volley into it, sending it back in "confusion worse confounded." This cavalry charge was never forgotten by the regiment; it always expressed the desire to receive a similar one. During the battle the regiment lost two men killed and thirteen wounded. Jackson's men remained on the battlefield until the night of August 11, when they were withdrawn to the vicinity of Gordonsville. The Federals then began to reinforce Pope, and Lee countered by sending troops from Richmond to the support of Jackson after McClellan began withdrawing from Harrison's Landing. On August 25, Jackson began a maneuver to flank Pope's army, which was in position on the north side of the Rappahannock River---and get astride its line of communications, the Orange & Alexandria Railroad. On August 26 Jackson succeeded in reaching Manassas Junction, a major Federal supply depot. Afier destroying the supplies and facilities at Manassas Junction, Jackson withdrew his force five miles northwest to Groveton and assumed a defensive position. Branch's brigade was placed on the left of the Confederate line along an unfinished branch of the Manassas Gap Railroad. Pope, the recipient of a continual stream of reinforcements from McClellan, then launched a piecemeal attack against Jackson, who was outnumbered by a margin of better than three to one. While Pope attempted to come to grips with the elusive Jackson, Lee hurried Longstreet's command to Jackson’s support. Fierce fighting, during which Jackson’s men managed to hold their own, broke out at Groveton in the late afternoon of August 28, 1862. The next day Pope launched a series of uncoordinated and ill-conceived frontal attacks that failed to dislodge the stubborn Jackson from his position. Branch’s brigade was involved in severe fighting along the railroad cut, and the 37th Regiment distinguished itself both by holding its ground in spite of being almost out of ammunition and by helping to fend off three separate Federal attacks. At about 11:00 A.M. Longstreet's corps arrived on the field and went into position on Jackson’s right. The Confederate line, although sometimes hard-pressed, held against piecemeal Federal assaults until sunset, when the fighting ceased. The next day, August 30, a new attack on Jackson was contained with the help of Longstreet's massed artillery; Longstreet then took the offensive and succeeded in enveloping the left flank of Pope's army,. Fierce fighting continued until nightfall as Pope's army retreated toward the Washington defenses. The 37th Regiment, in addition to being involved in severe fighting on August 29, was subjected to artillery fire on August 28 and 30. During the three-day Battle of Second Manassas the regiment lost nine men killed and seventy-two wounded. As the Federal army, retired toward Washington, Lee ordered Jackson to attempt to turn the Federal right flank. Advance elements of Jackson's column encountered the enemy at Ox Hill late on the afternoon of September 1, and Branch's brigade was ordered forward to the attack. During a blinding rainstorm the brigade advanced. A general battle developed between Jackson's column and the Federal rear guard, but the latter held its position until nightfall and then retired under cover of darkness. During the Battle of Ox Hill the 37th Regiment lost five men killed and eighteen wounded Lee abandoned any further attempts to cut off the retreating Federals and turned his army north to cross into Maryland. After moving through Leesburg, Branch's brigade crossed the Potomac River on or about September 5. On September 9 Lee issued orders for the movement of the army during the campaign and for the capture of Harpers Ferry, whose garrison threatened the Confederate rear. Jackson’s command, of which Branch's brigade of AP. Hill's divison was still a part, was ordered to invest Harpers Ferry from the west. General Lafayette McLaws's division, reinforced by General Pichard H. Anderson's division, was instructed to occupy Maryland Heights across the Potomac from Harpers Ferry, and General John G. Walker's division was ordered to occupy Loudoun Heights southeast of the town. The Harpers Ferry strike force was to rejoin Lee as soon as the town and its garrison had been secured. In the meantime, Longstreet's command was to advance in the direction of Hagerstown. Jackson moved forward on September 10, crossed the Potomac near Williamsport the next dav, and sent A. P. Hill's division against a Federal force at Martinsburg. The enemy retired as Hill entered Martinsburg on September 12. On September 13 Hill's men came in sight of Bolivar Heights, west of Harpers Ferry, where the badly outnumbered Federal defenders were strongly entrenched. By September 14 McLaws's and Walker's divisions were in position, and the investment of Harpers Ferry was completed. On September 15, following a Confederate bombardment, the Federal garrison surrendered. While Jackson was occupied at Harpers Ferry, Longstreet had been forced to withdraw from Hagerstown to defend the South Mountain gaps, where some of his units took a severe pounding on September 14 against the advancing army of McClellan. Lee then issued orders for his divided and outnumbered army to concentrate at Sharpsburg, and Jackson, after leaving A. P. Hill's division to accept the surrender of the Harpers Ferry garrison, rejoined Lee and Longstreet there about noon on September 16. In the meantime, McClellan was ponderously maneuvering the Army of the Potomac into position to attack Lee at Sharpsburg, where fierce fighting broke out about sunrise on September 17. Hill's division left Harpers Ferry at 7:30 A.M. on September 17 and was on the march to Sharpsburg while the battle there was raging. A powerful attack on the right of Lee's position that afternoon was blunted by the timely arrival of Hill's men, and the Confederate line, although severely crippled, held during the terrible day-long fight. Among the casualties was General Branch, who was killed. The 37th Regiment fought most of the battle from behind the protection of a stone wall and lost only four men wounded. The following day the Army of Northern Virginia rested on the field until nightfall, when it retired across the Potomac. Branch's brigade, under the command of Colonel James H. Lane of the 28th Regiment N.C. Troops, was one of three brigades that formed the rear guard while the army crossed. On the morning of September 20 the brigade, with the rest of Hill's division, marched to a ford of the Potomac near Shepherdstown and assisted in driving two Federal divisions back across the river. During the battle, Hill's division was subjected to heavy artillery fire, and the 37th Regiment lost four men wounded. The regiment then took part in the destruction of a portion of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, after which it went into camp near Bunker Hill with the rest of the army. The Army of Northern Virginia remained in the Shenandoah Valley until the Armv of the Potomac began crossing the Blue Ridge Mountains on October 26 , 1862. On October 28 Lee ordered Longstreet's command to move east of the mountains and Jackson's command, of which Hill's division was still a part, to move closer to Winchester. (On November 1 Colonel Lane was promoted to brigadier general and assigned to command the brigade formerly commanded by Branch. When it became apparent that the Federal army, under General Ambrose E. Burnside, was concentrating on the Rappahannock River opposite Fredericksburg, Lee ordered Longstreet to occupy the heights overlooking the town while Jackson's men went into position on Longstreet's right and downstream at Skinker's Neck and Port Royal. About 2:00 A.M. on December 11, the Federals began constructing bridges across the river at Fredericksburg, and Lee ordered Jackson to concentrate his divided command on Longstreet's right. On the night of December 12 the enemy began crossing the river. Lane's brigade was in the left center of Jackson's position and posted along the tracks of the Richmond, Fredericksburg, & Potomac Railroad in a woods that projected into open ground in front of the main Confederate line. To Lane's right was an undefended marshy area that created a small gap between his troops and those of General James J. Archer. The 37th Regiment was on Lane's extreme right, with its right flank resting on the marsh. When Burnside attacked on December 13 the most severe fighting occurred on Longstreet's front, but Jackson’s men, including Lane's brigade, were hotly engaged during the early stages of the battle. After putting up a brave resistance, Lane's troops were flanked via the marsh and driven from their exposed position with heavy casualties. The brigade reoccupied its position later in the day with the assistance of the reserves and was not seriously engaged thereafter. Following a day of quiet during which both sides strengthened their positions and collected their dead, the Federals withdrew across the river on the night of December 14. During the Battle of Fredericksburg, the 37th Regiment lost seventeen men killed and seventy-six wounded. Lane's brigade then went into winter quarters at Moss Neck, below Fredericksburg, where it remained on picket duty until April 30, 1863. Early on the morning of April 28, 1863, the Army of the Potomac, then commanded by General Joseph Hooker, began crossing the Rappahannock River in the Wilderness area upstream from Fredericksburg. At the same time, a large Federal force at Fredericksburg under General John Sedgwick began to make apparent preparations for a crossing. Lee, concluding that the Federal activity at Fredericksburg was a feint, began moving the bulk of his armv to oppose Hooker. A small force under General Jubal Early was left behind at Fredericksburg to prevent a crossing by Sedgwick. Jackson’s corps, with A. P. Hill's division in the rear, moved down the Orange Plank Road in the direction of Chancellorsville on May 1, and at a point about three miles from that place, found the enemy. Advancing in two columns, The Confederates drove the Federals back to their defensive positions around Chancellorsville. Lane's brigade was not engaged in the fighting on May 1 but was formed in line of battle near Chancellorsville late that evening. Early on the morning of May 2 Jackson’s corps was dispatched by Lee to turn the exposed right flank of the Federal army. After hard marching, Jackson succeeded in reaching a point about four miles west of Chancellorsville on Hooker's flank. As his troops came up, Jackson deployed them in three lines for the attack. Hill's division was placed in the third line. Lane's brigade was in column on the Orange Turnpike and was ordered to move forward by the flank, eastward on the turnpike, as the lines advanced. The attack began about 5:15 P.M., and the Federal troops, caught by surprise, fell back in disorder towards Chancellorsville. The first two Confederate lines merged and drove the enemy until strong resistance forced a halt for the night. The third line was exposed to artillery fire as it advanced and, after the attack stalled, it moved to the front and became the first line. On the morning of May 3 the Confederate advance resumed. Lane's brigade was subjected to murderous artillery fire, had its right flank turned, and was forced to withdraw with heavy casualties. Colonel Barbour reported the 37th Regiment's part in the battle during the evening of May 2 and on May 3 as follows (Official Records, Series I, Vol. XXV, pt. 1, pp. 923-924): After a rapid march, we gained the etiemy's right flank on Saturdav evening [May 2], and a running fight ensued between the advanced troops of our army and those of the enemy. Moving rapidly by the right flank, we soon gained a point near Chancellorsville, where the enemy had several batteries in position, which did us considerable injury that evening. After sunset, my regiment was deployed to the right of the road, behind a small breastwork which the enemy had abandoned. Skirmishers were thrown forward, and my regiment rested for the night. Early next morning, I received orders to advance in line of battle and assail the enemy's works in my front, my left resting on the road. I immediately put my regiment in motion, and advanced steadily under a murderous fire of grape, shell, and Minie balls. After a desperate struggle, I succeeded in carrying the breastworks in front and in capturing a number of prisoners. About this time I received a wound in my right arm, which compelled me to leave the field. I am informed by my senior captain, commanding the regiment, that the regiment continued to advance upon the enemy's second line of entrenchments, but, in common with the whole brigade, was compelled to retire by an enfilade fire from the enemy's artillery and infantry. The Confederates occupied Chancellorsville on May 3 after severe fighting and, following inconclusive fighting on May 4 a badly beaten Hooker withdrew--over the objections of several of his feistier lieutenants--across the Rappahannock. Lee then moved his army back to Fredericksburg, and Lane's brigade returned to its camp near Moss Neck on May 7. During the Battle of Chancellorsville the 37th Regiment, according to one historian of that unit, "was more exposed to the enemy's artillery than any other regiment in the entire corps [Jackson's], and its loss far greater than that of any other." (Clark's Regiments, Vol. II, p. 660.) The regiment's casualties were indeed severe: 34 men were killed and 193 wounded. The regiment's strength was further reduced when thirty-two members of Company A deserted on May 19. Most of those men returned to duty in the autumn of 1863. Following the Chancellorsville campaign and the death of Jackson, the Army of Northern Virginia was reorganized into three corps under Generals James Longstreet (lst Corps), Richard S. Ewell (2nd Corps), and A. P. Hill (3rd Corps). General William D. Pender was promoted to the command of Hill's former division, and Lane's brigade was placed under Pender. Thus the 37th Regiment was a part of Lane's brigade of Pender's division of Hill's corps. On June 3, 1863, General Lee put his army in motion toward the Shenandoah Valley to begin his second invasion of the North and a campaign that would end at Gettysburg. General Ewell's corps moved first and was followed by Longstreet's corps. Hill 's corps remained temporarily at Fredericksburg to watch the Federal forces opposite the town. On June 13, Ewell's corps defeated an enemy force at Winchester, and Longstreet's corps occupied Culpeper Court House. The Federals evacuated their Fredericksburg position the same day, and Hill's corps was ordered to move north. Ewell's corps crossed the Potomac River into Maryland on June 16 and was followed by Hill's corps, which began fording the river at Shepherdstown, West Virginia, on June 24. On the afternoon of June 27 Hill's corps arrived at Fayetteville, Pennsylvania. Longstreet's corps was at Chambersburg, just west of Fayetteville, that day, and Ewell's corps was advancing on Carlisle, about thirty miles to the northeast. Hill's corps was ordered to Cashtown, about twelve miles southeast of Fayetteville, on June 29, and Longstreet was directed to follow on June 30. Ewell's corps was directed to rejoin the army at Cashtown or Gettysburg, as developments the next day dictated. During the evening of June 30 General Hill arrived at Cashtown with Pender's division and decided to advance on Gettysburg, about seven miles to the southeast, with Pender's and General Henrv Heth's divisions the next morning. At daylight on July 1 the two divisions, with Heth's men in the lead, moved towards Gettysburg. Federal cavalry delayed the advance, and when Federal infantrv were encountered in strength near Gettysburg a general battle developed. An initial attack by Heth on the Federal position on McPherson's Ridge was smashed with heavy casualties to two of Heth's brigades. Pender's men then joined the fighting and, when Ewell's corps began arriving, the Federals, their right flank endangered, grudgingly began to yield. After hard fighting, the enemy was driven by Ewell's men through the streets of Gettysburg to Cemetery Hill south of the town. Hill's men occupied the northern end of Seminary Ridge, and Longstreet's corps, coming up on Hill's right, took up position along the remainder of the three-mile-long ridge. On July 2 Longstreet's corps assaulted the Federal left in the vicinity of the Devil's Den and Little Round Top while Ewell's corps attacked the Federal right at Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill. Both of those poorly coordinated and costly attacks failed, after some initial success, to dislodge the enemy. Along the center of the Confederate line Hill's men were involved in skirmishing and subjected to artillery fire. Among the casualties was General Pender, who was mortally wounded. He was temporarily, replaced by General Lane, who was in turn succeeded by General Isaac Trimble the next day. Lane then returned to the command of his brigade. On July 3 Lee launched an attack against the Federal center on Cemetery Ridge. The assault force consisted of Heth's division (commanded by General James J. Pettigrew after Heth was wounded on July 1) on the left, supported by two brigades (Lane's and Alfred M. Scales's) of Pender's (Trimble's) division in a second line. The right wing of the attack force was composed of George E. Pickett's division, with Cadmus M. Wilcox's brigade in support. Second Lieutenant Octavius A. Wiggins of Company E, 37th Regiment, reported his regiment's part in the attack as follows (Clark's Regiments, Vol. II, p. 661): On the morning of the 3d, Lane's and Scales' North Carolina brigades were sent, under command of Major-General Trimble, to the right to reinforce Longstreet. After getting in our position our new commander [Trimble] rode down the line and halted at different regiments and made us little speeches-- saying he was a stranger to us and had been sent to command us in the absence of our wounded general, and would lead us upon Cemetery Hill [Ridgel at 3 o'clock. About I o'clock P. M.., the report of a cannon to the far right was heard and was quickly answered by one ... far away to the left; these were signal guns which announced the opening of one of the severest artillery duels the world has ever known. The earth fairly shook for two hours, then the firing ceased almost as suddenlv as it had commenced and the infantry moved forward. It was a grand sight, as far as the eye could see to the right and to the left two lines of Confederate soldiers with waving banners pressing on into the very jaws of death.... In a few minutes after the start we [the regiments of Lane's brigade] were obliqued rapidly to the left to take the place of [Colonel John M.] Brockenborough's [Brockenbrough's] Brigade, which had broken. Over the Emmettsburg [Emmitsburg] road we went and rushed for the stone wall, the line all the while seemed to be melting away. When the order came to retire, those who were spared did so in perfect order-never anything like a panic, as some people think-and halted at the position from which we had started. Our loss was severe.... Following the failure of the Pickett-Pettigrew Charge on July 3, Lee held his army in position on July 4 to receive an expected but unforthcoming attack from the Federals. On the night of July 4, in a driving rain, the weary and bloodied Army of Northern Virginia began its retreat. Pender's (Trimble's) division, once more under the command of Lane after Trimble had been wounded and captured on July 3, fell back toward Hagerstown by way of Fairfield. At Hagerstown, on July 11, the brigade formed a line of battle as Lee's army assumed a defensive position. The next day Pender's (Lane's) division was consolidated with the division of General Heth, who had returned to duty, and Lane returned to the command of his brigade. When the army began recrossing the Potomac near Falling Waters, Maryland, on the night of July 13-14, Heth's men served as the rear guard. Although most of the crossing had been completed before it was detected by the Federals, Lane's skillful fighting-withdrawal was instrumental in the escape of hundreds of Confederate soldiers. The 37th Regiment was among the last units to cross the pontoon bridge. The army retreated to the vicinity of Bunker Hill and Darkesville, where it halted. During the Gettysburg campaign, including the Battle of Falling Waters, the 37th Regiment lost ten men killed and seventy-eight wounded. In a report filed at about that time, Colonel Barbour reported that, since the beginning of the war, the 37th Regiment had lost 150 men who were killed or mortally wounded and 302 who died of disease. In addition, 332 men had been wounded but had recovered. Among the officers, fourteen had been killed or mortally wounded and ten permanently disabled. Only six officers in the entire regiment had not been wounded, and "a large number" of both officers and men had been wounded several times. Colonel Barbour reported that 442 officers and men were present for duty. (Clark's Regiments, Vol. II, pp. 662-663.) When the Federal army crossed into Virginia in mid July, Lee moved his army east of the Blue Ridge Mountains to interpose it between the enemy and Richmond. By August 4, 1863, the Army of Northern Virginia occupied the Rapidan River line and the Army of the Potomac had taken position on the Rappahannock. At about that time General Cadmus M. Wilcox was promoted and placed in command of the division of General Pender, who died on July 18 of wounds received at Gettysburg. Thus the 37th Regiment was a part of Lane's brigade of Wilcox's division of Hill's corps. In October 1863, Lee learned that sizable reinforcements had been sent from the Army of the Potomac to strengthen the forces of General William S. Rosecrans near Chattanooga. He therefore took the offensive against the weakened Army of the Potomac, which began to retreat. As the enemy rear guard was passing through Bristoe Station on October 14, Heth's division of Hill's corps came onto the field. Without waiting to reconnoiter or for the remainder of his corps to come up, Hill ordered an attack against what quickly proved to be a greatly superior enemy force. Heavy casualties were sustained by two brigades of Heth's division, after which the Federals continued their withdrawal unmolested. Wilcox's division was formed in line of battle during the fighting at Bristoe Station but did not advance. Lee then retired to the Rappahannock, and after battles at Rappahannock Bridge and Kelly's Ford on November 7, fell back to the Rapidan. On November 26 the Federal commander, General George G. Meade, began moving his army to cross the Rapidan below Lee's position, and Lee shifted his forces eastward to intercept the Federals. By November 29 Lee's men were strongly entrenched at Mine Run, and Meade, unable to locate a vulnerable point against which to launch an attack, also began entrenching. On the morning of December 2 Lee sent an attack force composed of Wilcox's and Richard H. Anderson's divisions against what he believed to be an exposed Federal flank. However, when the Confederates moved out, they discovered that the Federal army had retreated. A pursuit was undertaken, but Meade recrossed the Rapidan safely. Both armies then went into winter quarters. Lane's brigade returned to a camp it had established earlier at Liberty Mills, on the Rapidan. There it spent the winter of 1863-1864. The brigade was still in camp at Liberty Mills on the morning of May 4, 1864, when the Army of the Potomac, under the strategic direction of General U. S. Grant, began crossing the lower Rapidan and entered a thicket and vine-choked woods of dense scrub oak and pine known as the Wilderness. When the news of Grant's crossing was received, Lee ordered Hill's corps to move eastward from Orange Court House by the Orange Plank Road while Ewell's corps, south of Morton's Ford, moved in a parallel direction on Hill's left on the Orange Turnpike. Longstreet's corps, near Gordonsville, was instructed to move up on Hill's right on the Catharpin road. On the morning of May 5, Hill's column with Heth's division in the lead, came upon Federal cavalry near Parker's Store and succeeded in forcing the enemy back. Immediately north of Hill, on the Orange Turnpike, Ewell encountered the enemy in corps strength. Hill ordered Heth's division to deploy in line of battle across the Orange Plank Road and directed Wilcox to lead his division off to the left and make contact with Ewell's right. Wilcox posted Alfred M. Scales's and Samuel McGowan's brigades on a low eminence known as Chewning Plateau and moved his other two brigades, under Lane and Edward L. Thomas, further to the left to link up with Ewell. At 4:00 P.M. on May 5 elements of the Federal II Corps assaulted Heth's line in such strength that Heth was forced to commit his reserve brigade and call for reinforcements. Scales's and McGowan's brigades were ordered to Heth's assistance and were followed shortly by the brigades of Lane (with the exception of the 37th Regiment) and Thomas. After severe fighting, the outnumbered defenders were able to stabilize their precarious position. During the battle the 37th Regiment, in position on the Orange Plank Road, "lay still, watched and listened to the heaviest musketry it had ever heard; as Wilcox went in the whole Wilderness roared like fire in a canebrake." (Clark's Regiments, vol. II, p. 665.) At nightfall the regiment rejoined Lane s brigade, which was placed in reserve behind Scales's brigade to the right of the Orange Plank Road. At 5:00 A.M. the next morning, May 6, Federal columns struck Hill's line in the center and left flank. Thirteen Federal brigades fell upon Hill's eight brigades with such suddenness and violence that there was scarcely time for resistance, and the entire Confederate line fell back in disorder. The second line was unable to hold also, and a general rout followed. Only the arrival of Longstreet's corps, moving up at the double-quick to reinforce Hill. prevented the collapse of the right wing of Lee's army. The Federal assault was blunted and driven back, and Hill's men, after re-forming behind Longstreet, were dispatched to the vicinity of Chewning Plateau to close a gap between Longstreet and Ewell. Late on the evening of May 7 it became apparent that Grant's army was on the march southeastward to Spotsylvania Court House, and throughout the night Lee's men pushed in the same direction in a race with the Federals to that important crossroad. The race was narrowly won by the Confederates on the morning of May 8, and a strong defensive line was quickly constructed. Hill's corps, under temporary command of General Jubal Early, was positioned on the right of the line. Ewell's corps was in the center in a U-shaped, convex salient known as the "Mule Shoe"; and Longstreet's corps, under temporary command of General Richard H. Anderson, was on the left. Lane's brigade was on the left of Hill's (Early's) line and in contact with Ewell's right. Ewell's "Mule Shoe" position came under abrupt, violent attack on the morning of May 12, and, while the Confederate defenders, aided by reinforcements, held back the Federals in a desperate melee, a new line was constructed across the base of the salient. During the night the original line was abandoned, and the Federal attacks ceased. Lane's brigade was actively engaged throughout the bloody battle and played a major role in stemming the Federal assault. The 37th Regiment, in what General Lane described as "one of the grandest sights I ever saw," charged and overran a six-gun Federal battery. (Clark's Regiments, Vol. II, p. 668.) In a clubbed muskets-and bayonets free-for-all with the enemy, the regiment captured two stands of colors. For those accomplishments it paid dearly, losing 22 men killed, 33 wounded, and 40 missing. After several more unsuccessful attempts against the Confederate line at Spotsylvania Court House, Grant began moving eastward. Lee then shifted his army, to the North Anna River at a point just north of Hanover Junction, where he blocked the Federal route of advance. At Jericho Mills on May 23, Wilcox's division was engaged with the Federal V Corps, under General G. K. Warren, as it crossed the North Anna. During the battle the 37th Regiment lost 1 man killed, 21 wounded, and 2 missing. The center of Lee's line was then anchored on the North Anna with the flanks drawn back so that the line formed an inverted V. Grant crossed additional forces on May 24 and moved against both wings of the Confederate army; however, he was unable to push back the Confederate center. With his army dangerously divided into three parts and separated by the river, Grant found it expedient to withdraw, and during the night of May 26-27 the Federals recrossed the North Anna and moved southeastward to the Pamunkey. Lee began shifting his army southward as soon as it was learned that Grant was again on the march, and on May 27 Ewell's corps, temporarily commanded by General Jubal Early, marched some twenty-four miles and entrenched between Beaver Dam Creek and Pole Green Church. Longstreet's (Anderson's) corps came up on Early's right, and Hill's corps extended the left of Early's line. On May 30, under orders from Lee, Early moved to attack the Federal left at Bethesda Church. The attack failed to turn the Federal left but revealed that the enemy was moving once again to the Confederate right. The two armies began concentrating at Cold Harbor, where new fighting broke out on June 1. The next day two of Hill's divisions, commanded by Wilcox and General William Mahone, were ordered to leave their positions on the left of the Confederate line and go to the support of Anderson, on the right. After taking part with two of his brigades in a successful attack on Turkey Hill, Wilcox was ordered to extend the Confederate line to within a half mile of the Chickahominy River. On June 3 Grant launched a massive and murderously unsuccessful general assault against the six-mile-long Confederate position. Only Wilcox's division, on the right extremity of the line, was not engaged in the battle. The two armies settled into defensive positions, where they remained until Grant began moving south toward the James River on June 12. Lee followed on June 13 and made contact with the enemy at Riddell's Shop the same day. A defensive line was established, but no general engagement followed. Grant then crossed the James and moved against Petersburg. Hill's corps remained north of the James until ordered to move to Petersburg, where it arrived on June 18 and went into position near Globe Tavern, on the extreme right of the Confederate defensive system. On June 22 Lane's brigade took part in a successful engagement on the Jerusalem Plank Road that drove the Federals back in confusion and prevented them from gaining a lodgment on the vital Petersburg & Weldon Railroad. On June 25 Lane's and McGowan's brigades of Wilcox's division were sent back north of the James to relieve two brigades of Heth's division, and the 37th Regiment was engaged at Gravel Hill on July 28. On August 16 the entire brigade was involved in fighting at Fussell's Mill, where the Federals made an abortive attempt to break through the Confederate defenses. Soon afterwards Wilcox's men were transferred south of the James to their original positionat Globe Tavern. At Reams' Station, on August 25, an assault by two brigades of Wilcox's division was repulsed, but a stronger attack, in which Lane's brigade played a prominent part, drove the Federals back in great disorder. Some 2,000 men and nine cannon were captured. The 37th Regiment did not see action again until September 30at Jones' Farm, southwest of Petersburg, when Grant, by then firmly established on the Petersburg & Weldon Railroad at Globe Tavern, made a successful effort to extend his lines still farther to the west. After dark the regiment retired to entrenchments near Jones' Farm, where it went into winter quarters in mid-November. On December 8 Lane's brigade, with the remainder of Hill's corps, was ordered to Belfield to oppose a Federal effort to cut the Petersburg & Weldon Railroad well to the south of Petersburg. The Confederates, many of whom were barefoot, marched through sleet and snow to a point a few miles from Belfield before learning that the Federals had retired. Hill then attempted to cut off the enemy's retreat and intercepted the Federal cavalry at Jarratt's Station. Following a brief skirmish the Confederates pushed on, only to find that the Federal infantry was three hours ahead of them and could not be overtaken. Hill then called off the pursuit. After bivouacking for the night, Hill started back to his camp at Hatcher's Run, which he reached on the afternoon of December 13. The 37th Regiment saw no further action for the remainder of the year. Early in February 1863, Grant ordered a move on the left of his line to secure a position on the Boydton Plank Road at Hatcher's Run. Hill's troops were engaged on February 5 but were unsuccessful in preventing the Federal advance. Wilcox's division was then moved further to the right as the already overextended Confederates lengthened their line to cover the latest Federal extension. (At about that time the strength of the 37th Regiment was reported as approximately 375 men present for duty with approximately 100 more on furlough.) On March 26 General Phil Sheridan's powerful cavalry command, under orders from Grant, moved to the left of Grant's line and crossed the James River. That movement, which threatened to unhinge the right flank of the Richmond-Petersburg defense system, was thwarted temporarily on March 31 when a Confederate force under General George E. Pickett drove back Sheridan's cavalry from Dinwiddie Court House. Pickett then retired to Five Forks, where a defensive position was established to anchor the extreme right of Lee's line. On April 1, Federal infantry and cavalry surprised Pickett at Five Forks and drove a wedge between his force and the Confederate line at Hatcher's Run. Pickett's men were then overpowered and driven from the field with heavy casualties, and an avenue of advance was opened to the flank and rear of the Petersburg defenses. On April 2 the Federals launched a general attack against the Confederate fortifications, broke through, and swept down the trenches. General Lane's brigade, whose numbers were so depleted that the men were spaced six to ten paces apart along the line, rallied repeatedly but was driven from a succession of positions before helping to bring the assault to a temporary halt at Battery Gregg. There the Confederates were attacked by "an immense force" and, after a "gallant and desperate defense" during which they "bayoneted many of the enemy as they mounted the parapet," the battery fell. (Official Records, Series I, Vol. XLVI, p. 1285.) Lane's brigade took part in the evacuation of Petersburg on April 3, crossed the Appomattox River at Goode's Bridge the next day, and bivouacked at Amelia Court House on April 4. The brigade skirmished with the enemy between Amelia Court House and Jetersville on April 5 and suffered additional casualties while re-crossing the Appomattox under Federal artillery fire near Farmville on or about April 7. On April 9,"while forming line of battle, [the regiment was] ordered back and directed to stack . . . arms, as the Army of Northern Virginia had been surrendered." (Official Records, Series I, Vol. XLVI, p. 1286.) When the army was paroled on April 12, 108 members of the 37th Regiment N.C. Troops were present.

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