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three of them mortally. One was taken prisoner. In twentyfour hours from the time they left the boat, the regiment had marched above twenty miles, and fought with credit.

The last service of the regiment in North Carolina, was a forced march, begun at four o'clock on the morning of May 17, to Pollockville, to rescue a Maryland regiment supposed to be surrounded by an overpowering force of rebels. The march of eleven miles had been made with great rapidity, through deep, sticky mud, when the Marylanders were found to be safe. They were however half famished, and the kindness of our men in providing hot coffee and furnishing food out of their own rations, called out the earnest gratitude of the recipients.

The regiment left North Carolina in two steamers, the "Scout" and the "Farrington," on the sixth of July, and after stopping a few weeks at "Camp Lincoln" near Newport News, took the steamers "Nantasket" and “Highland Light" on the second of August, and on the fourth landed at Acquia Creck, Virginia. On the twelfth, leaving tents and baggage, the regiment started for the Rapidan, as a part of General Reno's Ninth Army Corps, in the army of General Pope. During Pope's retreat before Lee, the troops suffered severely, as is always the case in withdrawing before a vigilant enemy, especially when acting as a rear-guard. For three weeks, without shelter, often wanting food, and making exhausting marches, the regiment did "yoemen's duty" with unflinching constancy.

In the battle of "Bull Run, No. 2," on the thirtieth of August, the regiment maintained its well-earned reputation. "When everything on the left seemed lost, they, under the guidance of the brave and skillful Reno, stopped the enemy in the moment of victory, and prevented them from realizing its fruits." Though they inflicted much damage upon the enemy, their own loss was small, owing to the favorable nature of their position. The wounded and missing in this action, were nine privates.

The Twenty-first was also in the battle of Chantilly on the

first of September. Their loss was very severe. Says the report of the commanding officer:

"Ordered into action just as night was coming on, in a severe thunderstorm, to fight an enemy of whose numbers and position no one seemed to be aware, they fell into an ambuscade of the rebel regiments. Though somewhat thrown into confusion by the fearful slaughter inflicted upon them by the first volley from their concealed foes, the regiment held its ground. The rain soon made most of the guns on both sides unserviceable, but the Twenty-first were not afraid to rely on the bayonet, which in many instances, was used by both parties, till by the timely arrival of reinforcements, the enemy was driven from the field, with the loss of many killed, wounded and prisoners. About midnight after the battle, the baggage trains being in safety, the Union forces were drawn back to Fairfax Court House, and we were compelled to leave most of our seriously wounded to be taken prisoners by the enemy, as well as several men who were engaged in bringing them from the field, and assisting the surgeons. The losses in this battle were, commissioned officers, three killed, viz., Lieutenant-Colonel J. P. Rice; First Lieutenant F. A. Bemis, and Second Lieutenant W. B. Hill; mortally wounded and died soon after the action, three, viz., Captains J. D. Frazer and I. J. Kelton, and First Lieutenant H. A. Beckwith; wounded and prisoners, two, viz., First Lieutenant W. H. Clark, and Second Lieutenant S. McCabe; prisoners, Captain George P. Hawkes, Acting Major, Adjutant W. Willard, and Second Lieutenant G. C. Parker. Total officers eleven. Enlisted men killed, twenty-two; mortally wounded and died soon after, eight; wounded and prisoners, twenty-four; wounded, forty-five; prisoners, thirty-four. Total killed and wounded in the action, one hundred and seven; prisoners, not wounded, thirty-seven. Aggregate, one hundred and forty-four."

Through Alexandria, through Washington, through part of Maryland, the regiment marched as a part of the army of General McClellan, who was again in command. In the battle of South Mountain they lost five men wounded. Then came the fiercely contested battle of Antietam, on the seventeenth of September, in which the regiment "shed their full proportion of the blood which christened that day as 'bloody Wednesday,' as part of the left wing of the army. The brigade to which they belonged charged across the bridge over the Antietam, and held their ground upon the other bank for more than an hour of the time without ammunition, against an attacking force far superior in numbers.”

The regiment entered the battle only one hundred and fifty strong, two of the companies being absent, and its loss was very severe. Second Lieutenant H. C. Holbrook was killed; Second Lieutenants C. H. Parker, C. Goss and G. W. Gibson were wounded. Enlisted men killed, six; wounded, thirtyfour, three of them mortally; total killed and wounded, fortyfour, or more than one quarter of those who entered the battle. Up to this time the regiment had lost in killed, 87; wounded, 204; prisoners, 38; missing, 33; making a total of 332, besides 31 deserters. Aggregate loss 363.

The regiment

But the perils of the year were not yet over. was in various service through October and November, in Maryland and Virginia until the thirteenth of December, when the great battle of Fredericksburg was fought under the command of Major-General Burnside. In Colonel Clark's account of the battle is the following paragraph:

"The Second Brigade was ordered to the front, and forming in double line of battle, most gallantly and steadily moved across the plain, swept by the destructive fire of the enemy. When about sixty rods from the city, Color-Sergeant Collins, of Co. A, was shot and fell to the ground. Sergeant Plunkett, of Co. E, instantly seized the colors and carried them forward to the farthest point reached by our troops during the battle, when a shell from the rebels was thrown with fatal accuracy at the colors and brought them to the ground, wet with the life-blood of the brave Plunkett, both of whose arms were carried away. The glorious flag was then raised by Color-Corporal Olney of Co. H, and carried by him during the remainder of the day. Color-Corporal Barr, of Co. C, was shot while carrying the state colors, and the post of honor and danger was quickly filled by Color-Corporal Wheeler, of Co. I. The whole number of casualties in this battle is ninety-nine, viz., killed eight, wounded fifty-six, missing thirty-five."

The total loss was sixty-nine out of two hundred and eightyfour officers and enlisted men who engaged in the battle, nearly one fourth of their number. This ended the fighting of the regiment for the year. The number of deaths from all causes had been one hundred and thirty-one. But though the actual fighting was over, there was still danger and endurance. About eight o'clock on Sunday evening, the fourteenth, the brigade to which our regiment belonged, was ordered to the

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