FIFTY-THIRD REGIMENT
BY COLONEL JAMES T. MOREHEAD.
The duty assigned to
me to write a sketch-not a history—of the Fifty-third North Carolina Infantry,
I undertook to discharge, with pleasure, but I did not realize until I began
how great the difficulty would be, with no records and the conflicting
recollections of surviving comrades as to events and persons. It may be and no
doubt it is true, that I have not been accurate as to the personnel of the
officers of the regiment, as to the dates of commissions, death and wounds, and
if any injustice by omission or commission is done, I assure my living comrades
and friends of such as have crossed over the river, that no one regrets more
than I the lack of reliable data to rectify any mistakes.
The limited length
of this sketch of course, forbids my entering into the details of casualties
among over one thousand men who at different dates composed the rank and file.
The characteristics
of this regiment were common to North Carolina troops. Obedience to
and reverence for law and authority, for which the State has been so long
known, in my opinion, constitute the basis of soldierly qualities for which her
soldiers will be famous in history.
This regiment was
like other North Carolina regiments; it was never known to shirk a
duty; never refused to advance when ordered; never known to retire without
command. In June, after its organization, it was ordered to Richmond and during
the seven days contest it was on duty on the south side of the James. The
greater part of its first year of service was spent in Eastern North
Carolina and it received its first baptism of fire as a regiment at
Washington, N. C., in Gen. D. H. Hill's winter campaign of 1862 and 1863. A few
days after the battle of Chancellorsville it became a part of the Army of
Northern Virginia, and as a part of Daniel's Brigade, was attached to the
Second Corps, with which it marched and fought from Fredericksburg to
Appomattox, and participated in more than twenty general engagements, including
Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Washington City, Kernstown,
Snicker's Ford, Winchester, Fisher's Hill, Cedar Creek, Hare's Hill,
Petersburg, and in numerous combats and smaller affairs, in some of which the
conflict was more hotly contested than in the greater battles. Daniel's Brigade
was composed of the Thirty-second, Forty-third, Forty-fifth and
Fifty-third North Carolina Regiments, and Second North
Carolina Battalion. After General Daniel's death, General Bryan Grimes
became Brigadier-General. The histories of the other regiments in the brigade
necessarily outline the chief incidents in the career of the Fifty-third and
make it unnecessary to give its battles and marches in detail.
I select two special
instances of its coolness and discipline: One was on the first day of the
battle of Gettysburg. This regiment had hastened from Carlisle, Pa., its steps
quickened by the report of big guns on the morning of 1 July. Immediately upon
its arrival at Gettysburg it was thrown into line and advanced to the assault
with the brigade. Soon it, was ascertained that there was not room between the
brigade on the left and the one on the right, and this regiment was dropped out
of the line, which closed up in its front and for some time it had to stand
under shot and shell in an open field without being able to return the fire
until the brigade on the left, having given away, it moved to the left, took
its place and drove the enemy into the town.
In this trying
situation, and there could have been none more trying, except a retreat under
fire, the regiment manoeuvered as upon parade and drill, and its behavior on
this occasion was greatly commended by the brigade and division commanders.
Another instance: At
the battle of Winchester, 19 September, 1864, after hours of desperate
fighting, when all the troops on the right and left had abandoned the contest
and retired from the field, this regiment, alone, continued to fight the foe
until ordered to retreat, which it did, across an open field for several
hundred yards (the enemy advancing ten to one in numbers) in perfect order, and
at intervals, when ordered, halting, facing about and delivering its fire
almost in the faces of the pursuers. Not a man broke ranks or quickened his
steps. As is well known to every soldier, a retreat under fire is the severest
test of discipline and courage.
At the battle of
Winchester, to prevent the enemy from discovering the gap on the left, I had
deployed the greater part of my regiment as skirmishers, and this thin line
successfully held five times its numbers at bay, until the failure of promised
support to arrive, and all of Early's army on our left had been driven from the
field. It was known to every man in the regiment that the enemy was getting
rapidly in our rear, and that there was imminent danger that we would be cut
off and surrounded, but until ordered so to do, not a man left his position,
and the regiment then retreated across the field in the manner above told.
Experience and
observation have taught that one of the results of organization and discipline
is, that when soldiers retire or retreat in face of the enemy by order, they
will halt, but if they "break" without order, it is difficult to
rally and reform them. An incident of this battle illustrates this. The
temporary works of the enemy above referred to were constructed just beneath
the brow of the hill or slope up which the regiment was charging at a run and
was not observed until we were within a few feet of them. When the men had
reached nearly the top of the slope, to their astonishment they saw behind the
work a third line of the enemy and such of the other two lines as could be
prevailed on to stop, outnumbering us four or five to one. Our men immediately
faced about and started for the shelter of a wooded hill from and through which
they had just driven the enemy. Seeing the condition and thinking of the fact
above stated, I at once ordered a retreat, had the officers to repeat the
order, seemingly so superfluous, and directed the regiment to halt as soon as
the woods were reached. When I reached the woods, I had the satisfaction of
seeing the regiment reformed and "ready for business" as if nothing
had happened to dampen their ardor.
I select these out of
many instances, which particularly distinguished this regiment, because of the
trying situations.
After the regiment
was assigned to Daniel's Brigade, it participated in the battles of Gettysburg,
three days, and at Mine Run and fought more or less from 5 May, 1864, to 30 May
at the Wilderness under fire every day. It was in the famous Horse Shoe at
Spottsylvania Court House, during the terrible days of 9, 10, 11 and 12 May,
losing its Major, James Johnston Iredell, killed, Col. Owens wounded, several of
its Captains and Lieutenants and scores of its men killed and wounded. It was
brought out of the Horse Shoe to straighten the lines after the assault of the
12th under command of a Captain, its only remaining field officer, its
Lieutenant-Colonel being in command of the brigade, the Brigadier-General
(Daniel) and every other officer in the brigade senior in commission, having
been killed or wounded. On 30 May it was engaged in the battle at Bethesda
church, and on the next day was withdrawn from the front preparatory to its
march to the Valley of Virginia.
On 5 or 6 May, 1864,
the sharpshooters of this regiment were much annoyed by one of the Federal
sharpshooters who had a long range rifle and who had climbed up a tall tree
from which he could pick off our men, though sheltered by stump and stones,
himself out of range of our guns. Private Leon, of Company B (Mecklenburg),
concluded that "this thing had to be stopped," and taking advantage
of every knoll, hollow and stump, he crawled near enough for his rifle to
reach, took a "pop" at this disturber of the peace and he came
tumbling down. Upon running up to his victim, Leon discovered him to be a
Canadian Indian, and clutching his scalp-lock, dragged him to our line of
sharpshooters.
The regiment was at
Lynchburg when the pursuit of Hunter began, marched with General Early to
Washington, D. C., was one of the regiments left to support the picket line
under the walls of Washington, while the rest of the corps made good its
retreat to the valley-the Nineteenth and Sixth Corps of the Federal army having
been poured into the city for its defense. While supporting the pickets, this
regiment became involved in one of the hottest conflicts in its experience, but
succeeded in holding its position, repulsing and driving the enemy back to the
earthworks, which defended the city. At midnight it received orders to retire
in perfect silence, and to the surprise of all when we reached the position on
the hills near the city, where we had left the corps, it was ascertained that
the corps had left the night before, twenty-four hours and we marched the whole
night and a greater part of the next day before we caught up with the rear
guards. Early's ruse, as usual, had succeeded in deceiving the enemy.
This regiment
participated in all of the battles in the Valley in 1864, and in numerous
combats and skirmishes. In this Valley Campaign the regiment lost its gallant
Colonel Owens, who was killed at Snicker's Ford, near Snicker's Gap, in August,
1864. He had been absent since 10 May, disabled by wounds at Spottsylvania
Court House; had returned just as the regiment was eating dinner, and almost
while we were congratulating him on his safe return, we received notice that
the enemy had crossed the river at Snicker's Ford. The order to "fall
in" was given, we marched to the river, and drove the enemy across, after
a short, but severe conflict. The firing had ceased, excepting now and then a
dropping shot, when Colonel Owens was killed by one of these stray shots. He
was a good officer, brave, humane, social, popular with both men and officers.
He was succeeded by the writer as Colonel. At Winchester, on 19 September,
1864, Adjutant Osborne was killed. Two years ago Color Sergeant Taylor, of
Company E, Surry county, who has resided in Utah since 1866, visited me. He
received a ball in his hip from which wound he still limps and in talking about
his own wound, he told me as we were charging the third Federal line at
Winchester, having broken the first two, and when near the temporary breastwork
of the enemy, he received the shot which disabled him for life, and that as he
fell, young Osborne picked up the flag waving it, ran forward, cheering on the
men and was killed within 20 feet of the Color Sergeant. He was an efficient
officer and daring soldier, I suppose not older than 20 years. Lieutenant W. R.
Murray, of Company A, than whom there was not a better officer or braver
soldier in the "Old Guard" of Napoleon, acted as Adjutant after the
death of Osborne till the surrender at Appomattox.
As stated before,
Major Iredell, a true gentleman and brave soldier, was killed at Spottsylvania
Court House. Captain John W. Rierson succeeded him. At Winchester, finding that
there was a gap of two or three hundred yards between my left and the troops on
the left, and that the enemy had discovered and were preparing to take
advantage of it, I directed Major Rierson to find General Grimes on the right
of the division, (General Rodes had been killed in the beginning of the
action), and apprise him of the situation. After some time he returned, saluted
and reported, the fighting being very heavy all the time, when I discovered
that Major Rierson was shot through the neck, which wound was received before
he found General Grimes, but he nevertheless performed the duty, returned and
reported, and did not then go to the rear until I directed him to do so. This
gallant officer was killed when the enemy broke over our lines at Petersburg, a
few days before Appomattox. He was entitled to his commission as
Lieutenant-Colonel from the date of the battle of Snicker's Ford, but I do not
know that he received it.
This was a volunteer
regiment, enlisted in the latter part of the winter and first part of the
spring of 1862, and was organized at Camp Mangum, near Raleigh, the first week
in May, 1862, and assigned to Daniel's Brigade, (Rodes' Division). William A.
Owens, of Mecklenburg county, was elected Colonel; James T. Morehead, Jr.,
of Guilford county, Lieutenant-Colonel, and James Johnston Iredell, of Wake
county, Major.
Colonel Owens had
already been in the service more than one year, having served as Captain in the
First (Bethel) Regiment, and at the time of his election was Lieutenant-Colonel
of the Eleventh Regiment.
Lieutenant-Colonel
Morehead had also been in the service the preceding year, having entered the
same in April, 1861, as Lieutenant of the "Guilford Grays,"
(afterwards Company B, of the Twenty-seventh Regiment), and at the time of his
election was a Captain in the Forty-fifth Regiment.
William B. Osborne,
of Mecklenburg county, was appointed Adjutant and John M. Springs, of
Mecklenburg, was appointed Captain and Assistant Quartermaster. He resigned in
the fall of 1862 and was succeded by Captain John B. Burwell. J. F. Long was
appointed Surgeon; Lauriston H. Hill, of Stokes county, Assistant Surgeon, and
promoted Surgeon in 1863. William Hill, of Mecklenburg, was appointed Captain,
A. C. S. In 1863 Charles Gresham, of Virginia, was assigned to duty with this
regiment as Assistant Surgeon. James H. Colton, of Randolph county, was
appointed Chaplain; J. H. Owens, Sergeant Major (promoted Second Lieutenant of
Company I and killed); R. B. Burwell, Quartermaster Sergeant; J. C. Palmer,
Commissary Sergeant; R. S. Barnett, Ordnance Sergeant. Upon the promotion of J.
H. Owens, Aaron Katz, of Company B, succeeded him as Sergeant-Major, and upon
his being captured, Robert A. Fleming, of Company A, was SergeantMajor.
COMPANY A was from
Guilford county. A. P. McDaniel was its first Captain, commissioned 25
February, 1862, and upon his retirement in 1863, Lieutenant J. M. Sutton was
promoted Captain and wounded at Bethesda Church and on 21 September, 1864, in
the Valley, and captured at Petersburg; P. W. Haterick (killed at Gettysburg),
First Lieutenant; J. M. Sutton, Second Lieutenant; W. L. Fleming, promoted from
Sergeant to Second Lieutenant in August, 1863; William R. Murray, promoted from
ranks to Second and First Lieutenant in 1863; J. W. Scott, promoted Second
Lieutenant from Sergeant (chief of regimental corps of sharpshooters).
COMPANY B was from
Mecklenburg county and its first Captain was J. Harvey White, commissioned 1
March, 1862, killed at Spottsylvania Court House in May, 1864. Samuel E. Belk,
First Lieutenant; John M. Springs, Second Lieutenant, promoted Assistant
Quartermaster; William M. Matthews, Second Lieutenant, promoted from First
Sergeant; M. E. Alexander, promoted Second Lieutenant from Second Sergeant.
Lieutenants Belk, Matthews and Alexander were wounded at Gettysburg.
COMPANY C was from
Johnston, Chatham and Wake, mostly from Johnston. Its first Captain was John
Leach, commissioned 28 February, 1862; was succeeded as Captain by J. C.
Richardson (wounded at Petersburg), commissioned 17 April, 1863, both from
Johnston county; George T. Leach, of Chatham, commissioned First Lieutenant 7
March, 1862; John H. Tomlinson, of Johnston county, commissioned Second
Lieutenant in April, 1862, resigned and succeeded by E. Tomlinson in 1862; S.
R. Horn, of Johnston county, was commissioned Second Lieutenant 21 July, 1862.
COMPANY D was from
Guilford, Cumberland, Forsyth, Stokes, Bladen and Surry. David Scott, Jr., of
Guilford county, was commissioned Captain 1 March, 1862, resigned and was
succeeded 15 May, 1863, by Alexander Ray, of Cumberland county, promoted from
First Lieutenant and killed at Petersburg, April 1865. Alexander Ray was
commissioned First Lieutenant 1 March, 1862; Madison L. Efland, of Guilford
county, commissioned Second Lieutenant 1 March, 1862, promoted First Lieutenant
15 May, 1863, and wounded; A. H. Westmoreland, of Stokes county, was promoted
from Sergeant to Second Lieutenant; W. N. Westmoreland, Stokes county, was
promoted from the ranks to Second Lieutenant in 1863.
COMPANY E was from
Surry county. J. C. Norman was commissioned Captain on 8 March, 1862, resigned
the following December and was succeeded by First Lieutenant Robert A. Hill,
killed in 1864, succeeded in turn as Captain by First Lieutenant B. W. Minter;
Samuel Walker was commissioned Second Lieutenant 8 March, 1862, promoted to
First Lieutenant December, 1862, and resigned; B. W. Minter, Second Lieutenant,
promoted First Lieutenant and Captain; Henry Hines, Second Lieutenant, in 1862;
Logan Bemer, promoted from Corporal to Second Lieutenant, wounded and captured
in 1864; James A. Hill, Second Lieutenant, captured in 1864.
COMPANY F was from
Alamance and Chatham. G. M. G. Albright was commissioned Captain 5 May, 1862,
killed July, 1863, at Gettysburg, and was succeeded by A. G. Albright, promoted
from First Lieutenant (wounded at Fisher's Hill, 1864); Jesse M. Holt, First
Lieutenant, 16 July, 1863, promoted from Second Lieutenant, (killed at Winchester,
1864); Branson Lambe, commissioned in 1864, promoted from Second Lieutenant;
John J. Webster, commissioned Second Lieutenant May, 1862, and resigned; S. J.
Albright, commissioned Second Lieutenant in 1862 and killed at Spottsylvania
Court House in 1864.
COMPANY F was from
Stokes. G. W. Clarke was commissioned Captain on 20 March, 1862, and resigned
May, 1862; was succeeded by John W. Rierson, promoted from Second Lieutenant
and who was in 1863 promoted to Major, wounded at Winchester and killed at Petersburg,
April, 1865. He was in time succeeded as Captain by H. H. Campbell, promoted
from First Lieutenant and killed at Winchester. G. B. Moore was commissioned
First Lieutenant in March, 1862, resigned in June; John W. Rierson,
commissioned Second Lieutenant March, 1862; W. H. McKinney was promoted from
the ranks in May, 1862, to second Lieutenant, and wounded at Winchester; C. F.
Hall, promoted from ranks to Second Lieutenant, mortally wounded at Gettysburg;
W. F. Campbell, promoted First Lieutenant and wounded at Washington, D. C.
COMPANY H was from
Stokes county. Captain Spottswood B. Taylor was commissioned on 20 March, 1862,
resigned on account of health in November, 1863, and was succeeded by John E.
Miller, promoted from Second Lieutenant, who was wounded at Snicker's Ford and
captured September, 1864; Thomas S. Burnett, commissioned First Lieutenant 20
March, 1862, and killed in 1863; Charles A. McGehee, First Lieutenant,
November, 1862, wounded at Gettysburg 3 July, 1863, and captured; Alexander M.
King, Second Lieutenant, March, 1862; J. Henry Owens, promoted Second
Lieutenant from Sergeant-Major, December, 1862, and killed; Alexander Boyles,
promoted First Lieutenant.
COMPANY I was from
Union county. E. A. Jerome was commissioned Captain 20 March, 1862, and
resigned in June following, and was succeeded by Thomas E. Ashcraft, promoted
from First Lieutenant; John D. Cuthbertson, commissioned Second Lieutenant 20
March, 1862, promoted First Lieutenant; Joshua Lee, commissioned Second
Lieutenant 20 March, 1862; James E. Green, promoted from the ranks, Second
Lieutenant 24 June, 1862; A. T. Marsh, promoted from Sergeant to Second
Lieutenant 19 May, 1864.
COMPANY K was from
Wilkes county. William J. Miller was commissioned Captain 20 March, 1862,
killed at Gettysburg 1 July, 1863, and was succeeded by Jesse F. Eller,
promoted from Second Lieutenant; Thomas C. Miller, promoted from Second
Lieutenant to First Lieutenant 1 July, 1863; Thomas C. Miller, commissioned
Second Lieutenant in August, 1862.
This regiment lost
in killed its first Colonel, who was twice wounded; both of its Majors, one of
them, Rierson, several times wounded and its Adjutant. Its surviving Colonel
was wounded three times, at Gettysburg, Fisher's Hill and in the assault upon
the Federal lines at Hare's Hill on 25 March, 1865, in which last engagement he
was captured within the enemy's works.
As it is, I have
only the approximately correct report of the losses of one of the companies of
the regiment, and that only in one battle, but I think the losses of the other
companies may be fairly estimated from the losses of this one.
Company B lost at
Gettysburg out of about 65 men, 8 killed and 22 wounded, and of the four
officers, three were wounded.
I meet many of these
scarred and now grizzly veterans of the companies from Alamance, Guilford,
Stokes and Surry at my courts in these counties, and hear sometimes from those
from the other counties, and with very few exceptions they have shown
themselves to be as good citizens as they were gallant soldiers. They
illustrate that "peace hath her victories no less renowned than war."
The regiment reduced
to a handful of men shared the fortunes of the historic retreat and surrendered
at Appomattox, being then commanded by Captain Thomas E. Ashcraft, the brigade
being commanded by Colonel David G. Cowand. General Grimes having been made a
Major-General, commanded the division.
I cannot close this
sketch without acknowledging my indebtedness to Captain Sutton and Private J.
Montgomery, of Company A; L. Leon, of Company B, who kindly furnished me with
copy of a diary kept by him from organization of the regiment up to 5 May,
1864, when he was captured; Captain Albright, of Company F; Captain S. B.
Taylor, of Company H, and Lieutenant W. F. Campbell, of Company G, for valuable
information; and I hope that the publication of the sketches of the North
Carolina regiments will excite interest enough among the old soldiers to
give us further dates and incidents. I wish I could write a history of my
regiment which would do the officers and men full credit for their patriotism
and services.
The patriotism and
heroism of these soldiers were illustrated by the patient and uncomplaining
endurance of the forced march, the short rations, the hardships of winter camps
and campaigns as much as by their fighting qualities. Posterity will hesitate
to decide which is most worthy of admiration.
JAMES T. MOREHEAD,
GREENSBORO, N. C.,
9 APRIL, 1901.
SOURCES: Walter Clark,
Editor, Histories of the Several
Regiments and Battalions from North Carolina in the Great War 1861-’65,
Vol. 3, p. 255-65; Louis Leon, Diary of a Tar Heel Confederate Soldier, p. 72-82
