The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-09-01
BITS OF WAR HISTORY
A SKETCH OF THE FIFTY-FIFTH
NORTH CAROLINA
REGIMENT.
BY LIEUT.. CHARLES M. COOKE

ficientiY Drilled il Was Sent 10 the
Pamlico District Then TO Washing
ton. IN. c., and Thence TO Virginia"Its
Position in the Fight at Gettysburg.
The Fifty-ffth North Carolina Regi-
ment was organized at Camp Mangum,
near Raleigh, in the early part of 1862.
The companies composing the Regiment
were Company A, from Wilson county,
William J. Bullock, Captain; Company
B, Wilkes county, Abner S. Galloway,
Captain; Company @, Cleveland county,
Silas D. Randall, Captain Company E,
Pitt county, James 7. Whitehead, Cap
tain; Company F, composed of men en-
listed from Cleveland, Burke and Ca
tawba counties, principally from Cleve
land county, Peter M. Null, of Catawba
county, Captain; Company G, Johnston
county, J. P. Williams, Captain; Com
pany e, composed of men enlisted under
Vandevere league, who was Captain
from Alexander county, and some en-
listed from Onslow county under Alex
ander j. Pollock, who was First Lieu
tenant; Company l, Franklin county,
Wilson Il. Williams, Captain; Company
K, Granville county, Maurice I. Smith,
Captain.
John Kerr Connolly, of Yadkin county,
who was for while at the National Naval
Academy at Annapolis, and who had been
Captain of company in the 18th Regi-
ment of North Carolina Volunteers, was
elected Colonel of the regiment; Captain
Abner s. Galloway, of Company B, was
elected Lieutenant Colonel, and Capt.
James T. Whitehead, of Company E,
was elected Major; William Fl. Young,
of Granville county, was appointed Ad-
jutant; W. n Holt, of Company G, was
appointed Sergeant Major; George W.
Blount, of Wilson county, was appointed
Quartermaster; w. P. Webb, of Gran
vile county, Commissary; DR.. James
Smith, of Granville county, Sur
geon DR.. Isaac G. Cannady, of
the same county, Assistant Sur
geon; Rev. William Royal, of Wake
Forest College, Chaplain; A. Fl. Dunn;
of Company /, Quartermaster sergeant,
W. B. Royal, OF Company l, Commits
sary Sergeant; s. W. @. Young, Ordin-
ance Sergeant; Peterson Thorpe, of Com
pany K, Hospital Steward; Charles E.
Jackey, of Pitt county, Chief Musician.
Lieut.. Col Galloway, resigned and
Major Whitehead died within a few
months after the organization of the
regiment, and Captain Maurice 7 Smith,
of Company K, was made Lieutenant
Colonel, and Captain a. Fl. Belo, of
Salem, who commanded company in
the 18th Regiment of North Carolina
Volunteers, was made Major. Lieut.. Col.
Smith was killed at Gettysburg and Maj
Belo became Lieutenant Colonel, and
upon the resignation of Col. Connolly, on
account Of severe wounds received in the
same battle, Lieut.. Col Belo became
Colonel On account of the fact that
the senior captain of the regiment was
in prison from Gettysburg until the close
of the war the regiment had no other
field officers.
Adiutant Young resigned in Novem
Der 1862 and Henry 7. Jordan, of Per-
Son county, was appointed Adjutant. He
was captured at Gettysburg and, after,
Lieut.. Charles r. Jones, of Iredell.county,
acted as adiutant for several months,
and then @. M. Cooke, from company /,
was assigned to that position and held it
until the close Of the war Surgeon
James Smith resigned in December 1862,
and DR.. B. T. Greene, of Franklin
county, was appointed surgeon. A. Fl.
Dunn died in August 1862, and Henry
8. Furman, of Franklin county, was APP
pointed Assistant Quartermaster Serge
ant. W. n Holt, Sergeant Major, was
made Lieutenant in Company Fl, and
Jesse A. Adams, of Johnston county,
was made Sergeant Major.
The regiment, after it had been
sufficiently drilled to take the field,
was sent to the department of the
Pamlico, then under the command of
Gen. James G.. Martin, and remained
there during the summer and early part
of the fall of 1862. 1t was on duty
greater part of the time around Kinston
and in Trenton. The first time the regi
ment was under fire was on the 18th of
August, 1862. A Federal gun-boat had
come up the Neuse to point few
miles below Kinston, and the regiment
was sent down to prevent the landing of
the troops. We were formed in line
on the south side of, and not far from
the river the gun boat came up to a
point nearly opposite the position occu
pied by the regiment, but after the firing
of few shells went back without at
tempting to land any troops.
The regiment during the time spent in
that section was thoroughly drilled and
disciplined.
On the 3rd of September, while the
regiment was in camp near LAGRANGE,
there was a special order made on dress
parade that two hundred men were
needed for daring service and volunteers
we're called for. That number was at
once obtained and they were organized
into two companies of one hundred each.
Capt. P. M. Null, of Company F, was
put in command of one company, and
Capt. Maurice 7. Smith, of company K,
in command of the other, and the lieu
tenants were selected from the different
companies. Capt. Williams, of Company
I, was so anxious to be among the mum
Der that he procured the consent of the
Colonel to his going as First Lieutenant
OF one of the companies. lt was or
siered that these companies be prepared
with three days rations to march the
next morning at sunrise. Capt. Null
was senior officer and in command of the
detachment. Just as the sun rose the
next morning we moved out OF camp,
marching a little north of east, and We
zero then informed that the movement
w mt a surprise attack upon Washing
So. n. c., and that we would be joined
H.. IRE we reached the place by other
1r,ons. We met on the 9Th, between
- - uille and Washingtnn. q defach.