Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 25.
Reverend J. William Jones, Ed.

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[163] had fought McClellan's army from Richmond to the James, and then turned round and fought Pope's army, reinforced by McClellan's, from the Rapidan to the Potomac. The order excusing barefooted men from marching into Maryland had sent thousands to the rear. Divisions that had become smaller than brigades were when the fighting first began; brigades had become smaller than regiments, and regiments had become smaller than companies.

On the morning of the 14th, having fixed his lines of battle, General Hill relates that, accompanied by Major Ratchford of his staff, he was talking with a mountaineer who stood near his cabin, surrounded by his children. The mountaineer supposing that the General and the Major were Federal officers, was giving information about roads and ‘rebels.’ ‘Just then a shell came hurling through the woods, and a little girl began crying. Having a little one at home of about the same size, I could not forbear from stopping a moment to say a few soothing words to the frightened child. * * The firing had aroused that prompt and gallant soldier, General Garland, and his men were under arms when I reached the pike. I explained the situation briefly to him, directed him to sweep through the woods, reach the road and hold it at all hazards, as the safety of Lee's large train depended upon its being held. He went off in high spirits, and I never saw him again. I never knew a truer, braver, better man.’

Garland's force was five regiments of infantry and Bondurant's battery of artillery, his infantry force being a little less than a thousand men, all North Carolinians. The five regiments were: The 5th, placed on the right; the 12th, placed as a support; the 23d, posted behind a low stone wall on the left of the 5th; then came the 20th and 30th. From the nature of the ground and the duty to be performed, the regiments were not in contact with each other, and the 30th was 250 yards to the left of the 20th. Fifty skirmishers of the 5th North Carolina soon encountered the 23d Ohio, deployed as skirmishers under Lieutenant-Colonel R. B. Hayes, afterward President of the United States, and the action began at nine A. M. between Cox's division and Garland's brigade. General Hill then gives the forces, respectively, engaged, and concludes that Cox's infantry, artillery and cavalry, reached 3,000, while Garland's opposing brigade numbered ‘scarce a thousand.’ Lieutenant-Colonel Ruffin, of the 13th North Carolina, later judge on the Supreme Court bench of this State, was with General Garland when the latter received his fatal wound. The effort of the enemy seemed to be to