12 July we engaged the enemy in a severe skirmish in front of Fort Stephens, retreating the same night. 19 September engaged the enemy again a Winchester, after they had driven back in great confusion the divisions of Gordon and Ramseur. At no time during the war was the courage, endurance and discipline of the regiment put to a greater test than in this battle. Amid great confusion, it fought with a desperation rarely equaled, and by it's steadiness, contributed largely in preventing a disastrous rout. At no time was it's line broken. 20 September engaged the enemy at Fisher's Hill, where our entire command was driven back in great confusion; our division, in this retreat, again bringing up the rear. This regiment, in retreating column, fought the enemy several days, the enemy pressing us with great vigor all the time. In this retreat, the men suffered great fatigue, being poorly fed and clad, and miserably shod. They had no change of clothes for weeks.
THE ENEMY SUPRISED
19 October, 1864, early in the morning, under cover of darkness and fog, we succeded in surprising the enemy, and in turning his left flank, capturing many pieces of artillery and many prisoners. The enemy fell back in great confusion, with heavy loss, but being heavily re-enforced, rallied, and in turn assumed the offensive, and with overwhelming numbers made a most furious assault on the two divisions on our left, crushing them in detail. Our division looked helplessly on the terrible sturggle--having all that we could attend to in our own front.
A TRYING ORDEAL
During this battle, occurred one of the most trying ordeals of the writer's life. We were moving on the enemy, when the writer met his brother, Captain T. B. Beall, of the Fourteenth North Carolina Regiment, coming out desperately wounded through the lung, the blood spurting from his breast. There wasn't time to give him a word of sympathy, much less attention, leaving him as I then thought for the last time in this world. He had the good fortune soon after, to meet with an ambulance, which took him and the gallant Lieutenant W. G. Foy, of the Twenty-First North Carolina Regiment, who was also desperately wounded, to the field hospital. They received immediate attention and both finally recovered, but were left more or less disabled for life. In this battle fell the lamented Ramseur.