Last Battles of the War

Confederate Veteran
Volume 3, Number 3, Page 70-72
March 1895.

B. L. Ridley's Journal Continued. Smithfield, N. C., April 6, 1865. It never rains but it pours, and still the bad news comes Selma, Ala., we hear officially, has been given up to a raiding party. 'Tis said, too, that a column of nine thousand yanks have entered it. We heard today from Richmond that Lee lost all of his artillery but two battalions, supposed to have been about 500 pieces. Of his loss in men we have not yet heard. Gen. S. takes the death of his little boy at Auburn, Ala., very hard. Notwithstanding his stern military character he is a tender hearted man.
April 7. I neglected to state that Gov. Vance and many ladies from Raleigh came down to the review of Hardee's corps. Everything went off well (aside from our decimated ranks).. The ladies cheered Gen. Hoke's division of North Carolinians. We hear the report of the yankees being at Selma contradicted, but the telegrams in yesterday's papers and reports heretofore are too true. President Davis issues an address to the people of the Confederacy imploring them to stand by him in reverses, and to be not disheartened, for he'll steer us safely through.
April 8. Captain R.C.Stewart, A. D. C., arrived today, reports the wagon train in ten miles. He has been on leave of absence and, in fact, all of the staff but Cols. Gale, Sevier and myself. Maj. Lauderdale, Qr. Mr., and Assistant A. & I. Gen. Minnick Williams also came today. Prisoners taken state that Sherman will commence his movement upon us Monday. Lee has had another fight at Amelia C. H., since the evacuation of Richmond, in which he was successful. Nothing" from the West except the confirmation of the fall of Selma, Ala.
April 9. Captain R. C. Stewart and I went near Pikeville today to purchase horses. I obtained one. Saw Gen. Dibrell, Dr. McCord, and my brother, Dr. J. L. Ridley, with whom we spent the night.
April 10. This morning, before day, Dibrell's scouts came in with two or three officers prisoners, who stated that they had just received orders to march, and had gone to a house to bid some ladies goodbye when our scouts captured them. Returned to camp and found the consolidation had taken place and the different corps moving toward Raleigh. The army was divided into three corps, under Stewart, Hardee, and Stephen D. Lee. Stewart's corps now is composed of Loring's division, made up of his old division, Patton Anderson's and Walthall's. Walthall is now commanding McLaw's and Anderson's, what was known as Taliaferro's Division. Enemy advancing on us rapidly. Camp tonight west of Beaver Mill Bridge.
April 11. Started about seven o'clock this morning and pitched tents three miles west of Raleigh on Hillsboro road. Have heard nothing of enemy's progress. As we passed the female Seminary in Raleigh the beautiful schoolgirls greeted us warmly. Each one had a pitcher of water and goblet. We drank, took their addresses, and had a big time. It was a terrible task to get Terry Cahal, Caruthers, Stewart, and the other members of the staff away from them. On this march my faithful boy, Hannibal, gladdened us with a rich box of edibles from my old grandmother at Oxford.
April 12. Started this morning at sunrise and landed this evening one mile east of Durham Depot, eighteen miles from Hillsboro. Gen. Johnston left Raleigh on the cars to meet President Davis at Greensboro, and placed Gen. Stewart in command of two corps, Lee's and his own, until his return. Rumors of Lee's capture in Virginia are rife, but not believed.
April 13. Camped this evening two miles east of Hillsboro. Gen. Johnston returned from Greensboro. More rumors of Lee's capitulating, and some are led to believe.
April 14. Today we passed through Hillsboro. Saw a good many nice looking young ladies. Crossed Eno River this side two miles and Haw's River 16 miles. Camped near Squire Hoke's in a beautiful grove. Saw a Dr. Brown directly from the artillery in Lee's army. He says "that after thirty hours travel from Farmville about forty pieces of artillery halted at Appomattox Station to cook and feed. The yanks overtook them but were repulsed with grape and canister, that during the night Gen. Lawton received a dispatch from Lee stating that he could be of no more use to him if he could not join him by Sunday morning, and to cut down Caissons, bury the guns, divide the men into squads of four or five, and let them make their way out."
April 15. Our march today is only twelve miles in consequence of heavy roads, caused from rains.

[Page 71 Confederate Veteran March 1895]
Have passed old Chapel Hill University, sacred to me as my father's alma mater, and now Graham, and camp tonight at Smith's Store. The farther we go the worse the news we get from Lee's army. Gen. S. succeeds in having a barrel of peach brandy and a half box of tobacco given him by a Mr. Vaughn. Yum! yum! ha! ha! we are taking it along for medical purposes. Dr. Smepton invited the General and staff to his house this morning to partake of a mint julep. To our surprise, we found he had sugar, coffee and ice, things scarce in these times. Every time we get into a drive of this kind Gen. S. destroys Cabal's, Caruthers' (his sons) and my prospects by telling these fellows that, and "sometimes the older members of my staff partake of a julep, but the younger members never touch it." We just had to look at that julep and "sigh" for a smile." Dibrell's Cavalry has been suddenly transferred to rear. They say he has gone to Greensboro to repel a raid. It turned out that they were to escort Jefferson Davis farther south.
April 16 March eight miles and camp in four miles of Greensboro. Have just heard Lee's farewell address, he and his army were captured. He says that greatly outnumbered as he was, contending against such wonderful force, he was bound to yield without further loss of blood. What next?

Judge G. K. Miller, who was captain of Company A, Eighth Confederate Cavalry: Talladega, Ala., March 7, 1895. Having read the account of the repulse of the Federals on our left at Bentonville on the afternoon of March 21st, 1865, as given by Capt. Ridley in the January number of the VETERAN, and that of Capt. Guild in the February number, as an observer of the whole movement that probably saved our army from disastrous defeat, permit me to say that both are partly correct in the accounts given. Each tells a portion of the story, but not all. Johnston's lines at Bentonville described a semicircle, with each wing resting on a small but deep and nonfordable stream, spanned by but one bridge located some three or four hundred yards from our extreme left. Temporary entrenchments had been thrown up by our infantry, covering all of the left wing with the exception of about one quarter mile nearest the river. This space was open woods, and on the afternoon in question was occupied by a mere skirmish line of dismounted Cavalry. About 2 p. m., Anderson's Brigade of Allen's Cavalry division, composed of the 3rd, 8th, and 10th Confederate, and 5th Georgia regiments, came on the field and were dismounted and placed in position behind the entrenchments from which infantry had been withdrawn and moved to the right. That part of the line thus occupied by Anderson's Brigade was immediately to the right of the skirmish line mentioned, and, being on more elevated ground, afforded the writer a good opportunity to observe the movement to turn our left and capture the bridge.
About 3 p. m., in the midst of a pelting rain, a heavy column from the 17th Federal corps was hurried against our left, covering the front occupied by Anderson's Brigade and that of the unprotected skirmish line. The enemy in Anderson's front was repulsed after a hot contest, but a glance to our left disclosed the fact that the serried ranks of blue had swept away the skirmish line and were approaching the bridge with rapid steps. It was at this critical juncture that Gen. Hardee dashed down the road in the direction of the bridge, followed by the 8th Texas and 4th Tennessee cavalry. These two regiments continued at a gallop in columns of four to very near the bridge, then faced to the right in line and with a yell bore down upon the advancing Federals in as brilliant a charge as the war furnished. They were too few in number to cover the entire front of the advancing Federals, but just as they gave an initial to the repulse, Cummings' Infantry Brigade, numbering about 800 muskets, coming on the field at a dead run, struck that part of the Federal column not covered by Baxter Smith's troopers, and with a timely enfilade from the 10th Confederate, occupying Anderson's extreme left, sent the attacking column back in beautiful confusion. A good number of prisoners were brought in by the different commands engaged. The writer had a.6. interesting conversation with several of the prisoners, but being short on Dutch, while they were utter strangers to English, history will lose the result of the interview.
After the repulse our infantry occupied the exposed position and our army was withdrawn across the bridge about nightfall. At Bentonville, the last battle of the army of Tennessee, its halfclad, ragged, footsore, hungry veterans displayed all of the high soldierly qualities that had distinguished them from Belmont to Averysboro, and no part of it with more signal gallantry than the 8th Texas and 4th Tennessee Cavalry and the heroic remnant of Cummings' Brigade.