Captain R.W. Burt's Late War Diary
March 1865Mar. 1st: Still waiting for the bridge and lower water.
Mar. 2nd: Crossed the bridge and marched until quite late at night.
Mar. 3rd: Marched 20 miles and camped at Thompson's Creek.
Mar. 4th: Column marched to Cheraw. Went with foragers towards Society Hills. Blew up carload of ammunition. Could not get back to the column and camped when night came. Col. Williams went to Florence with force of mounted men.
Mar. 5th: Joined the column at Cheraw.
Mar. 6th: Crossed the Great Pee Dee today. Marched 6 miles. Explosion of powder and shell at Cheraw: 15 men killed and wounded. Frank Struper killed.
Mar. 7th: Marched 12 miles to Laurel Hill in North Carolina.
Mar. 8th: Crossed the Lumber River.
Mar. 9th: Out foraging and did not get to the column. It marched 10 or 12 miles.
Mar. 10th: Column marched but 2 or 3 miles and I quartered with my foragers at a deserted house of a Rebel major about 6 miles in advance.
Mar. 11th: Took possession of McNiel's Mill and ground corn until 2 PM, then struck for the road and came up with the Regiment, having been absent from it for four days.
Mar. 12th: Crossed Rock Fish Creek and marched within 3 miles of Fayetteville. Foragers drove the Rebels out of town.
Mar. 13th: Division did not move.
Mar. 14th: First Division crossed the river at Fayetteville at night and camped two miles beyond.
Mar. 15th: Went in advance of the Division to Black River. Rebels dispute the passage. Quartered at John Geddy's house.
Mar. 16th: Crossed Black River and ran a mill all that day and night three miles from the line of march.
Mar. 17th: Ran the mill all day again. Column crossed the River.
Mar. 18th: Marched to Burman's cross roads and camped with the Regiment again after four days absence.
Mar. 19th: Marched 12 miles. Camped with the Regiment again.
Mar. 20th: Genl. Woods Brigade, which had been detailed as a train guard, ordered to the front. General Woods directed me to forage towards Everetsville below Goldsboro on the railroad, but subsequent orders took the Brigade and Division in another direction which misled me. Quartered with foragers at residence of Dr. Maddox at Everetsville, expecting the Regiment to come there.
Mar. 21st: Regiment not coming up. I went in the direction I heard they had taken and learned that they had been in an engagement with the enemy at near Bentonville. Quartered that night about 5 miles from the Regiment.
Mar. 22nd: Went to the front with our forage and then returned to Everetsville. Rebels fell back and our forces are returning to Goldsboro.
Mar. 23rd: Went foraging, got plenty of salt pork and returned to Everetsville. Regiment not come up yet. At a loss to know whether they will come this way or not.
Mar. 24th: Sent out part of my foragers with Capt. Ryan and waited for the Division to come up. Heard that the Division had crossed the river and gone into camp at Goldsboro.
Mar. 25th: Joined the Regiment one and one half miles east of Goldsboro. Found the enemy fortifying strongly. Relieved from forage duty.
Mar. 26th: Received a large mail. Went out for lumber to build "shebangs".
Mar. 27th: Working on earthworks.
Mar. 28th: Captain Strong condemning C.C. and G. equippage.
Mar. 29th: Sergeant Freeman commissioned First Lieutenant. Another large mail.
Mar. 30th: Wintrode gets furlough for thirty days.
Mar. 31st: Wintrode starts for home.
Copyright © 1995-2000 Larry Stevens