the commander, two companies of the Tenth North Carolina battalion and one light battery constituted the garrison. At Magnolia there was a small post under Col. George Jackson. Parts of all these garrisons joined Johnston’s army.
The union of all these forces would give General Johnston an effective strength of only about 36,000. A larger number than this is reported on the parole list of the surrender, but this comes from the fact that many soldiers never in Johnston’s army were paroled in different parts of the State.
Before he received his concentration orders, General Hoke, at Wilmington, had been engaged in some minor actions. Moore says: " General Hoke had posted Lieut. Alfred M. Darden with 70 of the survivors of the Third North Carolina battalion, on the summit of Sugar Loaf. This battery and the guns at Fort Anderson, just across the river, kept the enemy s gunboats at bay. Brig.-Gen. W. W. Kirkland, of Orange, with his brigade, held the intrenched camp. He had highly distinguished himself as colonel of the Twenty-first North Carolina volunteers. At the foot of the hill were posted the Junior and Senior reserves, under Col. J. K. Connally. Across the Telegraph road, upon their left, was Battery A, Third North Carolina battalion, Capt. A. J. Ellis. Next was the brigade of General Clingman, and still further the Georgia brigade of General Colquitt. For tedious weeks the great guns of the mighty fleet, close in upon the left flank, and the sharpshooters in front, made no impression upon General Hoke and his men."
General Schofield, however, came to reinforce his lieutenant, and the landing of his forces made necessary the evacuation of Forts Caswell, Holmes, Campbell, Fender and Anderson. The garrisons from these forts and part of Hagood s brigade became engaged at Town creek, and for some time gallantly defied all efforts to push them aside. By the 7th of March, Hoke was near
