the surprise was so complete that this company could not fire a shot. Kirk made off with his captures. At Winding Stairs a few regular and local troops overtook and attacked him, but he made good his escape with his prisoners. In this engagement Col. W. W. Avery was mortally, and Col. Calvin Houk, seriously wounded.
To meet the raiders, and, in many cases, marauders of that section, General Martin directed Maj. A. C. Avery, of Hood’s staff, then at home on account of family reasons, to organize a new battalion to operate against them. This little battalion, composed of Capt. John Carson s company, of McDowell, Capt. N. A. Miller’s company, of Caldwell, and Capt. W. L. Twitty’s company, of Rutherford county, rendered most faithful service in keeping deserters and marauders out of their counties. In March, Colonel Kirk entered Haywood county, but Colonel Love, of the Sixty-ninth regiment, met him at Balsam Grove and drove him back. On March 5, 1865, Colonel Kirk encamped on the headwaters of the Saco with part of his command. The next morning Lieutenant-Colonel Stringfield, also of the Sixty-ninth regiment, attacked him with some Indian and white companies of the Thomas legion. During the time of Stoneman’s raid into the mountains, all the troops there were more or less engaged. Near Morganton a little field piece served by Lieut. George West and some soldiers on furlough, and supported by Captain Twitty, of Avery’s battalion and Maj. T. G. Walton of the militia, bravely held in check for some hours one of Stoneman s detachments.
At Waynesville, on the 8th of May, occurred the last engagement on North Carolina soil. There, Col. J. R. Love, with a force of about 500 men of the Thomas legion, routed a regiment of Union cavalry.
After the fall of Fort Fisher, the Federal government sent General Schofield s corps to New Bern. General Terry’s corps at Fisher was ordered to capture Wilming ton, effect a junction with Schofield, and move up toward
