and laying waste the country until they reached the Saluda river; the enemy hanging on our flanks but offering little opposition. March 6th, the command reached the Pedee river, which forms the northern boundary of the state.

CHAPTER 23.

Battle of Averysboro and Capture of Colonel Rhett. -Battle of Bentonville. Through the Turpentine Forests of North Carolina.

- Kilpatrick's Narrow Escape.

In the meantime the enemy had been concentrating their forces and met us at Averysboro. The battle began in the afternoon of March 13th. We lay on our arms through the night. The ground was low, wet and overgrown with brush and scrubby timber. The battle was renewed at daylight on the 14th by both infantry and cavalry. I was on my horse on the left flank of our line which was pressing the enemy slowly back, when two of the cavalrymen brought back a finely dressed officer on foot as a prisoner. I asked his name. In a spirit of untamed defiance, he replied, "I am Colonel Rhett, Sir, in command of the Confederate Artillery, and I wish to explain that I was on the left of our skirmish line when I saw three men, and in the fog I took them for General Hampton's men and called to know where he was. They came up and covered me with their guns, saying they were Yankees and directed me to come with them, and I was too far from my men to decline."

General Kilpatrick soon came up and asked who

I had. I told him who he was and how he was captured. When the identity of each was known some hot words passed between them. Colonel Rhett said, bitterly, "I was taken through a mistake of my own and you have the advantage of me now, but you d-d Yankees will not have it your own way very long in South Carolina. There are 50,000 fresh men ready and waiting for you." Kilpatrick replied, "Yes and if that is true we will have to hunt the swamp to find the d-d cowards."

Colonel Alfred Rhett was the son of Barnwell Rhett, the editor of the Charleston Mercury, the leading newspaper of the South, and a strong supporter of his intimate friend. John C. Calhoun. He was a typical representative of South Carolina aristocracy, the young men of which had been formed into an artillery brigade and were known as the Confederate Regular Heavy Artillery, 3,000 of them. They had been assigned to guard duty in Charleston Harbor, and the son of Barnwell Rhett was given command. with a commission of colonel.

General Kilpatrick directed me to place him in charge of an officer and send him to General Williams's headquarters. I put him in charge of Lieutenant Mann of my regiment who got two guards from his company and started with him. On the way the colonel asked the lieutenant if his men would shoot him in case he tried to get away. The lieutenant remarked if he wanted to make the experiment he might try it. He didn't, however, and on arriving at General Wil