Danny
True, the 60th was raised about the same time as the 58th. Even though the units raised from the western part of the state were lukewarm secessionists, by and large they proved to be good fighters. The mountaineers of western Carolina and southwest Virginia were very much individualists. During the retreat from the debacle at Nashville, the 60th North Carolina,63rd Virginia, and 54th Virginia were assigned to Bedford Forrest's command to cover the Army's retreat. They were constantly engaged with the enemy. The 58th NC missed this as they had been assigned to escort prisoners from Columbia, TN to Mississippi, just prior to the Battle of Franklin. The troops in this retreat suffered greatly. Below is an excerpt from a letter by a 63rd virginia officer to his wife:

While in camp at Tupelo, Mississippi, 2nd Lt. Samuel Robinson , Co. G/I, 63rd Virginia Infantry, wrote home to his wife Lydia in Virginia.........

Tupelo, Mississippi

January 15, 1865

"We have been marching and fighting all of the time on the 30 day of November we had the hardest little fight that has bin during this campaign but we was too hard for them. We drove them out of their works but our loss was heavy. It is reported to be thirty eight hundred kiled and wounded and I han’t any dout but it is true for I want over the battle field the next morning and it was the turiblest sight that my eye ever beheld. The men lay piled and crossed upon each other where or men charged them. I think that we had about 3 to the yankeys one kiled. This fight took place at franklin. Tennessee and we run them on to Nashville where we skirmished with them several days when our Brigade was ordered to murfreesborough, we reached there on the 6 day of December and in the 7 we had a faight there with the yankeys but they was too many for us. We had several kiled and wounded our colonel was shot through the arme and was left in the hands of the enemy. They was one of my Co. that was left there but I don’t know whether he was kiled or captured and we fell back some three or four miles and took appsition so as to keep them from reinforcing at Nashville and on the 15 and 16 was a big fight on the night of the 16 Janeral hood commenced retreating from Nashville with a heavy loss and we have retreated some too hundred miles through the wet and cold mud half leg deep and a great many of the men was entirely barfotted and almost naked. The men marched over the frozen ground till their feet was worn out till they could be tracked by the blood and some of them there feet was frosted and swolen till they bursted till they could not stand on their feet now this is what I saw my self and our Brigade left back with Jeneral Forrest Caveraly to Bring up and cover they retreat which left us in danger of being captured at any time but we got out safe or the mos of them, we had to stop and fight them most every day. On the 25 of the month which was Christmas day we pased through the town that is called Pulaski and we crossed the river and the caveraly aim to burn the bridge but the yankees run up and drove our men away about too o’clock they overtaken us and we form a line of battle and they came up and we let loose a volley at they which turned them and we charged after them and captured several horses all one brass pees of artillery and that given them a sear till was not pestered with them any till we reached Tennessee River and we crossed over where we joined the rest of the army, or what got out. They was at least one third of the men left in Tenn kiled wounded and captured. So I will stop writing for this time. I am truly thankful that I am spared with they has so many hundred yeas thoughsands killed by and round me and I have yet escaped.”

The 60th NC shared these hardships.

In the final retreat through the Carolinas Gen. D. H. Hill had this to say about Palmer's Brigade, of wich the 60th and 58th NC were a part:

"At 3:15 p.m. the whole corps advanced in two lines, Deas' brigade and Palmer's, Stovall's and Jackson's constituting the front line; Manigault's Pettus' and Baker's the rear line, 300 yards retired.Palmer's troops passed through the first Federal line in under 15 minutes. The Yankees retired to breastworks 300 yards in the rear of their first line. Palmer's Brigade led the efforts that pushed them from there as well."

Hill received a map made by the engineers of the Federal position, and found them to be parallel to the Goldsborough and Fayetteville Road, and a second set of trenches perpendicular to the first fronting on the swamp. At this point Hill was ordered to halt and reform. At this point in the battle General Palmer's Brigade assaulted the field works perpendicular to the road. Other events required the withdrawal of the small reserves, which the Federals discovered. The Yankees counterattacked, flanking Palmer, Baker and Carter. Hill realized this, but not before 200-300 of his Tennessee troops under Colonel Anderson Searcy of the 45th Tennessee were cut off. They made their way completely through Sherman's bummers and rejoined Hill's command 9 days later. Hill stated, in his battle report, that there would have been a disaster but that General Walthall arrived "to fill the gap and check the Yankee advance." General Palmer's troops disengaged to join General Pettus' Brigade by Hill's order. They rested until about sundown. At dusk the Federals advanced on Pettus, but he "drove them back without difficulty."

Pretty good for troops who were lukewarm about 'The Cause", huh? Imagine how they would have fought had their hearts really been in it., LOL

Len