State

At left, Mr. ond Mr». Herb Jones. Right, three squotting, left to right: Herb Jones, Bob Wagner, Red Wogner; Stonding, left to right: Joe Christian, Lon Donnell, Ike Efird, John Southworth, Jim Anderson, Jim Tuttle, Jerry Bolling, Bill Ditto, Phil Corlton, Riley Curtis, Bob Robertson, Bob Horned. Yankees, Advance al Your Peril! If ihc Yankees ever invade us again. North Carolina won’t be entirely de¬ fenseless. The Guilford Grays arc still in business, and better shots than ever, with the same old guns. The 100-year-old Grays fought through the Civil War as Company В of the 27th N. C. (a dozen of 180 were left at Appomattox). Three years ago they were revived by a band of Civil War buffs, gun nuts and outdoorsmen. Today, fifteen strong, they compete in national musket matches of the North- South Skirmish Association, and in one shoot placed ninth among 72 teams. The Grays, like the scores of other teams from all over the country, wear authentic Civil War uniforms — these made by a Greensboro tailor in natty gray, with black breeches, topped by caps with a black pompom. Four dentists, a couple of doctors, a bank executive and assorted busi¬ nessmen power the Grays, all of them expert shots with old-fashioned lead balls and black powder. They mould their own ammunition, and care for their old guns like the treasures they are. Almost invariably the Grays outshoot competitors using modern weapons. Many Skirmish teams lug old can¬ non to the shooting matches, and cover astonished spectators with a thin coat- THE STATE. AUGUST 20. I960 By BURKE DAVIS ing of soot from big. black explosions. The Grays concentrate on musketry — using rifle muskets. Most of these, perish the thought, are of Yankee ori¬ gin. since so few Confederate arms sur¬ vive. Tile caliber is usually .58 — enough to blow a hole the size of your fist in a human target. This doesn't satisfy the Grays, who arc equipped with original-issue leather equipment, including bayonet scab¬ bards and cartridge boxes. The Grays represent North Carolina alone in the semi-annual shoots of the Skirmish Association. Most of the marksmen are from Guilford County, chiefly Greensboro — but one of them, Dr. Harry B. Sherrill, commutes the long route from Sw'ansboro. The Association permits no commis¬ sioned officers, so the commander of the Grays is a Sergeant Major, Dr. B. J. Christian. The effort at authenticity runs pretty far. Teams assembling for shoots usually meet on Army or Marine posts, and camp in the field. Wives accom¬ pany the warriors, togged to the nines in hoopskirts and other regalia of the period. Marksmen often grow beards for the occasion, and the resulting spectacle, when seen in color movies, is something like the highlights from Gone With the Wind. Most of the men are amateur ex¬ perts in the Civil War field, and many collect arms and books. Almost all arc veterans of the armed services. The present roster of the Grays: James B. Anderson. G. M. Bolling. Dr. B. J. Christian. Riley H. Curtis, Jr.. Dr. W. M. Ditto. Dr. Ira P. Efird. Dr. Robert J. Harned, Herbert R. Jones, Jr.. William V. Learning. Les¬ lie G. Merritt. O. R. Robertson. Jr.. Dr. John D. Southworth. Clarence II. Wagner. Jr., and Robert Wagner, of Greensboro. D. Lan Donnell. Jr., of Oak Ridge, and Dr. H. B. Sherrill of Swansboro. The Civil War history of the Grays, in brief, ranges from Fort Macon at Beaufort, where they were sent for guard duty after Fort Sumter. They were 45 strong when they went there to war. After N. C. joined the Con¬ federacy. the Grays became State Troops, and recruits poured in. They were joined by the Orange County Guards, the Goldsboro Rifles, the Wil¬ son Light Infantry and the Craven County Woodpeckers at Macon. At last the Grays went into the 27th N. C. Regiment, and saw action at New Bern, The Seven Days’ battles before Richmond. Harpers Ferry. Sharpsburg. Fredericksburg. The Wil¬ derness, and the Petersburg siege. 9