Peninsula Campaign: Orders & Correspondence Pertaining to the 5th NCT

Orders for the 5th NCT and Ripley's Brigade during the Peninsula Campaign.

Headquarters,
Lee's Farm, April 8, 1862.
Major-General McLaws:
General: Three regiments of General Early's brigade (now at Lebanon Church, viz, Colonel Terry's Twenty-fourth Virginia, Colonel McRae's Fifth North Carolina, and Colonel Cumming's Twentieth Georgia) and Colonel Williams' South Carolina regiment, now at the crossroads half a mile below, will move at early dawn to-morrow morning, and will report by a staff officer to you, awaiting at the cross-roads, each [such] orders as you may send them, provided there should be any move of the enemy on your right to cross the river which will make such orders necessary.
These regiments are not destined permanently for your division, but are intended to meet any emergency which may arise form any unexpected movement of the enemy in your vicinity.
Lieutenant Lyon, of the Fifteenth Virginia Regiment, has not reported to these headquarters.
By order of Major-General Magruder.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
Henry Bryan,
Assistant Adjutant-General.


Series I Vol. XI ( Part III). Ch. XXIII Pgs. 432-433.




Headquarters, June 12, 1862.
Maj. Gen. D.H. Hill:
General: Please move one of your brigades to the pine wood where General Ripley's has been and relieve his till to-morrow.
I send you the best affairs that we can get up for Williamsburg and the Seven Pines. I only send you two "Williamsburg," one for the Fifth North Carolina and one for the Twenty-fourth Virginia. If there are others entitled to it send up for others.
I send enough of the Seven Pines for your troops, but think that neither of the regiments that left the battle-field have the slightest claim to it nor the regiment that lost its colors. Properly, it is not even entitled to colors.
We must endeavor to have this thing select, or it will be of no service. Any regiment that goes through the battle creditably I think entitled to the inscription; but I hold that no regiment goes through creditably when it leaves the field before the fight is over; particularly when repeated efforts have to be made to get it back upon the field. 
I have spoken in strong terms about this, because I am entirely satisfied that it is just.
Most respectfully,
James Longstreet,
Major-General, Commanding.
No regiment of mine can ever have the name of a battle upon its banners if it quits the field before the battle is ended.


Series I. Vol XI (Part III) Ch XXIII Pgs. 595-596.