Part 2 (1/2)
DECEMBER, 19, 1862.
Your correspondent left the army about seven o'clock this morning, and, after a horseback ride of over forty miles, reached New Berne by sundown. When he left, the army was on its way to New Berne.
THE LATEST.
NEW BERNE, Dec. 20, 1862.
During the progress of the late expedition we came upon large quant.i.ties of cotton and turpentine. Our advance was so peculiar and rapid that the rebels did not have time to burn it, although we occasionally found large quant.i.ties on fire.
Our entire movement was greatly facilitated by Captain Sleight, to whose energetic course of action was due the keeping of our supply, etc., trains. General Foster highly complimented Captain Sleight for the ability with which he conducted his department.
I forgot to mention in my account of the engagement at Goldsboro railroad bridge that the enemy, on finding that our troops were outflanking them by wading through a mill stream, hoisted the gate at the mill and let the water rush down with astonis.h.i.+ng impetuosity. By this means one or two of our men were drowned, while others still pushed on, with the water up to their armpits, regardless of the difficulty.
We learn by flag of truce, from the rebels at Kinston, that their (the rebels) loss is between eight and nine hundred, and that the two South Carolina regiments that charged Morrison's battery, lost in that charge about three hundred and fifty men; their color bearer was shot three times.
BRILLIANT CONDUCT OF THE UNION TROOPS.
KINSTON, N. C., Dec. 15, 1862.
An important movement has long been on foot looking towards the capture of Goldsboro and Weldon, and the severance of one rebel railroad line of communication connecting the cotton states with the capital of the so-called confederacy; Preparations have for some time been carried to enable the force which was to engage in the attempt to push it to a successful issue. The time has now come when the object and the means of execution of this movement may be safely revealed. The object of the expedition was to capture Kinston, and then to take Goldsboro, thereby cutting the Wilmington and Weldon railroad, which would isolate Wilmington and effectually cut off its supplies and reinforcements.
That, I believe, was the object of the expedition. The first portion of the work has been accomplished--the capture of Kinston; and the other portion is in a fair way of being carried successfully out to the letter.
The forces under General Foster left New Berne on Thursday, the 11th, and moved up the Trent road, along the Trent River, about ten miles, when the division halted for the night. On Friday the march was resumed at sunrise, the Ninth New Jersey having the extreme advance, followed by Wessell's brigade, one of General Peck's brigade, recently sent from Suffolk, with Company B, Third New York Artillery, Captain Morrison.
Then followed the brigade of Acting Brigadier-General Amory consisting of four Ma.s.sachusetts regiments.
Acting Brigadier-General Lee's brigade of Ma.s.sachusetts regiments came next, Colonel Stevenson's brigade, also of Ma.s.sachusetts regiments, brought up the rear with four regiments. Acting Brigadier-General Ledlie, of the Third New York Artillery, had command of the artillery, consisting of the Third New York Artillery and Belger's battery, First Rhode Island Artillery. Colonel Mix's Third New York Cavalry, Lieutenant-Colonel Mix in command, were employed as scouts on the advance and on the sides of the line of march, and as provost-guards to protect houses along the road.
On Friday night the column halted within eleven miles of Kinston, and encamped in line of battle, no fires being allowed and all unusual noises prohibited. The troops did not get into camp until 9 o'clock.
Skirmis.h.i.+ng continued all day between cavalry of the rebels and Mix's cavalry, in which we lost two men prisoners and one wounded. We captured fifteen or sixteen of the rebel cavalry, and killed and wounded several.
On Sat.u.r.day morning at 7 o'clock the line of march was resumed towards Kinston at a slow pace, as the enemy were beginning to appear in some force in front, to a point where the Whitehall, and main Kinston roads unite, about seven miles from Kinston. This point was reached at about 11 o'clock on Sat.u.r.day morning, and then it was that it was expected that the rebels would offer battle, as it was a strong position. Our troops were formed in line of battle in an open field on the left of the road which ran to Whitehall, in front of a wood, which it was supposed covered the enemy's main force. A small creek ran across the road 500 yards to the right and in front of our line of battle, over which was a bridge, which the rebels had destroyed, and out of the debris of which they had erected a breast-work and planted two six-pounders, rifled, sweeping the road. Morrison's battery was put forward to the right of the road, and taking a position on a small hill 250 yards from the rebel battery, opened fire. The enemy hotly replied with grape and canister, sweeping the road, but doing no damage. Morrison continued to sh.e.l.l the battery and the woods on either side for nearly an hour, when the enemy began to retire. Just as the enemy were about retiring, the Ninth New Jersey were deployed as skirmishers to the left of the road, and advancing under fire, they crossed the creek on a mill dam, flanked the rebel battery, and, taking it by storm, captured a rifled six-pounder and several prisoners. The rebels retreated hastily and succeeded in saving the other six-pounder, but left six killed and wounded. Three hours were consumed in the reconstruction of the bridge. When completed the infantry and artillery crossed and marched towards Kinston, about three and a half miles, and halted for the night, in line of battle, with strong pickets out. The enemy made but feeble resistance to the advance of our forces, Mix's cavalry driving them like chaff before them. The night pa.s.sed quietly, a little affair between pickets, without result, breaking the monotony of the night.
On Sunday morning, at daybreak, Mix's cavalry and Wessell's brigade began to advance, feeling their way cautiously up the road about two miles, when the enemy's pickets were met and driven back through a piece of woods about three-quarters of a mile, when they retired upon the main body of the enemy, six thousand strong, under command of Brigadier-General Evans, of Ball's Bluff notoriety. His forces consisted of three regiments of South Carolina infantry, the balance, of artillery, cavalry and infantry, was made up of North Carolina troops.
Here our advance halted and the artillery was ordered to the front, and at 10.30 the artillery opened on the enemy. The rebels were found to be drawn up in line of battle, on a ground partially wooded and covered with a dense underbrush, with their artillery in the center and on either flank. They formed their line nearly in the shape of a triangle, with the base towards our forces. Our line was formed with the Ninth New Jersey on the right, Wessell's brigade in the center and left; Behind, in a second line, was the Twenty-third Ma.s.sachusetts Regiment, on the right the Forty-fourth and Forty-fifth and other regiments of Amory's brigade, Stevenson's and Lee's brigades being held in reserve. Our artillery was placed in position on the right, centre and left of the line. The battle was begun by the artillery at 10.30, and continued uninterruptedly until about 1.30 o'clock, when the enemy commenced to retreat. But a short time elapsed after the artillery duel had begun before the infantry got to work in earnest, and the musketry became very rapid and hot. The fight was quite lively until 1 o'clock, but not at very close quarters, when the rebels began to fall back, and the Ninth New Jersey were thrown out as skirmishers, and Wessell's brigade pushed forward in pursuit. Our batteries were then thrown around to the right of the road, and fired upon the retreating rebels, but with little effect. The enemy fell back hastily nearly a mile, and crossed the bridge leading into Kinston, the Ninth New Jersey following closely in pursuit. As the last rebel regiment crossed the bridge the rebels applied the match to it, and as it had been prepared for the purpose, the fire gained some headway; but the Ninth New Jersey came up in time to extinguish the fire soon before it had done much damage.
After crossing the bridge one rebel brigade retreated in the direction of Goldsboro and the other in the direction of Snow Hill, on the road to Weldon. General Evans, with his South Carolina troops, retreated towards Goldsboro, our artillery throwing sh.e.l.ls on the retreating columns.
Our division immediately crossed the bridge and occupied Kinston, the rebels on their retreat burning a quant.i.ty of cotton, a locomotive and some cars. Our troops held the town until yesterday morning, when they left the town and moved forward in a northerly direction, after burning the bridge over the Neuse River. We captured on the battle field four hundred prisoners, eleven pieces of artillery on this side of the bridge and three on the other, making fourteen guns in all, taken from them. A large number of small arms, perhaps eight hundred, were taken.
Our loss was one hundred and sixty, killed and wounded. That of the enemy about one hundred and twenty-five, as they were more protected.
The only officers killed on our side were Colonel Gray, of the Ninety-sixth New York Volunteers; Captain Wells and Lieutenant Perkins, of the Tenth Connecticut; we captured a lieutenant-colonel of a South Carolina regiment, and several other officers. The Twenty-third Ma.s.sachusetts, Major Chambers commanding, captured seventy officers and men of the Twenty-third South Carolina Regiment. The mudsills are a little ahead of the chivalry this time.
Our forces are now on the march, and I halt behind to send off this report. You will hear from me again by the first conveyance. Our troops are in excellent spirits and eager to push forward and reap the fruits of our victory. You may rest a.s.sured that General Foster will follow up his advantage to a successful issue. I forgot to mention that Company K, Mix's Third New York Cavalry, charged and captured three pieces of artillery, with caissons, horses and all, in the most gallant manner.
SCENE OF THE DEATH OF COLONEL GRAY.
NEW BERNE, N. C., Dec. 16, 1862.