Part 4

After brief deliberation, the Major determined to call upon some one to volunteer and swim the river; then, after swimming it, to board the gunboat and fire it. To do this daring deed, Henry Butler, of Company C, Third New York Cavalry, volunteered. Our artillery was ordered up, and opened with shell to the right and left of the bridge. Butler then undressed, ran down the bank, plunged into the river, and swam to the opposite side. He then started to get a fire brand at the burning bridge, when the enemy opened fire on him. Butler instantly turned and ran for the river, followed by a couple of the enemy (who quickly sprang from their hiding places), jumped into the water, was again fired upon, and finally reached his old position without injury. For this gallant act the Major highly complimented Butler on the spot and while Butler was in a situation not observable in civilized, unwarlike society. We then gave the enemy a severe dose of canister, and, finding that we could not well get over to the gunboat, we battered it to pieces with shot and shell. The vessel was a small one, flat bottomed, intended for fast river navigation, designed for one or two guns, built somewhat after the form of the Merrimac, iron plating and all. We then returned to camp, having accomplished our purpose.

In connection with our movements to-day I may add that the enemy was completely outwitted. From the fact of our having fought hard to save Kinston bridge, and then crossed to the opposite side, occupying the town, the enemy prepared to meet us at Mosely Hall--a small town adjacent to the line of the Goldsboro and Kinston railroad--supposing that we intended proceeding to that town along the right bank of the Neuse. Instead of that, as will be observed by what is above, we passed up on the other side, leaving Mosely Hall, with its armed force, far to the right.

SIXTH DAY.

WHITEHALL, Dec. 16, P. M.

The column again moved at an early hour this morning in the direction of Whitehall. As we neared the town an open space revealed our approach to the enemy, the latter being concealed in a thick woods on the opposite side of the river. Heavy skirmishing immediately ensued between the Ninth New Jersey and three regiments of rebels. Major Garrard who was in advance of the column, with three pieces of artillery and a squadron of cavalry, passed over a high hill behind the skirmishers, in full sight of the enemy, until he got to the left of those in action, and then opened with his artillery. In a few minutes other artillery came up, when the Major ceased firing. Although his cavalry force was in a position of great exposure, under a heavy fire for quite a while, still the loss was quite trifling.

Under cover of action on both sides, Major Garrard, with his command, pressed on past Whitehall, and made a rapid march (a distance of over twenty miles) to Mount Olive Station, a small place situated on the line of the Wilmington and Goldsboro railroad. While Major Garrard was away, in order to cover his operations, General Foster entered into a regular engagement at Whitehall.

The enemy, having destroyed the bridge over the river, showed that he labored under the impression that we would attempt to cross at this point; whereas, if he had not been so fast, he would have discovered that it was our intention to burn the bridge on the previous evening. The engagement at Whitehall lasted for over three hours. The enemy operated against us with a force of about five or six thousand infantry and three batteries of artillery. The Ninth New Jersey Volunteers, General Wessell's brigade, and a couple of Massachusetts regiments, were engaged in the fight. A few other regiments were brought under fire; and, as they lost a few men, I suppose they claim to being in the fight also. My accounts of the killed and wounded will explain the engagements in which the regiments participated. Neither in the battles of Kinston or Whitehall was over half our forces engaged at one time, especially not in the latter.

The better to deceive the enemy, General Foster made feint of rebuilding the bridge under fire. A feint was also made to cross the river; and a few of one of our Massachusetts regiments, not knowing that they were only to make a feint, actually swam across the river and got on the opposite bank. Of course they were forced back. Under the direction of Colonel Ledlie (acting brigadier-general), our artillery was so admirably posted and gallantly worked that we silenced the enemy's fire, and drove him, infantry, artillery and all, away far back from the river bank. After this we could, of course, have crossed the river; but the scope of General Foster's plan tended still more to deceive the enemy. Under cover of infantry firing and the working of two sections of artillery we passed on without further molestations and went into camp for the night several miles the other side of Whitehall.

MOUNT OLIVE STATION, Dec. 16, 1862.

On leaving the main column we pressed rapidly on, on regular and by-roads until we reached a swamp. Here we struck a turpentine path, and after a full gallop of a distance of over four miles, came out at this station at 3 p. m. This action was a perfect surprise to the people of the place. The ticket agent was selling tickets; passengers were loitering around waiting for the cars, the mail for Wilmington laid ready on the platform, and a few paroled prisoners were in readiness to go to Wilmington, probably to fight again. As a matter of course, for the time being, Major Garrard put everybody under arrest. The telegraph wire was immediately and afterwards effectually cut and destroyed by Captain Wilson, of the Third New York Cavalry. Mount Olive is seventeen miles from Goldsboro, and as I have specified before, immediately on the line of the Goldsboro and Wilmington railroad.

Captains Wilson and Pond, with their respective commands of the Third New York Cavalry, were sent seven miles in the direction of Wilmington, to destroy an extensive bridge and trestle work. This they accomplished with great labor, after a few minutes' skirmishing and joined our main forces by dusk. In connection with the destruction of these bridges they also destroyed the track and set fire to cross ties in several places. While this was being done, Captain Jacobs, with a company of the Third New York Cavalry, and one piece of Allis' Flying artillery, was sent three and a half miles in the direction of Goldsboro, on the line of the railroad, to destroy the tracks, some culverts and a bridge. Just as Captain Jacobs reached the three and a half mile point the mail train from Goldsboro came rattling down. The engineer on the train, in coming around a sharp turn, observed ahead a heavy dark smoke, immediately whistled down brakes, and reversed his order of proceeding. Notwithstanding this, Captain Jacobs was enabled to bring his pieces of artillery into such a position as to give the retreating train the force of three shells. After doing his business, and well and ably developing the bumps of destruction in North Carolina, he joined us at Mount Olive just about sundown.

By this time we at Mount Olive Station had taken up a large extent of the track, destroyed the switches and did all the damage we could; then, about 8 o'clock, we set out for a change of base, made several strategical movements through woods and swamps and reached the camp of the great army about midnight, having cut across, as explained above, without moving on any main road more than five minutes at a time.

On leaving Mount Olive I paused for a moment to behold the sight presented to our view. I saw the railroad apparently on fire for miles in extent, huge fires of ties and warping rails, and the blank amazement that was but too evident on the faces of our newly released prisoners. The woods were bright and radiant with the reflected light; our hidden road was also illuminated, and all nature seemed changed--as the light reflected on the water in the swamp--if not to one of beauty, at least to a great degree of attractiveness. As we left, the boys gave three cheers for the Major's success, and the same was highly complimented by General Foster, on making his report to that officer.

We had hardly left Mount Olive Station over an hour when the enemy came down as near as he could with a so-called "Merrimac Railroad Car," and shelled the woods for quite a while.

SEVENTH DAY.

ON THE FIELD, Dec. 17, 1862.

We resumed our line of march this morning and got on a high hill and in full sight of a large force of the enemy drawn up in line on the railroad, without meeting anything of importance to impede our progress.

Having the advantage of position, being on a hill, over a mile from the railroad, with an entirely open country before us, the river on our right and a dense wood to the left--we opened on the enemy with shell. For a very short space of time the rebels stood their ground; but so accurately did we get the range of their position, rapidly throwing in the shells, that the enemy broke front and line, and commenced a precipitate retreat across the river on the railroad bridge. We kept up our firing with considerable rapidity, and by that means cut off the retreat of two rebel regiments, who fell back into thick woods on the other side of the railroad. Colonel Ledlie then moved a battery to within less than half a mile of the enemy's position. The Ninth New Jersey was sent, to support the battery, across an open field and afterwards beyond it, until the regiment got close to the right of the railroad bridge, and a short distance from the enemy and the river. While these operations were being carried out, the Seventeenth Massachusetts, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Fellows, moved to the left, into the woods, waded through a mill stream, and came out on the railroad line directly in front of the enemy. By this time and while the Seventeenth was slowly advancing, the enemy commenced a rapid fire of shot and shell from a battery concealed in the woods across the river, and to the left of the bridge, looking from our position, as also from their iron-clad railroad car, occupying a position on the other side of the river, close to the entrance to the bridge. At this point they also had sharpshooters, who tried hard, but did not well succeed in picking off our men.

By the time the action had become tolerably heavy we heard the whistle of an approaching train, and soon after learned from prisoners that the rebel General Pettigrew had just arrived with reinforcements in the way of a big brigade.

One of our shells was seen to pass along a platform car, thereby creating so much confusion as to delay General Pettigrew from coming immediately into action. Having got range of the train, we threw the shells in so fast that in a little while it moved further off and out of range of our guns.

The object of General Foster's penetrating so far inland being to destroy this railroad bridge, he now gave orders to have it burned. Colonel Heckmann, who got the order, called for volunteers to carry into effect the general's desire. Many volunteered from the Seventeenth Massachusetts and Ninth New Jersey Regiments, so the Colonel selected some from each regiment to go and do the work. Several advances were made to fire, but our men were driven back. In one of the advances a former adjutant of the Seventeenth was dangerously wounded.

Finally, Lieutenant Graham, of the Rocket Battery, and now acting aid to Colonel Heckmann, and Wm. Lemons, a private in the Ninth New Jersey, advanced under the enemy's heavy firing, when Lieutenant Graham got near enough to, and did fire, the bridge.

As soon as we saw the bridge in flames the General gave orders to have the railroad track destroyed. Two Massachusetts regiments, who had been lying in reserve, stacked arms and rushed upon the track with yells and cheers, and did the work of destruction at short notice. The rails and ties were thoroughly destroyed by physical power and the effect of fire.

General Foster having successfully accomplished all his plans, and more, to-day determined to withdraw his forces from the field, and to fall back to the first convenient camping place for the night. The column was got in motion (each regiment cheering the General as it passed), and we had advanced a considerable distance (probably two miles), with the supply train, etc. in front. When the rebels, seeing the last brigade, Col. Lee's, about to move, and some distance from the artillery, took courage and rushed out of the woods on the other side of the railroad, and gave the rallying cry and yell that follows it. Immediately afterwards two South Carolina regiments, who had come from Franklin, fired a volley and then charged with the bayonet on Morrison's battery. The enemy were allowed to get rather close to the battery, when the guns opened on them with canister. Belger's battery put in a powerful cross fire, and Col. Lee's brigade wheeled into line and did excellent execution. The rebels made this bayonet charge with great dash and courage, but, notwithstanding, they were repulsed with great loss of life, and an amusing and astonishing precipitancy.

Of course, this latter movement on the part of the rebels had the effect of halting our column for several hours. Not knowing but that they might be in strong force this side of the river, we made every preparation to enter into a regular engagement. However after a renewed fight, lasting nearly two hours, we again silenced the enemy's fire, and pursued our retrograde movement. In the last fight the rebels opened from two batteries instead of one--their iron plated car--and brought into action their infantry on both sides of the river.

In the battle of this bridge the rebels had, as prisoners report, between eight and ten thousand troops engaged. We never had over one-third of our force engaged. About nine o'clock p. m. our army bivouacked for the night, between Whitehall and the Goldsboro railroad bridge.

While the battle was progressing at the bridge, Major Fitzsimmons with his battalions of the Third New York Cavalry made a dash against Dudley Station, on the line of the Wilmington railroad, five miles from the Goldsboro railroad bridge, took prisoners several rebel pickets, captured and destroyed a train of four cars, took up three miles of the railroad track, burned some trestle work, a bridge, and other little et ceteras, including a most complete destruction of the telegraph line, and joined the main column without loss to his command. The Major also repeated a similar experiment at Everett Station, on the line of the same railroad. Major Garrard with his battalion of the Third New York Cavalry went (while the main army was moving) early in the morning to Tompkins bridge, over the Neuse river. He took with him a section of Ransom's Twenty-third New York Artillery. On arriving in the vicinity of the bridge Captain Jacobs, with his company of cavalry, was ordered to charge down to it. He did so, found the bridge in flames, and received fire from the enemy. It will again be seen that the enemy was deceived in regard to a crossing of the Neuse. The Major immediately opened with his artillery, and at the same time despatched a messenger to inform General Foster with regards to his position, condition, etc. As soon as General Foster received the information he reinforced the Major with four pieces of artillery from Angel's battery and the Forty-third Massachusetts Regiment under command of Colonel Holbrook. After a fight of over two hours we silenced the enemy's heavy guns and musketry, and returned to the main column with a loss of one killed and four wounded. Before leaving, our forces could go anywhere in that neighborhood, along the banks of the river, without being fired at. The rebels had eight pieces of artillery and four regiments of infantry at this bridge. About 10 o'clock Allis' Flying artillery, and Companies G, A, and D, of the Third New York Cavalry, in attempting to join the main column from another direction, were attacked by two pieces of the rebel's artillery, and, as is supposed, about a regiment of rebel infantry. In less than fifteen minutes our artillery silenced that of the enemy.

During the engagement a chaplain of one of the Massachusetts regiments, who was on the field, seeing one of the men of Battery B, Third New York Artillery, being borne off wounded, said to him: "Were you supported by Divine inspiration?" "No!" was the reply, "we were supported by the Ninth New Jersey."