OPERATIONS ON THE BLACKWATER.

767

tities of horses, cattle, stores and arms. On the 26th of the same month, Col. Paxton, of the 2d Virginia cavalry, with his own regiment and the 11th Ohio infantry, after a march of one hundred and eight miles, attacked the rebel camp at the foot of Cold Knob mountain, killing two and wounding two, and capturing one hundred and thirteen prisoners, a large number of horses, and quantities of stores and ammunition. There were no other actions of importance in Western Virginia during the autumn.

In South-Eastern Virginia, in the vicinity of the Blackwater, there was very frequent skirmishing, though few actions of importance. Suffolk had been garrisoned by our troops in May, 1862, and a considerable force was maintained there, through the summer and autumn. Skirmishes were frequent, but were usually brought on by the enterprise of the Union troops, in penetrating to the Blackwater river, and beyond. As the force stationed here was not sufficient to justify an attack on Petersburg, thus threatening Richmond, or a junction with the army in North Carolina, and the garrisoning of the towns which lay between the two armies, the occupancy of Suffolk served only for a protection to Norfolk and Portsmouth, and a standing menace to the rebels of SouthEast Virginia. On the 28th of September, Col. Dodge made a reconnoissance to the Blackwater, twenty-five miles distant, and put to flight a considerable body of rebels, after a sharp engagement. On the 3d of October, Brigadier General Spear, with a force of three regiments of infantry, one of cavalry and a battery of artillery, proceeded to the Blackwater, opposite Franklin, where the rebels were found in considerable force, and an artillery fight ensued, ending in the retreat of the rebels, with a loss of thirty killed and sixty wounded. The same day, three Union gun-boats, under command of Capt. Hussey, had an engagement of six hours' duration, with a rebel force of about nine thousand, near Franklin, which resulted in

768

DEPARTMENT OF NORTH CAROLINA.

very heavy loss on the part of the rebels, and nineteen killed and wounded on the gun-boats. On the 25th of the same month, another reconnoissance, under command of Brigadier General Ferry, visited the river at a point some distance south of Zuni, and after a sharp engagement, pursued the rebels five miles beyond the Blackwater, routing them, with considerable loss. On the 2d of December, Gen. Peck, learning that there was a force of some three thousand rebels at Franklin, on the Blackwater, sent Brigadier General Spear, with a force of about three thousand, to make a reconnoissance in force. A rebel cavalry force was met two miles east of Franklin, and, after a short engagement, fled, leaving in the possession of the Union troops, twenty prisoners, two guns of the Rocket battery, a considerable quantity of muskets, &c. The rebels were said to be strongly fortified at Franklin, and though Gen. Spear was desirous of attacking them, Gen. Peck thought it better to withdraw. On the 12th December, a larger force, under Brigadier General Ferry, with a frontier train, approached the Blackwater near Zuni, intending to cross and attack the rebel camp there, but the frontier train was delayed by the deep mud in the swamp roads, and the river was so high that the first attempt to ford it was repulsed. A subsequent attempt was more successful, but finding that the enemy were receiving large re-enforcements, and having received strict orders not to bring on a general engagement, as the movement was intended as a diversion in favor of other movements of our forces, at Fredericksburg-Gen. Ferry withdrew his forces, taking thirteen prisoners with him. The Union loss was three killed, and eleven wounded; that of the rebels, about thirty in killed and wounded.

In the department of North Carolina, there was greater activity, and in several instances battles of considerable severity were fought. The Union citizens of Washington, North Carolina, having been repeatedly threatened by the rebels, who

THE FIGHT AT WASHINGTON.

769

were driven out of the place on its occupation by the Union forces, in the spring of 1862, and a considerable rebel force having been collected not far from the town, re-enforcements were sent, about the first of June, and a reconnoissance made on the 5th of that month. The gun-boat Picket ascended the Tar river, as far as Pactolus, twelve miles above Washington, and shelled the woods on both sides of the river, some of the shells falling into the rebel camp, and doing much damage. The reconnoitering force proceeded as far as Tranter's creek, ten miles from Washington, where they had a sharp action with the rebel force for about three fourths of an hour, when the rebels fled, leaving some of their dead behind them. Their loss was between fifty and sixty in killed and wounded. The Union loss, seven killed, and nine wounded.

On the 6th of September, the rebels made an attack upon Washington, at five o'clock A. M., and at first surprised the citizens, and took possession of a part of the town, taking advantage of the departure, that morning, of a part of the Union garrison. In less than an hour, however, the troops which had left, returned, and a street fight of nearly three hours ensued, in which the Union gun-boats Louisiana and Picket participated as well as they could, till the latter blew up accidentally. The rebels were finally repulsed, and driven from the town, with a loss of nearly forty killed, and about the same number wounded, and twenty prisoners. The Union loss was fifteen killed and wounded, beside fifteen or sixteen killed and wounded by the explosion of the Picket. They also lost eight or ten prisoners.

On the 2d of September, a force of fourteen hundred rebels marched toward Plymouth, North Carolina, with the intention of capturing and burning the town. They were met about three miles from the town, by a Union force of three hundred men, Hawkins' Zouaves, and loyal North Carolians, under command of Orderly Sergeant Green, the commissioned officers

770

STRATEGIC MOVEMENTS.

being all sick, and in a fight of an hour, the Sergeant defeated and routed the whole force, captured Col. Garrett, its commander, a Lieutenant, and forty privates, and a large number of cavalry horses, and pursued the flying foe, till they were completely scattered. The rebels lost thirty killed, and about one hundred wounded. The Union loss was three

killed.

On the 23d of November, Lieutenant Cushing, in command of the United States steamer Ellis, passed up New river, North Carolina, captured Jacksonville, the county seat of Onslow county, with a considerable quantity of arms, and two schooners, destroyed some salt works on the river, and shelled a rebel camp. On his return, the Ellis unfortunately ran aground, and could not be got off. After fighting her for some time, Lieut. Cushing escaped to one of the prize schooners, with his crew, having first removed everything which could be removed from the Ellis, and set her on fire. She was blown up at nine o'clock A. M. on the 24th November.

At the time when Gen. Burnside was preparing to attack Gen. Lee at Fredericksburg, and Gen. Rosecrans was moving upon Bragg at Murfreesboro, in December, 1862, it was deemed desirable by the General-in-chief, that diversions should be made in different directions, to answer the double purpose of distracting the attention of the rebels, and of cutting off their communications with South Carolina, Georgia, and the Gulf States. For this purpose, two expeditions were ordered; one from London, Kentucky, under Gen. Carter, with one thousand men, to cut the Virginia and Tennessee rail-road in East Tennessee, and burn the bridges on the Holston and Watanga rivers, which was successfully accomplished, with a loss of only ten men; the rail-road being destroyed for a distance of nearly one hundred miles, and five hundred prisoners, with a large quantity of arms and stores, captured. The other was to the rail-road communications on the North Caro

EXPEDITION TO KINSTON.

771

lina rail-roads, and thus prevent re-enforcements and supplies coming to Richmond, from the South.

This expedition, requiring a larger force and more skillful strategy than the other, was commanded by Major General Foster, then commanding the North Carolina Department. The number of troops employed was not far from ten thousand, including four brigades of infantry, one regiment of cavalry, two batteries, and sections of two others. The expedition left Newbern on the morning of the 11th of December, and moved on the road toward Kinston, marching fourteen miles that day. The road was found to be obstructed, and many of the bridges destroyed; but pioneers were sent forward in advance of the main column, and removed the obstructions and repaired the bridges. The main column, however, owing to these delays, moved but about four miles on the second day, though moving partly on the Vine Swamp roadsouth of the main road to Kinston-in order to avoid a portion of the obstructions. On this road, the advance encountered the enemy in some force, and after a severe fight, defeated them, with considerable loss in killed and prisoners. The next morning, 13th December, the main column advanced, taking a road still farther south, leading to South-West creek. One section of a battery was left with a small body of troops to hold the bridge over Beaver creek, about midway between Newbern and Kinston, which had been rebuilt by Gen. Foster's engineers; and another, with a regiment at the intersection of the road taken by the main column on the 13th of December, with the Vine Swamp road. When the main column. reached South-West creek, they found a rebel force of about four hundred posted on the opposite bank, in a strong position. The creek was not fordable, and ran at the foot of a deep ravine. Planting his batteries so as to bear upon the enemy, the 9th New Jersey regiment crossed under cover of their fire, by swimming, by pieces of the bridge, and by a mill dam, and