nAEzjsfc ROANOKE AND NEWBERN. By B. F. Underwood, Adjutant, 5th, R. I. Vols. Reprinted from the Narragansett Historical Register, January 1891. -Vl55V> THE BURNSIDE EXPEDITION, Roanoke and Newbuhn. By B. F. Underwood, Adjutant, 5tk. R. I. Vols. The writer is under obligations to comrades who have ren- dered aid in the preparation of this paper, especially to Capjb. James Moran of the 5th. R. I. Vols., whose personal recol- lections of many of the events narrated are full and vivid and whose memoranda and collection of material relating' to Sirs Regiment, have been of great value for reference. ■:-■! NE evening in October, 1861, General Ambrose E. •& Burn side was chatting: with General McClelland in S^ Washington, about war matters, when the Rhode Is- land General took occasion to broach a plan that he had form- ed of a campaign on the Atlantic Coast. He was asked by General McClelland to draw up his scheme in writing. This was done, and the plan met the approval of both General Mc- The Burnside Expedition. Clelland and the Secretary of War. This was the origin of the now historical Burnside Expedition, concerning which its leader has said that " No body of troops ever had more diffi- culties to overcome in the same space of time. Its perils were both by land and water. Defeat never befell it. No gun was ever lost by it. Its experience was a succession of hon- orable victories." The details of the proposed expedition were as follows ( as given in the words of General Burnside ): " To organize a division of from twelve to fifteen thousand men, mainly from the States bordering on the North Atlantic Coast, many of whom would be familiar with the coasting trade, and to fit out a fleet of light-draught steamers, sailing- vessels and barges, large enough to transport the division with its armament and supplies, so that it could be rapidly thrown from point to point on the coast, with a view to establishing lodgments on the southern coast, landing troops and penetra- ing into the interior, for the purpose of threatening the lines of transpotation in the rear of the main army of the Confed- erates then concentrating in Virginia, and also for the pur- pose of holding possession of the inland waters on the Atlan- tic Coast." To understand the need of such an undertaking 1 it is ne- cessary to bear in mind the peculiar nature of the Atlantic Coast and the especial facilities it afforded the Confederals for carrying on trade with foreign nations and smuggling in the munitions of war. Almost the entire coast of the South- ern States is fringed by a series of long narrow sand islands broken through at intervals by inlets and inhabited by a scan- ty and miserable population of fishers and wreckers. The North Carolina Coast, with its huge sounds - Pamlico and Albemarle - connected with the interior by canals, rivers The Burnside Expedition. and railroads, had been found by the rebels especially favor- able for blockade running. The Navy-yard too, at Norfolk which was in their possession, could be protected in the rear by fortifying the islands of the North Carolina Coast and the fortifications erected would, at the same time, serve to ensure the keeping up of supplies for the Army of Virginia. Ac- cordingly, the enemy had erected two forts at Hatteras Inlo' and, after the capture of these in August, 1861, by General Butler and Commodore Stringham, had retired to Roanoke Island —lying between Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds, — an'! strongly fortified it, thus affording backing to numerous light-draught blockade-runners and also privateers which were preying upon the commerce of the Northern States, while on the shores of the Sounds, shipping and even iron-clads were building. It will thus be seen that the chief importance of the North Carolina naval expeditions, was in assisting the en- forcement of the blockade, and the stopping of privateers from going to sea. The Comte de Paris, in his admirable history of the Civil War, states that the blockade of the vast coast line of the Confederacy " caused incalculable injury to the Southern peo- ple by depriving them of all the resources which they might have derived from Europe, and by preventing them from waging war on the sea, which would have ruined the com- merce of the North. If this blockade had not been rioidlv maintained, the Federals, would probably never have bet n able to subdue their adversaries." ( Vol. i, page 436, Am. Ed. ) To the Fifth Rhode Island belongs the glorv of hav- ing borne an honorable and useful part in the accomplishment of the important work. It should be mentioned also, that another object of the Burnside Expedition, was to keep in countenance the Union people of North Carolina,, who were The Burnside Expedition. then believed to be more numerous and well affected to the North than was afterwards discovered to be the fact. In his instructions to General Burnside, dated Washington, January 7, 1862, Major General McClellan directed him to co-operate with Rear Admiral L. M. Goldsborough, at Fort- ress Munroe, - the common headquarters of the Expedition — and proceed at once to Hatteras Inlet, assuming the command of the garrison there, and, after having crossed into the Sound, make Roanoke Island the first point of attack. Next he was to make a descent upon Newburn, take it, reduce Fort Macon, to seize the railroad as far west as Goldsborough. It was even thought that Raleigh might be reached, and the VVeldon railroad destroyed; but great caution was to be used in respect of these ultimate measures. Such was the general outline of the work to be done by the Coast Division of the Army of the Potomac in the Department of North Carolina. General Burnside, having become identified with the inter- ests of Rhode Island by marriage and residence, and being almost idolized by the people of the State, it was natural that he should first turn to them for recruits. -Accordingly, on October 5th. 1861, an order was issued from the Adjutant General's Office, Providence, eirp nvering Captains who had served in the First Regiment, and Commandants of all mili- tary organizations in the State, who so wished, to open their armories and places of rendezvous for the enlistment oi meii to serve for a period of three years, unless sooner discharged. This order of General Edward C. Mam an, gave birth to tliw Fifth Rhode Island. In a little less than three months the First Battalion of the Regiment, consisting of five Companies left Providence for the front, the plan being gradually to raise other Battalions until the Regiment should be completed. The Burnside Expedition. A bounty of fifteen dollars per man was offered - not a very tempting bait, in vi enemy fled precipately, strewing the road witli guns, bowie- knives, blankets, canteens and knapsacks. They were pursued and surrendered unconditionally. The remaining fonts soon followed their example. In all, the prisoners .imo.unt id to 2677 men, 50 of whom were wounded. Among the latter 22 The Burnside Expedition. was Capt. 0. Jennings Wise, a recent Editor of the " Rich- mond Whig," and one of the bravest of the defenders of the central redoubt. He was captured in a small boat which was trying to make its way to Nag's Head. His wounds were mortal and he died the next morning, defiant to the last. His artillery company, " Co. A." of the " Wise Legion," was the pet volunteer military organization of Richmond, dating its existence from 1793. The Company left behind it in the fort a beautiful white silk banner, tastefully embroidered by fair hands, and bearing the motto " Aut Vincere aut Mori," to " To Conquer or Die." It seems the most of them was unable to do either, although a few were found dead around their colors. The body of Capt. Wise was shortly after the battle exhumed by a detail of Lieut. Moran's men and sent to his father inside the rebel lines. Resides the prisoners taken in this splendid victory, there fell into the hands of General Burnside, five forts, winter quarters for some 4000 troops, 3000 stand of small arms, large hospitable buildings and a vast quantity of tools and materials for the construction of military works. The loses of the Union Forces were forty- one killed and and sixty-one wounded. The news of the brilliant victory of Roanoke Island was received all through the North with feelings of exultation. The winter had been so far one of inaction; cheering news had come of the victories at Forts Henry and Donaldson, but in the East little had as yet been done to arouse the public enthusiasm. Congratalatory letters were sent to General Burnside and Admiral Goldsborouoh from President Lincoln and the Secretaries of the War and Navy. The Mayor of New York issued a proclamation of congratulation, while in Providence salutes of hundred of guns were fired, troops pa- raded, bells were pealed, addresses made and the General As- The Burnside Expedition. 23 sembly, upon the recommendation of Gov. Sprague, voted to Gen. Burnside its thanks and a sword. " When it is remembered," says Gen. Burnside in his re- port, " that for one month our officers and men had been confined on crowded ships during a period of unusual preva- lence of severe storms, some of them having to be removed from stranded vessels, others in vessels thumping for days on sand banks and under constant apprehension of collision, then landing without blankets or tents on a marshy shore, wading knee-deep in mud and water to a permanent landing, exposed all night to a cold rain, then fighting for four hours, pursuing the enemy some eight miles, bivouacking in the rain, many of them without tents or covering, for two or three nights, it seems wonderful that not one complaint or murmur has been heard from them. They have endured all these hardships with the utmost fortitude and have exhibited on the battle- field a coolness, courage and perseverance worthy of veteran soldiers." The day after the battle -Sunday- was a quiet one. Many made a survey of the battle-field, remarking upon the differ- ent positions of the troops. The dead were not all buried yet and in some places the bodies torn by cannon shot present d a ghastly spectacle. In one place lay three men like a row of fallen bricks, one over-lapping the other. They had been killed by the same shot from the parapet. The first had been, struck on the head, carrying it away; the second was hit on the shoulder, carrying that oil' and leaving a horrible hole; the third was hit in the abdomen, and his intestines were scatter* <] around. One of the men saw an old boot on the ground and gave it a kick; it seemed heavier than a. boot should be, and on picking it up a toot and a part of the leg of some unfort- unate. man were found encased within it. 24: The Buhnside Expedition. During the month of February, the prisoners were released on parole, an act of the Commander's designed to serve as an example to the Confederates in their treatment of Union pri- soners. It received the approval of the Secretary of War. No General was ever more beloved by troops than was General Burnside. He was always doing some little thing or other that would contribute to the comfort of his soldiers. He would drop into a tent and sit and talk a long time with the men and officers or stop to take notice of a company compliment- ing them on their proficiency in the manual of the rifle, the neatness of their camp and the like. Or a company would have the pleasure of receiving from him a couple of New York Heralds or other newspapers. It was a striking pecu- liarity of the Army of the North during the war - this love of newspaper reading. Even the sentinel, as he paced his lonely round would often have a newspaper in one hand and his gun in the other, if bethought no one was observing him. One of the principal devertisement of the men while at Roanoke Island was the manufacture of briar-wood pipes, the woods abounding with the material for these fragrant and valuable articles. A pleasant episode in the monotonous life at Roanoke was the expedition up Currituck Sound undertaken for the pur- pose of destroying some salt works which were said to be in operation some sixty miles distant from Fort Bartow. The force was composed of the Fifth Rhode Island and a detach- ment of sailors under the joint command of Major Wright and Lieutenant Jeifers, of the Navy. The detachment em- barked on the " Wheelbarrow " or Union, a flat-bottomed stern-wheeler drawing very little water. She had in tow a couple of launches armed with a boat howitzer each. When the Currituck Narrows was reached it was found that even The Burnside Expedition. 25 the - Wheelbarrow " could not make her way through sucli shallow water, although cables and anchors were put out on the shore and endeavors made to warp her round the bends. Part of the time the stern wheel was on the bank thro wing- up mud instead of water. The launches were found to draw even more water than the steamer; so there was nothing to do but return, an event not much to be regretted, for it was learned afterwards that the importance of the salt works had been very much exaggerated. They in fact, consisted of nothing more than two or three large iron kettles borrowed from the neighbors for the purpose of boiling down sea-water. Nevertheless, the Fifth had its fun out of the trip. As darkness came on, the steamer anchored for the night and by daylight next morning was Under way again oii her return trip. On coming up the sound the day before a small schoon- er had been noticed lying at anchor on the west shore. It was determined to take her along, since, if not so taken, she would be useful to the Rebels in ferrying their men to and fro. Indeed it was afterwards learned that she had been used for the conveying of Gen. Wise from Nag's Head to the main- land just after the battle. When the steamer stoppt <1 at the landing where the schooner lay, a number of officers and nidi received permission to go ashore, They had instructions not to go far, and were told that the boat would wait for them one hour. The blowing of the steamer's whistle Was to be the signal of recall. The younger -men, some of thein^ kej t going farther and farther from the landing until they found themselves three or four miles away. They wanted some I'renh provisions after their long abstenence from anything 'of the kind; and, as they were pretty well supplied with money (not having had an opportunity of spending any since It aving Annapolis where they had been paid), they were willing to 4 95 The Burnside Expedition. pay large prices for such things as they craved, and that, to, in gold — a circulating medium that made the eyes of the Southerners sparkle with pleasure. No plundering was allow- ed by Gen. Burnside under any circumstances, and the com- mand was pretty faithfully obeyed. One of the officers gives an interesting account of the ex- periences of himself and the rest of the younger men who had gone farthest from the steamboat. At one house the party had quite a funny experience. When they entered the yard no one was to be seen, not even a dog. Pretty soon the old man came in out of a clump of bushes near the house. He was met on the piazza and asked if any one was in ? He said. " No, they are all away." Some one said that he need not be airraid, no one would do them any harm. He put on what was meant to be a bold front — at the same time shaking all over — and replied that he had never seen a man yet he was airraid of. He was again assured that the party were not there for the purpose of in- juring peacable citizens, all they wanted was to buy some fowls and eggs and the like. They had not been talking long in that strain, when a commotion was noticed under a bed in one of the rooms. It was immediately seen to be caused by the old woman who had taken refuge there. When she came out, the hearty laugh that greeted her, and the good-natured rallying she received for hiding under the bed, put her in great good humor. She went immediately went into another room and the result was, that a daughter came out from under another bed. She then went to the back door of the house and raising her voice to its highest pitch called another dau- ghter, who thereupon emerged from the woods which are con- veniently near almost all the houses down there. The daugh- ters were good-looking girls of about twenty years in age. The Burnside Expedition. 27 They came in and sat down, joining in the conversation which now turned on what could be bought. Various purchases of farmers truck were made, and when the party left they were quite cordial in their good-bye. While these things were going on the steamboat's Whistle had blown itself hoarse in the attempt to recall the stragglers, who were slowly returning with chickens and geese slung over their shoulders, and eggs either tied up in handkerchiefs or carried in hats and pockets. Finally the officers in com- mand determined to raise anchor and proceed across the Sound to a house where they had noticed the Union flag floating. A mate and a few sailors were left in charge of the captur- ed schooner with orders to wait for the men who were Still < n shore. The Union flag proved to be the property of a thorough patriot, a Baptist or Episcopal Minister. He had a huge plantation and about fifty slaves. The " pickaninnies " were tumbling about everywhere, and the old gentleman hail quite a patriarchal air. He invited the company to a dinner of ham and chicken and sausages, flanked by corn -'bread and hominy, with a dessert of pudding. Not long after dinner, both parties were together again comparing experiences. By nightfall they were back at their quarters on Roanoke Island. During the month of February, Roanoke Island had been put in a suitable state of defence, the oath of allegiance ad- ministered to the inhabitants, and a proclamation issued to tiie people of North Carolina, inviting them to return to their allegiance. The government was still under the illusion that a prevalent Union Sentiment existed in the old North Shite. General Burnside was also making preparations for another important expedition, in accordance with his instructions. Accordingly scouts had been sent out to the vicinity of 28 The Btjrnside Expedition Newbern and Beaufort to reconnoitre and report upon the nature and extent of the enemy's works in those places. The first objective point of attack was to be Newbern. On the 6th. of February the order was given to embark. On the 9th. all the troops were aboard ship, and the fleet of saucy little gunboats and big white steamboats, heavy trans- port propellers, ugly but industrious ferry-boats and, busy swift little tugs steamed away from Pork Point Landing for Newbern and the Neuse River. On the 11th. the fleet an- chored off Hatteras Inlet and here Admiral Goldsborouoh was called away to the Chesapeak by the portentous news concerning the doings of the Merrimac in Hampton Roads. Commander Rowan was left in charge of the fleet. The Fifth had been embarked on the ferry-boats Curlew and Eagle. Major Wright and staff companies C. and B. on the Eagle, and companies A. D. i?nd E. on the Curlew. The morning of the rendezvous at Hattaras was beautiful beyond descrip- tion. The sun rose out of the sea without a cloud to obscure his brilliantcy. The body of the Sound was as smooth as a mirror, not a ripple to agitate its surface, which appeared in the rosy light of the morning like burnished gold. Every vessel of the fleet from the largest to the smallest, Avas decked with gay flags that hung idly by the mast, only the pennons of certain gunboats and tugs, that ware moving about to con- vey orders, streamed out horizontally in the air. It was a pleasure to watch the gentle undulations of the waves produc- ed in the wake of these moving craft, while, to complete the picture, a mile or two away stretched the low-lying shore of the mainland, spotted and dappled with every shade of spring- ing vegetation. In the distance across the £cund lay the low sandy expanse of Hatteras with its forts, and flagstaff, and bleak looking guns pointing in all directions; -- and all this The Bukstside Expedition. 29 scene bathed in the tender haze of a southern sky. The fleet got under way on the morning of the 12th. of February, and Gen. Burnside at that time issued a proclama- tion to the troops informing them that they were on the eve of an important movement which would greatly demoralize the enemy, and assist the Army of the Potomac in its con- templated operations against Richmond. The soldiers of the Fifth were in fine spirits, and some of them passed the afternoon in identifying, by the aid of a chart, the points of land that were passed. Their approach along the coast was heralded by watch-fires which sent up dense volumes of black smoke, calling on the people from far and near to arm and prepare to resist the northern invader. As the tires faded into darkness and their smoke blended with the evening mist, the transports droppe'd anchor under the protecting guns of the naval vessels at the mouth of Slocum's Creek some fifteen miles below Newbern. A rebel had been captured from a dug-out on the way and he was to be made use of as a guide on the following day. No sooner had the ships come to anchor, as just mentioned, than word was pas- sed around from vessel to vessel that Gen. Burnside had been promoted by the President to the rank of Major General. The news w T as received with cheer after cheer, repeated again and agfain, for no honor was considered too liieh for their beloved Commander by the men who were proud to serve un- der him. The morning of the 13th. opened cheerless and rainy. But nevertheless, at revalle an order was read directing i he tiooj s to land in light marching order; that is, with rubber and wool- en blankets rolled and worn on the shoulder, also haversacks and canteens, and sixty rounds of cartridges to the man. The sun broke brightly through the clouds at 8, A. M., and the 30 The Burnside Expedition. men in high spirits prepared to land, an operation that took until 4, P. M. The first man ashore was Color Sergeant Poppie, of the Sixty First New York. Many of the men in their eagerness leaped from the boats when they grounded, and waded, sometimes waist deep, to the shore. It is time now to describe the elaborate and extensive de- fences of Newbern against which the Federal Commanders were leading their army. The obstructions in the River Nense were formidable. The Confederates had built a barrier of piles, cutting them off below the svater, and in addition ano- ther row of piles pointed and iron-capped and pointed down stream, all under water. Near these was a row of thirty tor- pedoes containing about two hundred pounds of powder each and fitted with metal fuses connected with percussion locks, their trigger lines being attached to the iron-shod piles. There was a second barrier about a mile above the first composed of sunken vessels and chevaux de frise. Our vessels, however, it may be said here, succeeded in passing all these obstructions without serious injury. The torpedoes failed to explode, and the iron-capped piles only slightly injured two of the ships. There were also along the river six forts or earthworks, mounting in all thirty-two guns, mostly en barbette. During the engagement that followed not a single marine was injur- ed by the force fighting behind all these elaborate fortifica- tions. On the land, beginning farthest down the river, there were first, two works; Fort Ellis and Fort Dixie. These outworks were abandoned by the enemy on the approach of our troops. The main works were as follows. On the river bank a large fort had been constructed, hexagonal in shape, mounting thir- teen gnus, and completely commanding the river channel on The Burnside Expedition. 31 the one side and the line of works on the other. Also a large redoubt of an irregular form, partly constructed in the rail- road embankment, and joined with the first mentioned fort by a strong redan. Beyond the railroad was a system of redoubts, thirteen in number, and a mile in length, erected upon six small mounds or hills. The whole line of works had a two miles frontage, and was defended by forty six guns. It was against such works defended by from six to eight thou- sand men, that General Burnside was moving, with no artil- lery except a battery of half a dozen howitzers loaned him by the Navy. He knew his men, however, he was going to " move on the works and capture them." To return to the land force. The rebels had been driven from the banks of the creek by shells from the gunboats, and as the soldiers landed they pressed on in pursuit of the enemy's mounted pickets, driving them back for five or six miles past their barracks and past a splendid buttery of four guns, which latter was removed by the Confederates as they fled. The gunboats kept ascending the river parallel with the column on shore and shelling the woods as they went. It was raining in a steady disagreeable drizzle, and soon the roads assumed a horrible condition. The sticky clay was from two to six inches deep, and more in places, and the men's boots and trowsers became so loaded with it that they could scarcely walk. At every stopping place they occupied themselves in scraping it off with jack-knives or anything suitable they could get their hands on. The six howitzers were dragged through the slough with the utmost exertions of relays of men. The march of twelve weary miles occupied all day. The situation was something like that of the first march to Manassas described by Mr. Warren Lee Gross ( In the Cen- tury Magazine. ) He says. 32 The Burnside Expedition. " The army resembled, more than anything- else, a congre- gation of flies making a pilgrimage through molasses. The boys called their feet ' pontons ' ' mud hooks ' ' soil excava- tors ' and other names not quite so polite. To realize the sit- uation, spread tar a foot deep all over your back-yard, and then try to walk through it. When we halted to rest by the wayside, our feet were in the way of ourselves and everybody else. ' Keep your mud-hooks out of my way.' ' Save your pontoons for another bridge,' Avere heard on allsides. mingled with all the reckless, profane and quaint jokes common to the army, and which are not for print." As evening came on the enemy's first line of defence was passed without opposition. At dark the Fifth Battalion stacked arms on the left of the road and prepared to bivouac. The night was cold and showery and the prospects of a sleep were extremely slender. It was almost impossible to find a place which to lie down or spread a blanket. The ground was flat and the water lay upon it in a perfect sheet of a few inches in depth, except at the foot of the pine trees with which the whole region was heavily timbered. All that most of the men could do was to select the foot of a tree, lean their backs against it, pull hats over eyes and cape of overcoat around the neck, and attempt to go to sleep. Some camped around fires that they made in a farm yard by the road. A few had the good fortune to get into a negro hut where some strag- glers from the 4th. Rhode Island were cooking a savary mess of chicken soup in the broad fire-place. At day-light the troops were astir, breakfast was eaten, such as it Avas; the line was formed and the roll called, and about eight o'clock the word " Forward " was given to the eager lines. The Fifth marched forward and took up a po- sition on the left of Gen. Parke's Brigade which occupied the The Buknside Expedition. 33 centre of the attacking line. This was at a point some half a mile from the enemy's works. At this point Gen. Burnside had stationed himself with some members of his staff, and, as the troops filed by, they caught new inspiration from his noble countenance. Just at this time a shell came screaming by cut off a large limb from a tree under which the General and his staff" were sitting on their horses, and exploded far behind them. The restive horses caprioled about, shot and shell hissed through the foliage like rain upon a seething sea, the men grew excited and started a cheer at the prospect of a battle, but this was checked by the officers on account of th e close proximity of the enemy, it not being advisable to give him any intimation of their movements. At this point the head of the column was turned to the left, and, advancing at double-quick, came in " on the right by file into line " in front of the Confederates' abbatis, and a work of over a quar- ter of a mile in depth, made by cutting down trees so as to form a tangled and almost impenetrable jungle. When the line was foimed, the men were ordered to lie down and await further orders. Showers of balls whizzed over their heads in amazing proximity, bringing down twigs and branches from every tree, and clipping by with musical " zing " close to heads and limbs, but, fortunately, no one was hurt. Presently a commotion was observed in the abbatis, and soon men of the 21st. Massachusetts came breaking their way through it. They stated, that they had made a charge and been inside the rebel breast-works, but not being suppor- ted, and there being only four companies of them, they h;;d been forced to retire. It was afterwards learned that Gen- Reno, in attempting to turn the enemy's right, was misled by the dense fog that enveloped the whole region, and found himself, not on the enemy's right, but in front of ihi ir re- 5 34 The Burnside Expedition. doubts and redans. His only resource was to charge. This Lieut. Col. Clark did with four companies in a most gallant style, but failing to be reinforced by Gen. Reno, was forced to retire as has been stated. After a while an aide de camp came up with orders for the whole Brigade to advance. The detachment formed in column of fours and moved at a double-quick past Gen. Parke ( who reviewed them as he sat on horse-back, ) till the railroad em- bankment was reached. The Battalion then changed direc- tion to the right, the 8th. Connecticut allowing them to take up position next the 4th. Rhode Island. The 4th. was to charge the enemy's works in front, the 5th. had instructions to keep up a fire on the enemy's flank on the hither side of the railroad until they heard the 4th. cheer, when their firing was to cease that they might not injure friends. At the moment when the 8th. Connecticut halted to allow the 5th. to pass, the cry " Charge Rhode Island ! " was raised and the 5th. rushed on along and parallel to the railroad plunging over logs, gullies and ditches, through mud and water, until they found themselves inside the enemy's works, at a place called the "brick-yard" where there were three or four build- ings held by rebel sharpshooters. These were quickly dis- lodged, and the 5th. formed line under the crest of a small ridge commanding the enemy's rifle-pits on the other side of the railroad. Here they tired their volley, advancing to the brow of the hill, taking aim, firing, and then retiring a few steps to reload. That first volley, the rebel prisoners after- wards said, killed fifteen men. The fire was kept steadily up, the gray-coats replying with a will, although their fire v was thrice slackened by the steady fusilade poured into them by the 5th. Co. A., being nearest the enemy was perhaps most annoyed by his fire. At one time the fire of the men was in- The Burnside Expedition. 35 terrupted by a rumor that tliey were firing into the 4th., the fog and smoke and trees, preventing their seeing anything far in front of them; but a puff of wind lifted the fog and the Rhode Islanders saw with joy that they had been filing at the gray coats and caps of the foe. Presently a prolonged cheer was heard, not the " yi ! yi ! yi !" of the rebels, but a genuine Yankee cheer, and the order was given to cease firing. The cheer was that of the 4th. Rhode Island, whose charge had decided the victory. Shortly after the order to " cease firing " was received, a regiment, dressed in gray, was seen approaching through the fog in the rear. Supposing them to be Confederates, the offi- cers gave the command to " about face," and make ready to fire. Just then an aide came up in haste and said the Regi- ment was the 8th. Connecticut, who wore gray overcoats, and that all were to pursue the flying enemy at once. The an- nouncement was received with cheer upon cheer, the two reg- ments joined the rest of the Brigade in the road where cor- dial greetings were being given and received. As General Burnside made his appearance the cheering and hurrahing were redoubled, and kept up at intervals all the way to Nevv- bern. A large portion of the Confederate Army, it was found had got aboard a train of cars waiting for them near the bat- tle-field, and crossed the Trent, burning the railroad bridge and the draw-bridge after them; and did they stop in their flight until they had reached Kingston and put another river between them and the victorious Union Army. Others of them escaped by the country road and bridge across the Trent while still another detachment crossed Bryer's Creek and made for Trenton, a village some fifteen oi twenty miles across the country. The town of Newbern tliey set on fire in several places, but G n. Foster's troops were soon ferried across the river by the 36 The Burnside Expedition. gunboats and succeeded in preventing the spread of the flames. Further pursuit being useless, the troops were moved back a certain distance and went into quarters. The Fifth took up quarters in an abandoned artillery camp about a mile from the city where the fires of the rebels were still burning. The bread partly in the troughs and partly warm from the ovens. Thus closed at five o'clock P. M., this hard days work of fighting in a fog. The capture of Newbern gave us the con- trol of the North Carolina Coast washed by the two great Sounds. There were taken about two hundred prisoners, sixty-six guns, a large amount of forage and supplies, bar- racks for ten thousand men and a great quantity of fire-arms equipments, accoutrements, and horses abandoned by the re- treating foe. Gen. Burnside issued as at Roanoke, a congratulatory order to his troops; and, as he there had directed them to inscribe on their banners the word " Roanoke " so here they were di- rected to inscribe in addition, the memorable name " New- bern." Gen. Foster was made Military Governor of Newbern, and under his rule the city was soon repeopled by its inhabi- tants. The weather was delightfully mild for Spring, and the air was fragrant with the odors of peach blossoms and newly blown flowers. Congratulatory letters were received from high functionares at Washington and extracts from them were made known to the troops who were complimented by Presi- dent Lincoln and the Secretary of War for their high displine and cheerful spirit in the face of difficulties and discourage- ments. There was only one drawback to the general joy and that was, the sorrow over the loss of comrades slain. The Union Army had 88 killed and 352 wounded.