Page:Annual report of the superintendent of Negro Affairs in North Carolina, 1864.djvu/5



The portions of North Carolina heretofore held by our army have been the towns of New Berne, Beaufort, Washington, and Plymouth; Hatteras Banks, from Oregon Inlet southward to Cape Lookout, and Roanoke Island. There is also a tract of debatable territory, along the route of the New Berne and Beaufort Railroad, some 38 miles long, and from two to six broad, embracing the stations of Morehead city, Carolina city, Newport Barracks, Newport, Havelock, and Croatan. But the tenure of the soil is so uncertain in this region, on account of rebel raids and the incursions of guerillas, that few people reside upon it, except in the vicinity of the railroad stations. The census taken one year ago showed the colored people within our lines to be distributed as follows:
 * In this, my Annual Report, I crave your indulgence in making an occasional reference to events which occurred previous to the year 1864, it being essential alike to a clear statement of facts, and a just estimate of my official labors.