Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 14.djvu/51

 Diary of Lieutenant-Colonel John G. Pressley. 45

• After the discomfiture of Evans, General G. W. Smith was sent with

reinforcements from Virginia. The knowledge that he was at the

front gave confidence here. No passenger trains had been running

for several days, and we got very little news of what was going on.

Headquarters might have been better informed.

December i8th. — Marching orders were received by Colonel Simon- ton, and we took the cars of the Wilmington and Weldon railroad on the afternoon of to-day. The night ride was not as unpleasant as the extreme cold of the weather gave us reason to expect. The high spirits and merry-making proclivities of the men did much to cause them to forget their discomforts.

December igih. — Reached the town of Magnolia about 7 o'clock this morning. The fact that we were the first regiment of soldiers the people of this town had had with them and the proximity of the enemy made us very welcome visitors. Many of the officers and men were breakfasted by the citizens and treated in the most hospitable manner.

The enemy's infantry had remained on the north side of the Neuse river and detained our forces while their cavalry had made a detour, passed General Evans's command, reached and tore up the railroad near Goldsboro', and burned the bridge across the river. It was as- certained at headquarters in Wilmington that they had then retired. An order was dispatched us directing our immediate return. We reached Wilmington at night and found our quarters occupied by a Georgia brigade. A part of the regiment spent the balance of the night in the cars and the rest bivouacked near by. I preferred the open air by the fire to occupying a cramped seat in the cars any longer.

December 2jd. — All the troops in and around the city were reviewed by Major-General Whiting to-day in a field about a mile and a half from Camp Cobb.- There were teii regiments of infantry and two batteries of artillery on the review. The field was too small to extend the line of battle, and the infantry were formed in a line of regiments at close column by divisions doubled on the centre. A column was then formed of regiments in the same order, and thus passed in re- view. The contracted dimensions of the field caused the troops to be very much crowded, but on the whole the display was very fine.

December J rst. — The regiment embarked to-day on the cars of the Wilmington and Manchester railroad for Charleston. We had a slow trip, but got safely back to " Camp Glover," where for more than a week we had a quiet time and a rest from the fatigues of our expe- dition.