Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 23.djvu/196

 190 Southern Historical Society Papers.

acted as engineer and quickly constructed with pine trees a sort of dam over the stream, without nails, over which the command passed going and returning. The enemy was surprised, vigorously at- tacked, driven out of his forts and block houses, abandoned his quarters and lost cannon, arms, and a large quantity of supplies, and many prisoners. The bridge was burned. But as Pickett had failed, Martin was compelled to return to Wilmington.

When the Confederates from Lee's army under General Robert F; Hoke assaulted and captured Plymouth, N. C., after a bloody en- gagement (with the valuable aid of the iron-clad ram Albemarle, which was built at Edward's Ferry, on Roanoke river, under con- tract with the Confederate States Navy Department, by Lieutenant Gilbert Elliott, of the Seventeenth North Carolina troops, detached), Martin's Brigade was ordered to relieve Hoke's command, which made another demonstration against Newbern without material re- sults. Soon after this all available forces in the Carolinas and at South Atlantic posts were concentrated at Petersburg and south of the James to resist Butler's army. Martin's Brigade reached Peters- burg, and reported to Major-General W. H. C. Whiting, on the I4th of May, 1864. The commanding general, Beauregard, was then fighting Butler's army near Drewry's Bluff, having driven the enemy towards the river Beameg, and planned a great general battle to "bottle him up," and directed Whiting to co-operate. General Whiting's infantry consisted of the brigades of Martin and Wise. He had the valuable assistance of Major-General D. H. Hill, then without a command, and Brigadier-General Roger A. Pryor was serving with him as a mounted scout. As some of General Whit- ing's staff officers were left in Wilmington, and General Martin had a full staff, he directed me to offer my services to General Whiting, and I rode with him part of the day when his unfortunate failure occurred. Butler's army having seized the main road between Richmond and Petersburg, General Beauregard sent a staff officer by a long detour through Chesterfield county to ride with a battle order to Whiting. I saw General Whiting have the order, and heard him read it. It plainly ordered him to advance from his posi- tion, which was then across Swift Creek, on the morning of May iyth, and "move rapidly forward in the direction of the heaviest firing ' ' along the Petersburg and Richmond road and towards Port Walthall Junction the point where a road crosses the former, and leads to James river. Had this junction been seized, Butler's army would have been cut off. But General Whiting would not advance