Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 23.djvu/71

 '/'/"' /' ')///-//////. \ern. hearing a dispatch to the officer in command at Morchcad City, stating that unless reinforcements were quickly sent him he must surrender.

It wa^ during this expedition to Newbern that Commander Wood, of the Confederate Na\ \, made his daring attack upon the gunboat, I'liderwriter. and from under the very guns of their fortifications captured and cut it out; and, finding it disabled by the shells of the Federal batteries, destroyed her. Beyond these small results, how- ever, nothing was accomplished, unless the whole movement was intended fora demonstration merely.

During the entire day of February 2d, Company D, under Lieu- tenant Barrett, and Company E, under Captain E. V. Harris, occu- pied the skirmish line, the enemy keeping close within their works, and not venturing any movement or scarcely firing a shot from small arms or artillery.

On the night of the 2d the column retraced its steps through the deep, muddy swamp roads, illuminated by the blazing pine trees, whose turpentine boxes had caught from the camp-fires on the way down.

The next expedition, after returning to our winter quarters, was from Weldon, via Franklin and South Mills, in the direction of Nor- folk. The enemy was met along the Dismal Swamp canal, driven in after the capture of a number of prisoners by Colonel Dearing in command of the cavalry, and the capture of Norfolk threatened. This march was made in very severe weather, in the early part of larch, 1864. It was immediately succeeded by the attack on and ipture of Suffolk, on March Qth, 1864. This was a most exciting ittle affair, in which our troops met negro soldiers for the first time, hiick work was made of their line of battle, and their retreat was )on converted into a runaway. Their camps were hastily abandoned, is thrown away, and, discarding everything which could impede light, they made their way to the swamps. One piece of artillery id a large number of horses captured, and a loss in killed and founded of several score of the enemy were the results. It was lere that our quarter-master, Captain Durham, placing himself at ie head of a squad of cavalry, charged into and put to flight a regi- of the enemy's horse. A number of them took refuge in a ? in the suburbs of Suffolk, and began a brisk and hurtful fire m Durham's men. He charged the house and succeeded, after a irrender had been refused, in setting fire to it. They continued the 5