Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Historical Society OF RHODE ISLAND. PERSONAL NARRATIVES: Fourth Series, No. 9. THE BURNSIDE EXPEDITION ENGAGEMENT AT ROANOKE ISLAND. WILLIAM L. WELCH, LATE OF TWENTY-THIRD MASSACHUSETTS INFANTRY. <> 4 4 HS bt 4b tht PERSONAL NARRATIVES OF EVENTS IN THE WAR OF THE REBELLION, BEING PAPERS READ BEFORE THE RHODE ISLAND SOEDIERS AND SAILORS HISTORICAL SOCIETY. FOURTH SERIES —No, 9. PROVIDENCE: PUBLISHED BY THE SOCIETY, 1890. BURNSIDE EXPEDITION AND THE es ENGAGEMENT AT ROANOKE ISLAND. The Provideyte Press? LINTERS. Snow & FARNHAM, PRINT 37 Custom House Street 1890+ BY WILLIAM L. WELCH, [Late of Twenty-third Massachusetts Infantry.] PROVIDENCE: PUBLISHED BY THE SOCIETY, 1890, THE BurnsipE ExpepITION AND THE ENGAGEMENT AT ROANOKE ISLAND, [Edition limited ‘to two hundred and fifty copies. ] THE Coast Division was gathered at Annapolis, Md., in the fall of 1861. It was commanded by Brig.-Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside, and organized into three brigades, respectively commanded by Brig.-Gen. John G. Foster, of the First Brigade ; Brig.-Gen. Jesse L. Reno, of the Second Brigade, and Brig.-Gen. John G. Parke, of the Third Brigade. The troops in the First Brigade were the Twenty- third, Twenty-fourth, Twenty-fifth and Twenty- seventh Massachusetts, and the Tenth Connecticut. In the Second Brigade were the Sixth New Hamp- shire, Twenty-first Massachusetts, Fifty-first New 6 THB BURNSIDE EXPEDITION AND THE ENGAGEMENT AT ROANOKE ISLAND. 7 York, Ninth New Jersey, and Fifty-first Pennsylva- nia. In the Third Brigade were the Fourth Rhode Island, Fifth Rhode Island Battalion, Eighth Connec- ticut, Eleventh Connecticut, Fifty-third New York, and Eighty-ninth New York; and also Battery F, judged to be in error, and were removed to our camp, and some twenty odd of them were found concealed in the quarters of Company A, undoubt- edly put there by the perpetrators of the deed, to avert suspicion from them, and we were made to First Rhode Island Light Artillery. My regiment, the Twenty-third Massachusetts, had left Lynnfield, Mass., on the 11th of November, and reached Annapolis via Boston, New York, Phil- adelphia and Perryville. At the latter place we were embarked on steamers, and went by water to the wharf, over the same route traveled by the Eighth Massachusetts and General Butler in April, 1861. When we left home our right flank company, Company A, had a natty Zouave uniform; we were drilled in Zouave style, and thought a greal deal of ourselves; and in fact we added much to the looks of the regiment, but at Annapolis we were obliged to discard this big-legged, low-necked uniform for our own protection. The reason was, that some turkeys about a half mile away disturbed the sleep of the regiment so much, that a volunteer detail was made to correct the abuse, the turkeys were ad- suffer for them. This vicarious atonement might do for once, but the Colonel didn’t want us to suf- fer again, therefore he ordered the uniform dis- varded, and we never again had to stand any more than our share of blame for any such accidents. This change’ of uniforms was disastrously uncom- fortable for me, for while the Zouave uniform, hav- ing been made for me, fitted me splendidly, the government uniform didn’t fit meat all. I was num- ber 90 in the company, and of course had the 90th choice, and when eighty-nine men have been suited out of a lot of one hundred coats and pants, the ninetieth has almost Hobson’s choice. The coat that I secured would almost fit me now, and I weigh over seventy pounds more than I did in 1861, but I found it convenient to wear underclothing with, I was compelled to wear the coat, for there was no redress. THE BURNSIDE EXPEDITION AND THE I couldn’t get a pair of army shoes to fit me, they were all too large, and the day we broke camp and went on board transports at Annapolis, I walked the two miles with the sole of one of my shoes com- pletely worn out, and the sole of the other flapping. General Orders, No. 15, from Headquarters Coast Division, ordered us aboard the transports Monday, January 6, 1862.* The transports ordered for the First Brigade were side-wheel steamers Vew Bruns- wick, New York and Guide; propellers Vidette, three guns; Zouave, four guns; Ranger, four guns, and Hussar, tour guns; bark Guerilla; and schoon- ers Highlander and Recruit. For the Second Brigade, side-wheel steamers Northerner and Cossack; propellers Lancer, four guns, and Pioneer, four guns; ships Aitty Simpson and Ann EZ. Thompson; brig Dragoon, and schooner Scout. For the Third Brigade, steamer Hastern Queen ; propellers Sentinel, four guns, and Chasseur, four guns; ships Arrican and John Trucks; barks Vol- *This arrangement of vessels was afterward changed in some particulars, as the exigencies of the service required. ENGAGEMENT AT ROANOKE ISLAND. tiguer and H. D. Brookman, and schooner Skir- misher. For the transportation of the troops and their material, forty-six vessels were employed, eleven of which were steamers. To these were added nine armed propellers to act as gunboats, and five barges* fitted and armed as floating batteries, carrying alto- gether forty-seven guns, mostly of small calibre. These formed the army division of the fleet, and were commanded by Commander Samuel F. Hazard. Monday, January 6, 1862, with about an inch of snow on the ground, and the thermometer eighteen degrees above zero, we started from our camp about 10 o’clock A. M., and marching and waiting about in the Naval Academy yard, we were much chilled when we finally went aboard our vessel at about dark. Tuesday, January 7th, I find myself on the schooner Highlander, originally the Claremont, of * One of these barges (canal boats), the Bombshell, was converted at New Berne by being lengthened forward, and having some second-hand machinery put into her, into the Army Gunboat Bombshell. When the rebels captured Plymouth, N. C., she was among the prizes they got. She came down the Roanoke river with the rebel ram Albemarle to attack our fleet in May, 1864, and fell an easy prey to our gunboats, and then she became the Navy Gunboat Bombshell. 10 THE BURNSIDE EXPEDITION AND THE 561 tons, centreboard, built in New Jersey in 1858, for the Southern pine trade. She is very commo- dious between decks, the tallest man can walk up- right ; she has wooden bunks along the sides, with beds of straw or seaweed, and two rows of canvas cots on each side, with two passageways thirty inches wide on either side of the vessel; all the bunks were three tiers high. About five hundred of our regiment are on board this schooner, some be- tween decks, and as many more in the lower hold. My company, A, are fortunate in being between decks, and my bunk, numbered 169, is on the star- board side, upper tier, and near the main hatch, decidedly cool, but healthful. Forward between decks on the starboard side is the galley, with large coppers for cooking the rations of the soldiers, and smaller ones for messes for the cabin. On the port side forward was the sink for use of the men, and as it was the only place that smoking was allowed below, it was generally filled with smokers. The harbor at Annapolis was full of vessels of all sizes, kinds and descriptions: huge sidewheelers, capable of carrying a thousand men; propellers, old ENGAGEMENT AT ROANOKE ISLAND. 11 North river hay droghers, looking top heavy ; ships, oO 5 barks, brigs, schooners, down to little tugs, a form- idable looking lot, and manned largely by detached soldiers, one hundred and forty having been sent from the Twenty-third Massachusetts, and ten from my owncompany. The right wing of our regiment, Companies A, F, D, I and B, is on the schooner Highlander, A, F, and part of D, between decks, and the balance below. It is also headquarters here, and we have the Colonel, Surgeon, Adjutant and Quartermaster with us. The left wing is on the propeller Hussar, and there we have the Lieutenant- Colonel, Major, Chaplain, Sergeant-Major, and Band. The Hussar carries two thirty-pound Par- rotts, and two six-pound Wiards, and is to tow us when she can. We nicknamed her the blacksmith- shop. Wednesday, January 8th, during the afternoon, we are towed into position by the Hussar, and Thursday, 9th, at 8 a. M., we all started. We were towed along at about five knots an hour. It came up foggy during the afternoon and compelled us to anchor before midnight. We started Friday, 10th, 12 THE BURNSIDE EXPEDITION AND THE in the forenoon, arriving at and anchoring in Hamp- ton Roads before 3 P. m, Saturday, 11th, in the afternoon, I saw a boat preparing to go ashore. Looking her over I saw a chance for a change, and tumbled into her, just as if I was’ one of the regu- lar crew, and as they were all detailed soldiers, it was hard to tell who belonged in her. I took the bow oar, the easiest of the lot, and away we went. We had a chance to look things over. I sawa very large gun on the beach, either the Floyd or the Union gun; went into the sutler’s ; looked around for about an hour, and returned to our ship. This was the only boat ashore from our vessel, and I was lucky. January 11th, this same Saturday, we started after dark, before 12 p. M., still in tow of the Hussar, and to help along, made sail on the schooner. Sunday, 12th, when we got outside the Capes, the wind came out dead ahead, freshening every minute. We had to take in all sail, and as we went along the sea was getting higher and higher, the boat was rolling heavily and pitching into it finely, and we making barely a knot an hour. About 4 o’clock rv. m., this ENGAGEMENT AT ROANOKE ISLAND. 13 Sunday, we were hailed from the Hussar and told to cut the hawser. Captain Dayton, master of the schooner, gave orders to make sail. First, we reefed the mainsail, then double reefed the foresail, and loosed the jib, and when these sails were set, one cut severed the hawser, and we were off on our own hook. By this time all the sailing vessels had been dropped by the towing steame Own resources, the rs and left to their steamers making for Hatter Inlet, getting in there Monday, 13th. W sailed from Fort Monroe with be opened when well out to sea, which, when opened, were found to direct us to enter Hatteras Inlet. About the time we cut loose from the Hussar, we didn’t care where we went to. "as Te had sealed orders, to make for and There were five hundred or more of us on board a apted for the situation, for she had no centreboard, it h schooner, very badly ad aving either been lost out of her, or so cramped in her able, and she rolled and pitched every man was seasick. as to be unmanage- about so that nearly During Sunday night the wind we 9 nt down, we 14 THE BURNSIDE EXPEDITION AND THE set all sail, standing off and on until morning, the wind being ahead. In the morning the wind shifted to northeast and increased in velocity. When off Hatteras Cape a squall struck us, blew the flying jib out of the bolt ropes, and nearly capsized us; every- thing was let go by the run and came down hand- somely, except the mainsail, that stuck badly, and the captain of the schooner ran up the rigging, jumped on to the gaff and started it down. With everything down we lay nearly an hour, the boat rolling fearfully and throwing some of the boys out of their berths. Then small sail was made on the vessel, and we, standing on the larboard tack, head- ing off shore, made a little headway. After a while we wore ship and stood in shore, and about 3 Pp. M. Monday, 13th, dropped anchor in Hatteras Cove, close to Cape Hatteras, in seven fathoms of water, about one and a half miles from shore, and four or five from the Inlet. We were now comparatively safe, but we had had a fearful experience, and were in great danger, and so had all the fleet. I had been on deck nearly all the time, making myself useful, and had seen most of the storm. It ENGAGEMENT AT ROANOKE ISLAND. 15 was my first appearance at sea, and I wanted to see all that I could of it. I sat on the windlass and felt the bow of the schooner go down, down, till it seemed that she would go over endways, and then I saw the stern go down, and the waves, several mountains high, apparently coming on top of us, and I wanted to go home. We hung at one anchor in Hatteras Cove, Mon- day night, and nearly all day Tuesday. Tuesday, P. M., 14th, we dropped another anchor, and payed out more chain and hung until Wednesday morn- ing, 15th, when the wind having gone down, we hove short and set signals for pilot and tug. A tug soon came alongside and ordered us to get under way and make for the entrance to the Inlet, where we will get towed in. The wind was light and baf- fling, and we did not make much headway, but soon the sidewheeler Patuxent took our hawser and started us for the bar. We are hardly well under way when we see a ship’s boat, apparently capsized, with men clinging to her. Our boats are lowered at once, and we succeed in picking up eleven men and getting them on board the Highlander. Two of the 16 THE BURNSIDE EXPEDITION AND THE men are dead, and one was drowned when the boat There were twelve in all, and they were from the ship Ann EZ. Thompson. There were the captain and second mate of the ship, and the colonel, lieutenant-colonel, surgeon, quarter-mas- ter, and some men of the Ninth New Jersey. They had been in to report the arriv: was capsized. ul of their ves- sel, and were Swamped in the breakers on the bar coming out. The second mate of the ship was drowned, and the colonel and surgeon of the Ninth New Jersey died on our vessel. On our left as we go in we see the steamer City of New York ashore and breaking up. She was a total loss. She was loaded with ordnance, which was also As we get inside we see the propeller Zouave sunk. We learn that she rode over her anchor and knocked a hole in her bottom. She was also a total loss. Astern of us as we are on a bar in anchored is a schooner a sinking condition, flying signals of dis- tress. Hatteras Inlet is one of those freaks of nature on the coast of North Carolina. It w as solid ground, cultivated, bearing figs, grapes, vegetables, and coy- ENGAGEMENT AT ROANOKE ISLAND, 17 ered with trees on September 6, 1846, but on the next day it was an entranceway to the sounds, hay- ing been cut through by a heavy storm during the night. In 1862, on the bar outside, was some thir- teen feet of water, and on the bar inside, called “The Swash,” was barely seven and a half feet at J high tide. This place was saptured from the Confederates, August 28-29, 1861, by a combined naval and army expedition, under Commodore Stringham and Gen- eral Butler. Their orders were to destroy the forts and abandon the place, but General Butler recom- mended that they be held, for the situation was one of great importance. August 30th, Colonel Rush C. Hawkins landed at Hatteras Inlet, and, being the senior colonel present, assumed command. Briga- dier-General Reynolds was ordered there from Fort Monroe, to proceed September 14th and take command, but did not go at all, from some reasons about force not to be increased. Brig.-Gen. J. K. F. Mansfield arrived here October 8, 1861, and re- lieved Colonel Hawkins, and October 13th he was relieved by Brig.-Gen. Thomas Williams, who was 18 THE BURNSIDE EXPEDITION AND THE in command when we arrived, Ty ha ,r . 4 of Ninth New York, Forty-eighth Pennsylvania In- fantry, and Battery C, United States Artillery, in all about 1,900 men. This force consisted General Burnside, on his arrival at Hatteras Inlet, January 13, 1862, by Gen- eral Orders, No. 1, assumed command of the Depart- ment of North Carolina. All the troop ships, except the bark John Trucks » had arrived. On her was the D’Epineuil Zouaves, Fifty-third New York. Her luck was hard: she ran ashore in Chesapeake Bay, and arrived at Fort Monroe one day after the fleet hac sailed; then she was ten days getting to Hatteras; then anchored several miles from the In- let. It was ten days more before the colonel could report to General Burnside. Then it was found that she drew too much water to get in over the bar, and finally she was ordered back and landed her troops at Annapolis, Wednesday, February 6th, thirty-four days after she started. Lieutenant-Colonel Monteil, of this regiment, stopped with the forces at Hatteras, and was killed at Roanoke Island. A return from the Department of North Carolina, for January, 1862, gives the number of troops pres- ee ee ‘i on the ) idet € ’ oe d C of the Twent y -fourth Massachuse Ss pany . 5 t { on the mnge Compa 1 E of the I went y-seventh 7 ar be Ra gd Ts ’ Massachusetts, and on the yi coneer, some of the I ifty- . N ] y Ld the was on t ese 2 re oved to Ss h se gunboats had been Yr 1 + ¢ g mea oar 1 r regiment hav ing co j : fill- ay, 6th, in the afternoon, transports, those of ou the Highlander Thursd ing our schooner to overflowing. said During this fight the most cheering slg was the tle sloop Granite. With an and forth in front of ave them a shot movements of the lit off-shore wind she sailed back the fort, and in passing each ie sevice i ler. ne é i er thirty-two pounc ae pay the plaudits so freely bestowed i all day. The ar continued all ¢ aan Oe ae 4 p, m. in Ashby’s Har- in front of Haman’s house. d be made at didly, and earned troops began to land ab bor, on the north side, It was intended that the ] i enemy Ashby’s, but a force of the i eue dear i shoul anding sho : a being discove there, the idea was abandoned, just above. A few shells fror aw Picket quickly drove the enemy ay nthe Delaware and ay, and the land- 30 ANS “s i“ - ing o ; om - was unmolested. General Foster, ae aap a seer Reno, with the Union PS bes: ween: Parke, on the Phenix, about twenty Peete filled with men, landed in Foster’s brigade 2 es over 4,000 men. General eral Reno nia ae landed first, but that of Gen- ordered to wait rs got there first, but Reno was howitzers HBS oe _ Burnside, till the boat steamers. While <3 = attached to his the Pi 3 ng, General Foster ae Gi passed ‘him. There was ace a rig the landing of detachments from the Siatecan = First Brigade, Twenty-third The force ee Massachusetts. up the island, as a somy at Ashby’s had retreated from fear of ‘ie sey Agree nes eing cut off as road from finedin’s ie from the gunboats, for the the road from 84s : sie the main road above where between the pie by’s did, and there was a swamp they had orders tesa ‘or artillery ; and again My company |: : ‘e the artillery at all events. pany landed after dark, on, it seemed to me, a quaking boo § bog. I had hardly started from the boats making for went into a bog hole u and managed to reac haps. ENGAGEMENT AT ROANOKE ISLAND. a fire up on the shore, when my right leg p to myhips. I got out of it, h dry land without more mis- Our two guns were landed by the Pilot Boy about 9 P. M., but only one was hauled ashore, as there were only one I soon found my company, and proc We were in a cornfield gun crew drilled. eeded to make up my bed with my chum. back of the house. We pulled up the stalks, placed them lengthwise between the rows; placed one rub- got up back to back, and ber blanket under us, pulled the other blanket ove just then it commenced rus, and went to sleep. We didn’t go to sleep, for , and I commence I vot into New 5 to rain, and up we got d wander- ing, which continued all night. York and Pennsylvania regiments, and observed I finally crawled into a things as well as I could. velling-house, dog kennel that stood in front of the dv dry lodgings for the t by a strange voice and thought I had secured night, but soon was roused up and ou that said, “that’s my house.” om my own r As soon as it I guess it was his, for I was some distance fr egiment, and I got out of it, and again wandered. 32 THE J BURNSIDE EXPEDITION AND THE Ws 7}; as daylight w e got ours 7 5 rselyes : to start off. together and prepared By 12 o’clock i = es me night of the 7th all the troops SS grme except the Twenty-fourth Massa- beater f e by grounding of the steamer at 8. Pickets had been placed around our entire bivouac f; ac from the Tw : Tenth C : venty-fifth Massacl Connecticut, and Fourth Rhode Isla eg nee S The Eighth Connecticut was left St eee Haman’s house to ae ae sei = esumny on our left, and the Fifth a en had been placed at Ashby’s a tegeaes tse tand rear in conjunction with a Sree = the Delaware, under Captain — sca led the shore. There had been a rsa =e between the wins Seg sued ues ineeets and its success $e let ng good feeling prevailing. a aoe oe had been on OEP a fet: * ght up to a brook that ran = len our regi es Setar the Scns pi el Maggi tell Colonel Kurtz that one of E ISLAND. 33 ENGAGEMENT AT ROANOKE their pickets was missing, and one had come in A few rods beyond them we passed about to the knees of the short men. as very cold. We wounded. through a brook We had to wade, and the water w a mile or so when we heard fir- marched along about saw the ame into a clearing and 1 skirmishers ing. Soon we ¢ -fifth in action ahead of us, witl Twenty ahead. them, they did. and their song was quite aud The enemy had a three gun battery at the further a road through and across @ swamp. They xty or eighty yards across, n the road, mak- We fell into column, by division, behind advanced when they did, and halted when We were just in range of the bullets, ible. end of had cut trees down some si and five or six hundred yards dow into which the road en- ing an oblong cleared space a sharp ight hand lower corner, making tered at the r and running to the upper turn at once to the left, At this point they had corner diagonally opposite. and in it a turf battery, embrasured for three guns, were a twenty-four pound howitzer on the right, a six pounder brass in the centre, and an eighteen pounder on the left; these three guns completely 34 THE BURNSIDE EXPEDITION AND THE cover : si fea ft to Ne. turn, but they were not cal- Sieg aa i anything else, and were firing in eee os = tiene, having no sweep to right sites . ey Set use them except down me ad, their determination being to keep the road re he ites 3 for the eighteen pounder gun they tg — ean: ammunition. They had side and in ics se iodeatengeles ibis len 2 oned to hold the fort if We insisted on coming r either flank being sanenieret Ce — abe our regiment had for some ae been s porting the Twenty-fifth, we were ordered | pe right flank across the fire of the guns, ir *! = pti and swamp to try and flank ‘he ae : bs Pe ee on entering the woods e the Fifty- sylvania, having gone eet aving gone to the left : i Ing it impossible to advance, bad left t ee. » he wo compani and n "ew ir i eet ow threw their other eight companies up ith the Twenty - | yee ie —. It was at this time that the Ninth } York ce ew York came on to the field. They we ordered ‘j . ‘ . aie to the right, and two companies, led by Col nel Hawkins, } s, had got out of si i ppetand> g sight in the woods ‘ neral, seeing that there was confusion in ne enemy’s forces Sins y’s forces, ordered them to charge Major imball gallantly 3 j fg ate g tly led off, but just at this time the T onnecticut, in thei i oa Sagem 5 Loe aga ; eir gray uniforms, came to es » and a volley from the enemy came, and ous ai io 1aves failed torespond. They fell back down the road 1 co Ss b Ww an a 1 5 Cc nfusion, ut ere soon rallied and r ENGAGEMENT AT ROANOKE ISLAND. 3% up the road making as much noise as though they had driven the enemy. When they got to the bat- tery, there were in it ahead of them some of the Twenty-third Massachusetts from the right, and the Twenty-first Massachusetts, Ninth New Jersey, and Fifty-first New York from the left. The famous Ninth New York, Hawkins’ Zouaves, charge of the 1 > are pictured climbing over the fort and 1 Zou! never and crying Zou miuds of some newspaper where they bayoneting the enemy happened, except in the reporters and picture makers. In fact the charging on the b cause of the retreat anyway, for when the char derate in Fort Defiance there wasn’t a live Confe They left because they were attery was uot the ge was made that could get away. flanked out; while their the troops there, the ded in getting so far to the , and they ran. Their right flank was occupied with Twenty-third Massachu- setts had succee ir left rear as to threaten their capture left wing went first. I have a letter from Col. J.M. 1g on Roanoke Island, who was Eighth North Carolina, and in right flank of the Whitson, now livir then captain in the charge of the company on the 4 38 THE BURNS ‘ This must have been what I t the enemy had not got State flag of Massachu- ise firing posed surrender.’ and it is evident tha d with the white account of this order to ce? r that I wrote home in heard, acquainte setts. I find the and the cheering in February, dated February 14th. This engagement was fought by the Is, they acting with perfect co-operation. a lette three subordi- nate Genera “JT beg leave General Burnside t I must refer you igadier-generals for ts during the day, as t precluded the possibility of any rations on the field.” Gen- the Haman house send- in his report says: entirely to the accurate he to say tha almost reports of my br lge of their movemen an knowle¢ face of the island pe general oversight of o at or near eral Burnside was ammunition, etc. ing up reinforcem It is to be rememb and all the mov ents, ered that there was not ted on foot, although a horse ements were direc carried by hand; d as being in action, landed, ammunition, etc., mentione was so small, and th each got into action 5 from four companies im- and regiments are e obstacles so many, the Twenty- many the field that only a part of third Massachusetts firing I . Ps ON AND THE mediate] ; seventh gene of the -eneiny.s-4heDwenky the flanks being part! one company at a time, both Rew Jaeay Pe artly covered by troops; the Ninth left, OP 8. and those on our Feek steak % Massachusetts, Fifty-first New fourth OEP Eoin pein Twenty- bhetha: Ack . 8 unfortunately arrived on the companies ese 5 take part in the action. Two ward from the a to carry ammunition for- with General Pe and the other seven went ae the Twenty-third b es scx upper end of the island, On the way up two tie oe behind them. ae anies of the Twenty-four were detached to go alone enty-fourth ea who were a and bring in IS Was ¢ nas ; Je ie a - — tiresome march of a half-dozen naibiiies aed 8; the road was strewed with im- ge Acti oe by the retreating enemy. more had been é SE OE a ee ites tt _ ready for action, and I thought iii rath ia 2 gning off. We expressed the jie eae a aie was doing this, not by the y the job, but we pressed on and soon ENGAGEMENT AT ROANOKE ISLAND. 41 bad surrendered to Gen- I was satisfied While we heard the news that they eral Foster. I was glad for one. that they knew what was best for them. had been doing this, other troops had gone to the camp of the Thirty-first North Carolina (our camp being that of the Eighth North Carolina), and ac- and others had gone to the “All the guns, and battery, cepted their surrender, aken possession of them. hree field pieces in the inl er ineffectual attempts made Six of them were with forts and t excepting the t had been spiked, and oth to render them unserviceable. the remainder They were all and others spiked with rat-tail files ; spikes and nails. several shot wedged, and inverted, so ar- wrought-iron loaded, some with with charged shells unfused ranged as to explode in the gun if fired.” These all removed without accident, and the guns made serviceable in a short time. The total number aptured was forty-two. About 1,500 ved, of those taken, the troops s, sporting rifles, ooth-bore pat- ry in 1832, and altered were of cannon ¢ muskets were preser being armed also with fowling piece The guns preserved were of sm etc. tern, made at Harper's Fer 42 THE BURNSIDE EXPEDITION AND THE from flint locks. The number of prisoners surren- dered was between 2,500 and 3,000, many escaping by boats, ete., to Nag’s Head, where was General Wise, who was carried off in a wagon, being unable to ride or walk. The enemy’s loss, in addition to those surrendered, was killed, 23; wounded, 58; missing 62; total, 143. Our loss was killed, 37; wounded, 214; missing, 13; 264 in all. The position of the battery was apparently a strong one ; coupled with their opinion that the swamp and marsh on either side were impassable, was the fact that there was no other road leading up the island, and therefore they could not be flanked ; and they had a force at the work sufficient to have caused great slaughter, had their idea of the situation been the true one. The Confederates speak of their left being guarded by a marsh, and their right by a swamp, but to any one not acquainted with the nomenclature it might be all swamp or all marsh ; it was all water. The news of this victory was very cheering to the North, coming, as it did, about the time of the cap- ture of Forts Henry and Donelson. It was very ENGAGEMENT AT ROANOKE ISLAND. 43 depressing to the South. This victory gave us a good foothold in North Carolina, and it put us right at the back door of Norfolk, and virtually com- pelled the evacuation of that place. May 3d, Gen. R. E. Lee writes to Gen. T. H. Holmes at Golds- borough, N. C.: “I must explain to you that it is in contemplation to withdraw the troops from Nor- folk.” General Wise says about Roanoke Island: “Tt was the key to all the rear defenses of Norfolk.” “It should have been defended at the expense of 20,000 men and of many millions of dollars.” That night, Saturday, 8th of February, the Twen- ty-fourth Massachusetts was ordered to do guar duty, and our regiment and the Twenty-fifth turned in. We were assigned to some of the log barracks. There wasn’t bunks enough for all, therefore I had the floor. I was wet, wet since landing Friday night, supplemented with some three hours in the wettest water in the marsh; but I was tired, and spreading my rubber blanket down to keep us from falling through the cracks in the boarding, my chum and I nestled up to each other, dos a dos, covered our- selves with the other “gum,” and surrendered to old 44 THE BURNSIDE EXPEDITION AND THE “balmy.” I woke up in the night shaking all over, but went to sleep again until four in the morning, when I got up, went to the cook-house and found some of the boys enjoying coffee and fresh pork. I retain a pleasing memory of the camp: as one stood at the eastern end and looked west, on the left were the large, log barracks of the men; on the right, the smaller well constructed huts of the officers, and down the middle a row of four wells, with sweeps, the water in which tasted to us deliciously. We don’t get any rations for several days, 7.e., any Union rations ; we grub along as best we can. I finda wash- bowl which I fasten to myself for fear it will wander off and get lost, and this I find to be a whole house- hold of tools. When I turn out, I wash face and hands in it; then rinsed out, I use it to mix flapjacks in, flapjacks compounded of Confederate flour, lard and water, cooked on a spade, and sugared with Confederate brown sugar. While these were cook- ing I was making coffee. I had. fastened to a pint coffee-pot, found a coffee-mill nailed to a tree, and also some roasted coffee, which was not all coffee, but half sweet potatoes cut up into small cubes, the ENGAGEMENT AT ROANOKE ISLAND, 45 size of a coffee berry, and roasted with the coffee. With this combination and a strong right hand I lived two or three days, till our Quartermaster found time to get some of Uncle Sam’s rations ashore ; our Quartermaster in the meanwhile having got:a severe reprimand from Colonel Kurtz for not attending to his duty better. Besides the uses named, that wash- bowl did duty as a wash-tub for washing shirts, ete. It was a combination utensil, without being patented. We are on this island nearly a month, the Gen- eral busied in sending off the prisoners paroled, cap- turing towns on Albermarle Sound, and stirring things up generally. Our Quartermaster hears of a schooner of perhaps fifty tons hid up Alligator river ; he gets permission to go for her on the Hussar. Captain Alexander and Company E go along; they find her up a creek covered by bushes, and start down with her. Near the mouth of the Alligator they meet a gunboat of ours coming to them brist- ling with guns, run out, ready for action. The true condition of affairs is soon explained, and the ves- sels arrive safely at Roanoke Island. The schooner’s name was Cornelia Dunkirk, but we called her the 46 THE BURNSIDE EXPEDITION AND THE Gideon, and Gideon she was known as, so long as she lived, which was several years after the war, she being used as a government freighter, and she ended her days sunk as a wharf boat at Hatteras Inlet. Gideon was derived from the famous song of “Gid- eon’s Band,” sung aboard the Highlander. I recol- lect some of it, which will illustrate its classical beauty : The Highlander is the Gideon’s pet, She took us through this damned inlet, She belongs to Gideon’s Band. Here’s to the Surgeon of our wing, Its worth five dollars to hear him sing, He belongs to Gideon Band, etc., etc. Thursday, March 6th, we went on board the Highlander ; Friday, 7th, had a cold northeast snow storm; Saturday, 8th, it was clear but cold. We lay on board vessels until Tuesday, 11th, when we started down the sound in tow of steamer New York, but the wind being fair, we cast off from her and sailed for the rendezvous at Hatteras Inlet, where we arrived about dark; we remained here till next morning, Wednesday, 12th. Here we got a ENGAGEMENT AT ROANOKE ISLAND. 47 mail from home, and started for New Berne. We anchored in the Neuse river, off Slocum’s Creek, sixteen miles below New Berne, and lay there till Thursday, P. M., our wing of the regiment landing about 2 o’clock. While we were at Roanoke Island, the Kighty-ninth New York and Sixth New Hamp- shire were brought from Hatteras Inlet, and with the Ninth New York were designated to be left to garrison the island. The Eleventh Connecticut and Belger’s Battery of Light Artillery were aboard ship to go with the force to New Berne; and the Forty- eighth Pennsylvania and the Company of First Artil- lery were to be left at Hatteras Inlet for a garrison, although a portion of this company having been used to man two thirty-two pounder field howitzers, for which horses and harnesses had been issued within a month, were taken along for light artillery. The light artillery was not taken ashore at all, the guns ashore being the naval boat howitzers, and a gun each from the Cossack and Highlander, and these were hauled by hand, the soldiers pulling, and were got up very late at night, our regiment marching 48 THE BURNSIDE EXPEDITION. along through the bivouac some time after dark, our company, A, hauling a gun and singing: Come along, boys, and march to New Berne, Up to your knees in mud. The next day, 14th, was the day of the battle, and our gun from the Highlander opened the ball on Fw) our side, and was alone in action long enough to fire between ten and twenty rounds before the others came up. An account of the battle of New Berne does not come within the bounds of this paper.