318 Nortu Caronina Troops, 1861-65.

their front line were in our possession, the enemy sullenly re-
tiring, firing only three guns from the front and three others
from the fort on their left (Thompson). The Eighth Con-
necticut. and Fifth Rhode Island followed immediately in
the rear, and in support of the Fourth Rhode Island. AI-
though now in possession of the entire works of the enemy be-
tween the railroad and the river, the heavy firing on our left
and beyond the railroad proved that General Reno’s Brigade
was still hotly engaging the enemy.

“I ordered the Fifth Rhode Island Battalion and the
Eighth Connecticut to advance cautiously. Captain J. N.
King then reported that the enemy still occupied rifle pits
along side the railroad back of the brick yard and a series of
redoubts extending beyond the railroad and in General Reno’s
front.

“T then had the Fourth Rhode Island brought up and or-
dered the Colonel to drive the enemy from his position. This
order was executed in a most gallant manner. The regiment
charged the enemy in flank, while a simultaneous charge was
made by General Reno in front, thus driving the enemy from
his last stronghold.”

General Burnside in his report of the battle, says: ‘‘Gen-
eral Foster seeing.our forces inside the enemy’s lines, im-
mediately ordered his brigade to charge, when the whole line
of breastworks-between the railroad and the river were most
gallantly carried. After the cheers of our men had subsided,
it was discovered that Genera] Reno was still engaged with
the enemy on the left, wpon which General Parke moved back
with a view of getting in rear of the enemy’s forces in the in-
trenchments to the left of the railroad. General Foster, also
moved forward with one of his regiments, with a view of get-
ting to the rear.” It was to this last regiment that Colonel
Avery and Captain Rand surrendered. This regiment Gen-
eral Foster marched down the county road leading to New
Bern, until opposite the camp of the Twenty-sixth Regiment,
when turning to the left, he marched through the woods and
took position on both sides of the railroad; he also brought
up four pieces of artillery and placed them in position.

Let us now return to Captain Rand’s account of the clos-

eine ae ate afi phin ae ap Py in age samen hhh ey

TWENTY-SIxXTH REGIMENT. 319

ing incidents of the battle on his part of the line: “The ac-
tion at this place had now continued for more than three
hours. Our men from first to last poured in their fire with
deliberate aim. Colonel Avery was everywhere along the
trenches animating the men by his presence. I may say
that nearly every man did his duty nobly. Many were the
narrow escapes. Colonel Avery received a ball through his
cap, and many received balls through their hats or clothes.
The respective forces were all the time within from two to
three hundred yards of each other; all had been silent along
our lines, both right and left of us for some time. Just at
this time, while we were so intently engaged on our front, we
were fired into on our left by a considerable body of the enemy
who had taken position in the edge of the woods beyond the
railroad. This determined the conflict so far as we were
concerned. Colonel Avery saw in an instant that nothing
now remained but to draw off the troops. The order-was
given and we went out of the trenches amidst a perfect storm
of bullets from both right and left.

The intention of Colonel Avery was to rally the men and
form line on the railroad. He succeeded in a great measure,
and marched diagonally through the woods, a distance of
three or four hundred yards, for a point on the railroad just
above the camp of the Twenty-sixth Regiment. My com-
pany occupied the extreme left of the rifle pit, and became the
right of the line in retreat. The woods were so filled with
underbrush that we could see but a short distance before us.
When we had advanced far enough to see through the opening
made for the railroad track, and had nearly reached the place
where we were to form line, we discovered just across the
railroad, and about fifty or seventy-five yards in front of our
right, four pieces of the enemy’s artillery and a regiment of
infantry deployed on each side and extending across the rail-
road. An officer immediately rode out and demanded a sur-
render. Seeing ourselves surrounded and no hope of escape,
Colonel Avery, and those on the right, surrendered. Those
on the left, being further off, and aided by the cover of the
woods, nearly all escaped. The surrender took place at 11:30
o'clock a. m. The number of prisoners taken at this place