752 Norto Carouina Troops, 1861-’65.

fight on the 14th continued about five hours, when the enemy
concentrated their land forces to the right, out of our sight,
and flanked our infantry, and we fell back to New Bern,
thence to Kinston. There the company was in the general re-
view, and on the 18th was ordered to Goldsboro, where it did
provost guard duty, which was necessary at that time, but nev-
ertheless irksome. On the 28th, it was ordered to Wilmington,
where it remained until 1 April, at which time it was trans-
ported with six other heavy artillery companies from the Pam-
lico and Neuse rivers, and landed at thedifferent fortifications
on the Cape Fear river. This company was sent to Fort Jchn-
ston, at Smithville, where it built Fort Pender, and fortified
the town in the rear by a line of breastworks and redoubts
from Elizabeth creek to the Cape Fear river, below deep
water point, at the samé time drilled, did garrison and picket
duty. While there the company suffered the scourge of yel-
low fever and smallpox, from which quite a large number
died. During the winter and spring of 1863, the company
recruited to 130 men. In addition to other services, this
company kept guard at the signal stations onthe coast and
river, to report signals displayed, in order that blockade run-
ners might make a safe entrance in the Cape Fear river, which
was a very important service to the State and Confederate
governments. It was while the company was at Fort John-
son that the steamer Kate, in running the blockade, struck one
of the obstructions (or Yankee catchers, as we called them),
in the inlet at Fort Caswell, and punched a hole in her bot-
tom, from which she sank at Smithville. From her this
company took about ten thousand blankets, besides arms and
merchandise. A short time afterwards the steamer “Scotia,”
while trying to run in port, got aground, and was set on fire,
and burned down to the water. The next day this company
took out of her five thousand pounds of meat and other stores.
This company being raised on the coast and accustomed to the
sea, quite a number of them were detached to go on an expe-
dition with five hundred men to take one of the fast blockade-
running steamers and run the blockade at New Inlet, and run
in at Cape Henry and pass Fortress Monroe to Point Look-
out, release our prisoners there (which were said to be about

FortieTH REGIMENT, 753
22,000) arm those for duty and march out through Maryland
and join General Lee’s army somewhere in the vicinity of
Washington, D. C. This movement was in agitation in the
latter part of June, 1863, just before the battle of. Gettys-
burg, Pa. This matter becoming known to the enemy
through deserters, it was abandoned. :
On 12 July this company was ordered to Bald Head, and
was subject to a severe shelling from the fleet, all day (on
Sunday) trying to recapture a blockade runner ashore on
the beach, back of the island (this steamer was also named
Kate). We did succeed after a detachment of Company E,
from Fort Caswell, and a detachment of Company B, from
Fort Fisher, with Whitworth cannon came to our assistance,
in driving away the enemy and saving a portion of the cargo.
There were several of the blockade fleets in action on both
sides of the island, and the firing was severe, those on the
west side being the greatest sufferers, having their gun car-
riage and wheels shot away and several men wounded. We
also rescued the blockade-running steamer Pungo from cap-
ture after being run ashore on Bald Head beach, and saved a

portion of her cargo, also several other steamers whose names
I cannot now recall.

COMPANY H.

This company was organized at Wilmington, N. C., in the
spring of 1861, where it remained for a few days, and
was sent to Fort Caswell at the entrance of the Cape Fear
river. There it remained for some time, and was ordered to
Oamp Advance, near Weldon, where it was attached to Colo-
nel Tew’s Second Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, and
ordered to Richmond, Va.; from there to Fredericksburg,
where it remained and did service on the Potomac river and
other points in that State, until the spring of 1862, when it
returned to North Carolina, with General Holmes’ Division,
and was afterwards detached and sent to the Cape Fear river,
and was stationed at several fortifications on that river. It
was at Fort Pender, at the organization of the Fortieth Regi-
ment, and assigned to it as Company H, and ordered to Bald
Head for duty. This company was composed principally of

48