552 NortH Carotina Troops, 1861-’65.

and amusing affair. The attack, well premeditated, occurred
between 4 and 5 o’clock on the morning of 10 December,
1862. Lieutenant-Colonel John C. Lamb, of the Seven-
teenth North Carolina Infantry, was in command of all the
forces, and Lieutenant-Colonel S. B. Evans, of that part of
the Sixty-third (Fifth Cavalry) which was present. Most of
the enemy’s pickets were captured and our cavalry went upon
the town wjth a rush in the face of volleys from the Federal
infantry who quickly broke in all directions and took refuge
in and behind the custom house. The gunboat Southfield was
in the river in rear of the town and before and after she was
disabled kept up a brisk firing with her guns. She was shot
“through the boiler” at the third fire of our artillery and then
drifted. Captain Galloway, of the Sixty-third, was wounded
and sixmen. The demoralization of the enemy was complete
and their official reports of the affair, Vol. 26, pages 45-49,
are ridiculous and pitiful. They all bear evidence of terrible
fright. The commandant of the port, Captain Ewer, at 7 p.
m., 11 December, says: “All this day they have been sta-
tioned outside of the town.” But he could not attack, the
health of his men being seriously affected by guard and picket
duty. And Lieutenant Mizell on 16 December, six days
after the fight, says that “he resumed his seat for the purpose
of reporting the attack,” and that he “heard they had four
wagon loads of killed and wounded.” ‘The best and most
principal parts of the town are burned up. The families of
our men are left without a change of clothing. We have
lost all our books, pay and muster rolls, a quantity of cloth-
ing belonging to the men and some ammunition. I believe
I have given all the particulars that I can think of.” Lieu-
tenant Flusser, a brave man of the United States gunboat
Perry, to whom all the reports were referred for information,
says that he found Ewer on the Southfield a mile and a
half down the river; did not know where his men were, but
“hoped most of them were in the swamp,” that is, those not
captured; that as “soon as the Southfield fell back (which
she ought maybe not to have done) Ewer got frightened, left

his men and went on board. The whole affair was disgrace-
ful.”

Srxty-THirD REGIMENT. 553

Fighting gunboats with cavalry took place several times
in our war. For instance, the attack by Lieutenant A. B.
Andrews, Ninth North Carolina, upon this same Lieutenant
Flusser 9 July, 1862, Vol. 1, p. 446, of this work, the capture
of a gunboat in New River by Company A, Forty-first North
Carolina, and attack on Washington, N. ©., by cavalry, see
Vol. 2 (of this work), pp. 774-775, and Lieutenant Thomas
Ruffin’s capture of a gunboat on the Chowan with a part of
his company of the Fifty-ninth North Carolina, present
volume, p. 459, and there are other instances recorded in these
volumes. General Fitzhugh Lee fought gunboats with his
cavalry command at Kinnon’s Landing on the James 25 May,
1864, and General Bedford Forrest did the same feat re-
peatedly, and in fact captured and disabled several boats.

THE BATTLE OF WHITE HALL.

On the morning of 11 December, 1862, the Federal Gen-
eral Foster left New Bern, N. C., on his expedition against
Goldsboro, with 10,000 infantry, 40 pieces of artillery and
640 cavalry. Vol. 26, page 54. On the 14th the Fifty-ninth
and Sixty-third North Carolina (Fourth and Fifth Cav-
alry) were moved from Garysburg by train, via Goldsboro,
to Moseley Hall, now LaGrange, on the railroad between
Goldsboro and Kinston, the horses being sent through the
country. On 16 December a fierce fight raged for several
hours at White Hall bridge, over the Neuse, and while the
Sixty-third (Fifth Cavalry) was held in reserve dismounted
and not actively engaged in this battle they were under heavy
artillery fire sufficiently to show their mettle. The explosion
of an 18-pounder near their colors, as the regiment marched
as on dress parade to the front, gave the men an idea of what
war meant. In his report of this battle General Robertson

says:
“The Fifty-ninth (Fourth Cavalry) and the Sixty-third
(Fifth Cavalry) Regiments, although in reserve, were never-
theless exposed to a galling fire from the enemy’s artillery.
A few were killed and a number wounded. Both officers and

men behaved admirably.” Vol. 26, p. 122. i
To show the discipline of the officers and men at this time,