SEVENTIETH REGIMENT. 1 FP

In this affair the regiment lost Dr. Gregory captured in
Camp Baker, where he went to attend the wounded, Lieu-
tenant VanB. Sharpe, of Pitt County, who had been wound-
ed while on the skirmish line, and several privates were also
captured, and we had our camp plundered, if a camp of
Junior Reserves at that time can be said to be the subject of
plunder. Colonel Hinton and Adjutant Hinton, of the Sixty-
Eighth, who had spent the night at the Sherrod house in our
rear, waiting the coming up of that regiment, were captured,
as they came out expecting to meet it, but the Adjutant soon
escaped. He had a leave of absence in his pocket to go home
to be married and he kept his tryst. The enemy returned
hastily to Plymouth. Upon the return of the six companies
from Belfield, the regiment resumed its duties at Camp Baker
of protecting the approaches from below and thus guarding
Tarboro and Weldon.

POPLAR POINT.

Late in December, the enemy sent several boats up the Roan-
oke, threatening Fort Branch, and on 23 December, two com-

panies of the regiment, with a section of Dickson’s light bat-
tery (Company KE, of Starr’s Battalion), the whole under the
command of Lieutenant-Colonel Broadfoot, who had volun-
teered for this service, went to Poplar Point on the Roanoke,
a short distance below Fort Branch, to reconnoitre, and pre-
vent, if possible, their further ascent of the river. The loss
of a boat, sunk near Williamston by a torpedo placed in the
river the night before by Dr. Fretwell, who had been sent
from Richmond as already stated, for the purpose of obstruct-
ing the river, had checked the gunboats which were advanc-
ing slowly, dragging the river from open boats as they went.
When they passed a bend in the river below Poplar Point and
came into view, the guns of Dickson’s Battery located on the
bluff, opened fire and stopped them. The enemy shelled the
banks, which were lined with two companies of our regi-
ment, without damage, and upon 24 December another bat-
tery having been placed below the gunboats and the infantry
having been reinforced by Colonel Whitford’s Sixty-seventh

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