68 Norta Caroiina Troops, 1861-65.

Wednesday morning following, when we were removed (the
officers only), to the steamer Spaulding in the sound, fully
expecting to start immediately for New York. We were
allowed to take our baggage and servants. The ten days
following were the most miserable I ever passed. Confined
to the damp, dark and dirty lower deck greatly crowded, fed
on hard crackers, fat pork (which they said was cooked before
leaving the North, but which seemed to us raw), and coffee
twice a day, you may imagine our condition. On Sunday,
the 16th, General Burnside came aboard and announced that
we could all be released on a parole of honor, of which the
following is a copy:

“Having been taken a prisoner of war by the forces of Gen-
eral A. E. Burnside, on Roanoke Island, I do solemnly pledge
my sacred word and honor, that if released, I will give no one
any information I may have derived, or mention anything I
may have heard or seen since my capture, that might injure
the Government of the United States of America, or aid their
enemies by word or act until I am regularly exchanged ac-
cording to the usages of war; the information to me, of said
exchange to be beyond the possibility of a doubt.”

This was about the first intimation we had of anything of
the kind and upon the assurance that the same privilege
should be offered to our men, we gladly accepted the proposi-
tion. But it was not until the next Thursday that they
moved with us, then steamers, bearing all the prisoners
taken, started for Elizabeth City where, on Friday, we landed,

_and after a tedious process of verifying rolls, we were re-
leased. The meeting here between officers and men was in
some instances very affecting. You may be sure that we
gladly took up our line of march homeward, and bore the
many hardships and privations of the journey with more
cheerfulness than under other circumstances. At Ports-
mouth we were furnished with a good meal. At Weldon,
Colonel O. H. Dockery most kindly prepared for and enter-
tained my company, on Tuesday morning, from which time
until our arrival at Florence—thirty-six hours—we had noth-
ing to eat. At the latter place a bountiful repast was spread
for us, Mr. Gamble, the proprietor of the hotel, only

Tue Fat or Roanoke ISLAND. 69

charging us half price—to his credit be it spoken. We are
all now safely at home with one exception, and impatient to
hear of our exchange. Joseph E. Liles has not been seen or
directly heard from since the fight, though we have the
strongest reasons for believing that he was alive on the island,
though sick when we left. He was quite unwell with the
mumps on the day of the battle, though he fought most
bravely, and was with us when we started to retreat. He
was doubtless taken prisoner, and I fully hope and believe,
for various reasons, that he will soon be returned to his home
and friends. May this be so—for a nobler boy, or one more
beloved, never pulled trigger on an enemy. I had several
men wounded, though none seriously. Our whole loss,
killed and wounded, is about forty—that of the enemy but
little, if any, under two thousand killed, and I know not how
many were wounded. This information was gained in vari-
ous ways, as it was most studiously kept secret by most of
the officers, but is reliable. Captain Knight’s men and the
others in the battery, fired thirty to forty rounds of buck and
ball cartridges, and for a large portion of the time, the en-
emy was just where we wanted them to make our shots tell,
and every discharge of our artillery opened a perfect lane
through the enemy’s ranks. When we saw them advancing
the last time upon us, the order to “Fix bayonets” was given,
and I never saw it obeyed more cheerfully on drill—though
every man expected a hand-to-hand conflict. All those pretty
stories about crying and breaking swords, are gammon. I
could not make this communication shorter and do the North

Carolina companies engaged justice.
E. R. Lis.

Lizsvitiz, N. C.,
1 March, 1862.

————

Norx.—At the time of this battle E R. Liles was Captain Company B,
and later Lieutenant-Colonel of the Regiment. His estimate of the ene-

-my’s loss is very far above the mark (see Burnside’s report above) as

perhaps was natural at the time.—Ep.