Kinston, Whitehall and Goldsboro (North Carolina) expedition, December, 1862 Part 2

DECEMBER, 19, 1862.

Your correspondent left the army about seven o'clock this morning, and, after a horseback ride of over forty miles, reached New Berne by sundown. When he left, the army was on its way to New Berne.

THE LATEST.

NEW BERNE, Dec. 20, 1862.

During the progress of the late expedition we came upon large quant.i.ties of cotton and turpentine. Our advance was so peculiar and rapid that the rebels did not have time to burn it, although we occasionally found large quant.i.ties on fire.

Our entire movement was greatly facilitated by Captain Sleight, to whose energetic course of action was due the keeping of our supply, etc., trains. General Foster highly complimented Captain Sleight for the ability with which he conducted his department.

I forgot to mention in my account of the engagement at Goldsboro railroad bridge that the enemy, on finding that our troops were outflanking them by wading through a mill stream, hoisted the gate at the mill and let the water rush down with astonishing impetuosity. By this means one or two of our men were drowned, while others still pushed on, with the water up to their armpits, regardless of the difficulty.

We learn by flag of truce, from the rebels at Kinston, that their (the rebels) loss is between eight and nine hundred, and that the two South Carolina regiments that charged Morrison's battery, lost in that charge about three hundred and fifty men; their color bearer was shot three times.

BRILLIANT CONDUCT OF THE UNION TROOPS.

KINSTON, N. C., Dec. 15, 1862.

An important movement has long been on foot looking towards the capture of Goldsboro and Weldon, and the severance of one rebel railroad line of communication connecting the cotton states with the capital of the so-called confederacy; Preparations have for some time been carried to enable the force which was to engage in the attempt to push it to a successful issue. The time has now come when the object and the means of execution of this movement may be safely revealed. The object of the expedition was to capture Kinston, and then to take Goldsboro, thereby cutting the Wilmington and Weldon railroad, which would isolate Wilmington and effectually cut off its supplies and reinforcements.

That, I believe, was the object of the expedition. The first portion of the work has been accomplished--the capture of Kinston; and the other portion is in a fair way of being carried successfully out to the letter.

The forces under General Foster left New Berne on Thursday, the 11th, and moved up the Trent road, along the Trent River, about ten miles, when the division halted for the night. On Friday the march was resumed at sunrise, the Ninth New Jersey having the extreme advance, followed by Wessell's brigade, one of General Peck's brigade, recently sent from Suffolk, with Company B, Third New York Artillery, Captain Morrison.

Then followed the brigade of Acting Brigadier-General Amory consisting of four Ma.s.sachusetts regiments.

Acting Brigadier-General Lee's brigade of Ma.s.sachusetts regiments came next, Colonel Stevenson's brigade, also of Ma.s.sachusetts regiments, brought up the rear with four regiments. Acting Brigadier-General Ledlie, of the Third New York Artillery, had command of the artillery, consisting of the Third New York Artillery and Belger's battery, First Rhode Island Artillery. Colonel Mix's Third New York Cavalry, Lieutenant-Colonel Mix in command, were employed as scouts on the advance and on the sides of the line of march, and as provost-guards to protect houses along the road.

On Friday night the column halted within eleven miles of Kinston, and encamped in line of battle, no fires being allowed and all unusual noises prohibited. The troops did not get into camp until 9 o'clock.

Skirmishing continued all day between cavalry of the rebels and Mix's cavalry, in which we lost two men prisoners and one wounded. We captured fifteen or sixteen of the rebel cavalry, and killed and wounded several.

On Sat.u.r.day morning at 7 o'clock the line of march was resumed towards Kinston at a slow pace, as the enemy were beginning to appear in some force in front, to a point where the Whitehall, and main Kinston roads unite, about seven miles from Kinston. This point was reached at about 11 o'clock on Sat.u.r.day morning, and then it was that it was expected that the rebels would offer battle, as it was a strong position. Our troops were formed in line of battle in an open field on the left of the road which ran to Whitehall, in front of a wood, which it was supposed covered the enemy's main force. A small creek ran across the road 500 yards to the right and in front of our line of battle, over which was a bridge, which the rebels had destroyed, and out of the debris of which they had erected a breast-work and planted two six-pounders, rifled, sweeping the road. Morrison's battery was put forward to the right of the road, and taking a position on a small hill 250 yards from the rebel battery, opened fire. The enemy hotly replied with grape and canister, sweeping the road, but doing no damage. Morrison continued to sh.e.l.l the battery and the woods on either side for nearly an hour, when the enemy began to retire. Just as the enemy were about retiring, the Ninth New Jersey were deployed as skirmishers to the left of the road, and advancing under fire, they crossed the creek on a mill dam, flanked the rebel battery, and, taking it by storm, captured a rifled six-pounder and several prisoners. The rebels retreated hastily and succeeded in saving the other six-pounder, but left six killed and wounded. Three hours were consumed in the reconstruction of the bridge. When completed the infantry and artillery crossed and marched towards Kinston, about three and a half miles, and halted for the night, in line of battle, with strong pickets out. The enemy made but feeble resistance to the advance of our forces, Mix's cavalry driving them like chaff before them. The night pa.s.sed quietly, a little affair between pickets, without result, breaking the monotony of the night.

On Sunday morning, at daybreak, Mix's cavalry and Wessell's brigade began to advance, feeling their way cautiously up the road about two miles, when the enemy's pickets were met and driven back through a piece of woods about three-quarters of a mile, when they retired upon the main body of the enemy, six thousand strong, under command of Brigadier-General Evans, of Ball's Bluff notoriety. His forces consisted of three regiments of South Carolina infantry, the balance, of artillery, cavalry and infantry, was made up of North Carolina troops.

Here our advance halted and the artillery was ordered to the front, and at 10.30 the artillery opened on the enemy. The rebels were found to be drawn up in line of battle, on a ground partially wooded and covered with a dense underbrush, with their artillery in the center and on either flank. They formed their line nearly in the shape of a triangle, with the base towards our forces. Our line was formed with the Ninth New Jersey on the right, Wessell's brigade in the center and left; Behind, in a second line, was the Twenty-third Ma.s.sachusetts Regiment, on the right the Forty-fourth and Forty-fifth and other regiments of Amory's brigade, Stevenson's and Lee's brigades being held in reserve. Our artillery was placed in position on the right, centre and left of the line. The battle was begun by the artillery at 10.30, and continued uninterruptedly until about 1.30 o'clock, when the enemy commenced to retreat. But a short time elapsed after the artillery duel had begun before the infantry got to work in earnest, and the musketry became very rapid and hot. The fight was quite lively until 1 o'clock, but not at very close quarters, when the rebels began to fall back, and the Ninth New Jersey were thrown out as skirmishers, and Wessell's brigade pushed forward in pursuit. Our batteries were then thrown around to the right of the road, and fired upon the retreating rebels, but with little effect. The enemy fell back hastily nearly a mile, and crossed the bridge leading into Kinston, the Ninth New Jersey following closely in pursuit. As the last rebel regiment crossed the bridge the rebels applied the match to it, and as it had been prepared for the purpose, the fire gained some headway; but the Ninth New Jersey came up in time to extinguish the fire soon before it had done much damage.

After crossing the bridge one rebel brigade retreated in the direction of Goldsboro and the other in the direction of Snow Hill, on the road to Weldon. General Evans, with his South Carolina troops, retreated towards Goldsboro, our artillery throwing sh.e.l.ls on the retreating columns.

Our division immediately crossed the bridge and occupied Kinston, the rebels on their retreat burning a quant.i.ty of cotton, a locomotive and some cars. Our troops held the town until yesterday morning, when they left the town and moved forward in a northerly direction, after burning the bridge over the Neuse River. We captured on the battle field four hundred prisoners, eleven pieces of artillery on this side of the bridge and three on the other, making fourteen guns in all, taken from them. A large number of small arms, perhaps eight hundred, were taken.

Our loss was one hundred and sixty, killed and wounded. That of the enemy about one hundred and twenty-five, as they were more protected.

The only officers killed on our side were Colonel Gray, of the Ninety-sixth New York Volunteers; Captain Wells and Lieutenant Perkins, of the Tenth Connecticut; we captured a lieutenant-colonel of a South Carolina regiment, and several other officers. The Twenty-third Ma.s.sachusetts, Major Chambers commanding, captured seventy officers and men of the Twenty-third South Carolina Regiment. The mudsills are a little ahead of the chivalry this time.

Our forces are now on the march, and I halt behind to send off this report. You will hear from me again by the first conveyance. Our troops are in excellent spirits and eager to push forward and reap the fruits of our victory. You may rest a.s.sured that General Foster will follow up his advantage to a successful issue. I forgot to mention that Company K, Mix's Third New York Cavalry, charged and captured three pieces of artillery, with caissons, horses and all, in the most gallant manner.

SCENE OF THE DEATH OF COLONEL GRAY.

NEW BERNE, N. C., Dec. 16, 1862.

Colonel Boler of the Forty-sixth Ma.s.sachusetts, has returned from General Foster's expedition, and reports the successful capture of the town of Kinston by the Union troops, and their advance towards Goldsboro, the junction of the Atlantic and North Carolina and the Wilmington and Weldon railroads.

There was some fighting for three days--Friday, Sat.u.r.day, and Sunday, last--the enemy disputing our advance with pertinacity wherever the ground favored them. They are reported to have had a force of 15,000 under command of General Evans, of Ball's Bluff fame. Their loss is heavy in killed, wounded and prisoners, five hundred of the latter having fallen into our hands. Our loss is one hundred and fifty to two hundred and fifty in killed, wounded and missing.

The princ.i.p.al fight was a few miles beyond Kinston, where the enemy had intrenched themselves. The Third New York Cavalry, Colonel Mix's, had a hand to hand conflict with the Second North Carolina Cavalry. The New Yorkers routed the North Carolinians after a hard fight. All the Union troops are reported to have behaved well, exhibiting in many instances great courage and fearlessness.

Our wounded were placed in unoccupied houses in Kinston and the dead buried.

The advance continues toward Goldsboro; but before reaching that point we shall have to encounter further and still stronger opposition. With the large and well disciplined forces of Generals Foster and Wessell, every obstruction will be overcome, and the object sought attained.

Twelve miles beyond Kinston, at a place called Mosely Hall, the enemy have a battery of ten heavy guns, so planted as to deal a very destructive fire upon an advancing foe.

In the attack upon Lieutenant-Colonel Manchester's transports in the Neuse River the rebels suffered severely as reported by a deserter this morning. The sh.e.l.ls from the Allison fell directly in the midst of the battery, killing and wounding several, and, for a time, dispersing the working force of the battery, together with an infantry reserve of some two hundred men, with two regiments at hand.

The Ocean Wave was fired upon from an open field by a force of one hundred and ten North Carolina rebel troops, commanded by Captain Whitfield.

The first brush with the enemy commenced about 8 o'clock on Friday morning, about twenty miles from New Berne, on the main road to Kinston, a little to the right of Trenton when Company B, Captain Marshall, Third New York Artillery, encountered them.

The enemy's force consisted of one company of cavalry and four companies of infantry, of Major Nethercote's North Carolina battalion. After a brief skirmish we dispersed the rebels, killing two, wounded and missing amounting to fifty. Our loss was two wounded and four missing. The advance then moved on, after crossing a bridge, partly destroyed, over a creek, and being delayed an hour in fixing the same. Captain N. encamped the same night within nine miles of Kinston.

On Sat.u.r.day morning Company K, Captain Cole, Third New York Cavalry, took the advance, and while moving forward captured two prisoners, belonging to Nethercote's battalion, who gave some valuable information, proceeded thence to Southwest creek, about five miles from Kinston. On Captain Cole's approach, the enemy were found engaged in endeavoring to destroy the bridge over the creek. Captain Cole dismounted a platoon, who fired a volley upon the enemy while they were at work. The enemy then retreated, but soon after fired from a battery of two six-pounders, howitzers, upon our advance, wounding one man--a private, named John Costello--who was shot through the head.

Colonel Heckmann, of the Ninth New Jersey (the advance guard of the infantry), here came forward and ordered the Ninth to deploy as skirmishers. This order was quickly executed, and had the effect of partly dispersing the enemy; and Schenck's Third New York battery coming up, fired about a dozen sh.e.l.ls, driving the enemy entirely away. On the Ninth New Jersey crossing the bridge, four of the enemy were found dead, the wounded being carried on with the retreating enemy. The Ninth succeeded in capturing one of their howitzers, which was brought into New Berne this morning.

As soon as Captain Cole had crossed the bridge, following the New Jersey Ninth, he was ordered forward by Colonel Heckmann, and his company directed to act as scouts to find the position of the enemy. They had proceeded about eighty or one hundred rods beyond the pickets of the Ninth when the advance guard of Company K was fired upon by a concealed body of the enemy, and Private Chapman wounded in the thigh. Captain Cole then halted, and Colonel Heckmann ordered a part of the Ninth New Jersey forward to skirmish through the woods. The enemy were found in the edge of the woods when a lively fire commenced between our skirmishers and the foe. The entire Ninth was then ordered forward, and the rebels commenced firing sharply from a battery of three howitzers, with grape and canister. A section of two pieces of Schenck's battery was now ordered up, and returned the enemy's grape and canister with twelve-pound sh.e.l.ls. The gallant Jerseymen kept advancing steadily upon the enemy, committing great havoc in their ranks by their unerring aim, until finally the rebels were driven from the woods, and obliged to fall back about half a mile to an open field, skirted by woods. The fight ended about dark, when our advance guard encamped upon the scene of battle. It is a singular fact, notwithstanding the conspicuous part taken and gallantry displayed in this skirmish by the Ninth New Jersey in their advancing movements, but one man was wounded in the whole regiment. But they suffered subsequently. The number of the enemy killed and wounded is unknown, but supposed to be heavy.

The advance laid upon the field all night without molestation. On the following morning (Sunday), about 7.30, the first gun was fired upon the enemy by one of Captain Cole's pickets, and the report spread that the rebels were approaching in force. Colonel Heckmann had the brigade of which he is acting-commander immediately drawn up in line of battle, with the intrepid Ninth still in the advance. After waiting about half an hour, and finding the enemy did not approach, the Ninth was ordered forward, with skirmishers to the right and left, the main body being in the Kinston road. They were then within about three miles from Kinston, and while moving were occasionally saluted with a shot from the enemy's skirmishers. In a short time the firing became more general, and as the Jerseymen went on, closely followed by the brave boys of Company K of the Third New York Cavalry, they returned the fire briskly. After reaching a point bordering on a piece of woods, the rebels commenced firing artillery, nearly raking the road on which our troops were advancing. They then fired to the right and left, to prevent a flank movement, which was attempted by Colonel Heckmann. The fight began now in earnest, and as our infantry and artillery were ordered up, regiment by regiment. General Wessell rode forward, immediately followed by General Foster; and while the fighting in front was going on, the manoeuvering of our forces so as to outflank the enemy was begun.

General Foster ordered Colonel Heckmann to take his brigade to the right, by the river road, and attack the enemy on their left flank; the artillery, consisting of the Third New York Artillery, Belger's Rhode Island battery, Schenck's battery, and two or three others, closely following the infantry. After getting into position a terrible fire was opened upon the enemy from the front and flank. This was withstood with great fort.i.tude and bravery by the enemy for about four hours, when a dashing charge, made by several of our regiments, caused the rebels to break and retreat in confusion across the bridge, over the Neuse, clear to and through the village of Kinston and beyond. Some places they crossed in their flight up the river, to the left, the water was so deep that it reached the bellies of our cavalry horses while in pursuit. The Neuse River bridge had been saturated with turpentine in places, and as the enemy retired in their great haste they imperfectly set fire to it; but the fire was easily extinguished by the aid of the artillery buckets, used for watering the horses. It was here we met our saddest loss, almost, as it were, by accident. Colonel Gray of the Ninety-sixth New York was at work with his regiment, endeavoring to put out the fire, when a loaded musket, thrown away by a flying rebel, caught fire and exploded, the charge entering the body of the Colonel, and inflicting a wound which caused instant death. His body was brought to New Berne by Company K, and will be sent to New York.

The bridge was soon in condition to permit the infantry to cross with perfect safety, our artillery having in the meantime opened from the bridge upon the enemy, who had been rallied and was again formed in line of battle about a mile beyond the village of Kinston. The enemy made no reply but with artillery, but fell back behind a high hill out of sight.

About 2 p. m. General Foster ordered troops to enter the town, when it was occupied, and three brigades sent about two miles beyond. Seven or eight houses were burned in Kinston, some say by accident and some by design, after our men got in. The rebels burned a great amount of corn and cotton before leaving the place. The Ninth New Jersey, taking the advance again, forced the rebels from behind the hill where they had made a stand, to a point about three miles from Kinston, when the troops encamped for the night (Sunday).

After reaching the town, Captain Cole of Company K, Third New York Cavalry, was ordered to proceed down the river to the blockade, and where a battery had been erected to play upon our gunboats if they attempted to ascend the river. Captain Cole, on arriving at the place--a sort of half circular fort, with breastworks a mile and a half long--ascertained from a negro that the rebels had moved six bra.s.s pieces about six hours before he reached there; that they had more guns there, and that a guard had been left to protect them until they could be secured, the rebels not having enough horses to get them all away.

Captain Cole attempted to surround the fort and capture what there was remaining in it, when the guard discovered his force and decamped for the woods without firing a shot. Company K charged on the fort and took possession thereof, capturing everything in it. The armament remaining was found to consist of seven guns, including one eight-inch columbiad, two thirty-two-pounder iron guns, and four six-pounder iron guns. The four latter were found to be loaded, primed and ready to be fired; but the brisk movements of Captain Cole and his daring company prevented the execution of the latter deadly operation. Company K and its commander have been highly complimented by the commanding General for their gallantry on this occasion. A small amount of provisions, clothing, etc., was found in the fort, which was left. The four six-pounders were brought away; the columbiad and the thirty-twos, being too heavy to be removed, were spiked and the carriages burned. Captain Cole reached Kinston about midnight with the trophies. The next morning about 5 o'clock he received orders from General Foster to return to New Berne with seven pieces--two bra.s.s and five iron--captured with other trophies. The two bra.s.s pieces were the same captured from us at Little Washington about three months ago. Captain Cole also brings the remains of Colonel Gray, of the Ninety-sixth New York, killed on Neuse bridge.

On his way down Captain Cole captured eight rebels and brought them into New Berne. Three belonged to South Carolina and four to Georgia.

The New Jersey Ninth captured the regimental flag of a South Carolina regiment before crossing the Neuse bridge, and carry it as a trophy of their gallantry.

Most of the 500 rebels captured and paroled by General Foster belonged to South Carolina and Georgia.

The conduct of the Tenth Connecticut Regiment is spoken of in the highest terms. They, with the New Jersey Ninth, were particularly distinguished for their bravery, and suffered the most.

THE GUNBOATS IN THE BATTLE.

[Our New Berne Correspondence.]

NEW BERNE, N. C., Dec. 16, 1862.