wounded, 1 gun carriage temporarily disabled by end of splinter-bar being shot off, 1 horse killed, and 1 wounded. The men and officers behaved well. I am, captain, very respectfully, your obedient servant, T. J. SOUTHERLAND, Captain, Comdg. Light Battery I, Tenth North Carolina Troops. Capt. C. G. ELLIOTT, Assistant Adjutant-General. No. 31. Report of Lieut. F. M. Hamlin, Fourth Battalion North Carolina Junior Reserves. HEADQUARTERS, Sugar Loaf, December 28, 1864. Our command, composed of the Fourth, Seventh, and Eighth Battalions Junior Reserves, commanded by Maj. J. M. Reece, was ordered to report to Confederate Point by daylight on the morning of the 25th instant, remaining here without orders until the enemy opened on the fort. The men being without any protection, Major Reece was advised by Colonel Tansill to move where better protection could be obtained. We moved into the bomb-proofs of the fort, all that could be gotten in. Those who could not obtain protection here were carried by Major Reece to the breast-works at Camp Wyatt. Here the enemy, enfilading the works, I asked the major to move us to the beach of the river, where we remained until the small-arms were heard at the fort. Ι asked the major to move us to a position near the fort before it was dark. This he refused to do, saying it would be dangerous under the very heavy fire from the fleet of enemy. At dark he formed the command, numbering 150 or 200 men, some from each of the battalions, and moved down the beach of the river toward the fort, moving on until the head of the column reached Craig's Landing. Here he was informed by a negro that the enemy had landed and our boys had opened on them from the fort. He here halted the column and was asked by several of the officers to throw forward a line of skirmishers. This he refused to do, first saying that it would be of no use. I was in command of the rear guard. Coming up, I halted. Hearing something in the field to the left, I advanced a short distance and found the enemy were deploying a line of skirmishers toward our position. I returned to my guard and ordered them to load their pieces, then seeing the rest of the command remaining still, I went to the head of the column and inquired for the major. I was informed that he had gone out to the front. then turned and ordered the men to load their guns. Every man arose quickly, and whilst the men were in the act of loading I saw the major, accompanied by another person, coming toward ine. I went out a short distance and met him, telling him of what I had seen, and he interrupted me by saying it was all over, he had surrendered to the captain. I told him not to surrender, that the fort was still firing and we could get to it. He said it was all of no use for we were surrounded. He then ordered the men to stop loading their guns and to march out. I then determined to make my escape the best way I could, and came out to the rear and did not see a Yankee anywhere. I arrived at this camp about 9 o'clock at night and reported to General Kirkland. 65 R R-VOL XLII, PT I I The following is a list of officers captured: Maj. J. M. Reece, Fourth Battalion; Capt. J. R. Gaither, Company B, Eighth Battalion; First Lieut. J. M. Lawrence, Company B, Eighth Battalion; First Lieut. M. G. Tuttle, Company C, Eighth Battalion; Second Lieut. G. W. Yancey, Company C, Fourth Battalion; Second Lieut. C. B. Pfohl, Company B, Fourth Battalion. The following is a list of officers and men who escaped capture: Capt. A. L. Lancaster, Company B, Fourth Battalion; First Lieut. G. R. White, Company A, Eighth Battalion; Second Lieut. Amos Guy, Company A, Eighth Battalion; Third Lieut. S. P. Steele, Company A, Eighth Battalion; Sergt. Maj. E. A. Shelton, Fourth Battalion; Privates William Dunlap, Company A, Eighth Battalion; R. F. Millsaps, Company A, Eighth Battalion; J. Graham, Company B, Eighth Battalion; T. Martin, Company B, Eighth Battalion. Hoping you will excuse this hurried report, I have the honor to be, colonel, your obedient servant, F. M. HAMLIN, First Lieutenant Company D, Fourth Battalion. Respectfully forwarded. Wilmington, January 5, 1865. It appears that this battalion, which, in consequence of a report that Smith's Island was threatened, had been ordered by myself Saturday night to Battery Buchanan for transportation to Bald Head to replace troops withdrawn from there; finding no boat available, was ordered by Colonel Tansill to report back to Colonel Lamb; this Major Reece never did. He seems to have proceeded without orders by the left of Confederate Point along the river-bank abandoning the redoubt and bluff where he was covered. I was not informed of any of the circumstances, and supposed he had gone on to join the supporting force at Sugar Loaf, which he might readily have done. From the within report and information of prisoners the surrender was shameful cowardice, he having given up to a captain and five or six men who were reconnoitering, and whom he had to go in search of to do so. The accompanying report* is the last received from Major Reece. It shows 250 present for duty on the 20th. Whether so many fell into the enemy's hands on the 26th I have no means of knowing. With regard to the taking of a small party at Battery Anderson I presume General Kirkland can furnish a report. Very respectfully, W. H. C. WHITING, * Not found. DECEMBER 10-15, 1864.-Scout from Core Creek to Southwest Creek, N. C., and skirmishes. Report of Maj. Rowland R. West, Twelfth New York Cavalry. HDQRS. TWELFTH NEW YORK VOLUNTEER CAVALRY, Camp Palmer, near New Berne, N. C., December 15, 1864. CAPTAIN: I have the honor to report that in accordance with instructions received I started with my command (which consisted of ten troops and a section of a howitzer battery, in all about 400 men) at daylight on the 10th instant, and proceeded to Core Creek, where I reported in person to Col. Charles L. Upham, and was instructed by him to take the advance of the column with my command. Ou reaching Mosely's Ford I engaged a party of the enemy who were stationed behind rifle-pits on the opposite bank and drove them from their position with a line of dismounted skirmishers and my howitzer section. On reaching Southwest Creek on the night of the 11th instant, I received instructions from the colonel commanding to send a squadron of my command up toward Kinston to feel the enemy; this squadron, under the command of Captain Van Valkenburg, met a party of about fifty of the enemy's cavalry about half a mile beyond Southwest bridge, and drove them some two miles. On the morning of the 12th instant I sent out a party of foragers under the command of Lieutenant Pierson, who were attacked about one mile from Southwest bridge by the enemy's cavalry and artillery, and compelled to retire after having accomplished their mission. On the morning of the 12th instant the enemy's artillery engaged my howitzer section at Southwest bridge, but were silenced after a spirited engagement of about twenty minutes. Returning I left Southwest Creek about 9 a. m. 13th instant, and reached this camp without any occurrence on the morning of the 15th instant. I append a list of casualties and seizures: Casualties: Private Daniel W. Herman, C Troop, taken prisoner between Southwest bridge and Kinston, on the charge of the enemy on our foraging party; Private Alexander Davidson, howitzer section, slightly wounded by explosion of a shell during the artillery engagement at Southwest bridge on the morning of the 12th instant; 1 horse in D Troop, lost in charge of Captain Van Valkenburg on the enemy on the night of 11th instant; 1 horse in I Troop, abandoned as unfit to travel. Seizures: One horse, captured by Capt. H. Watkins, I Troop, and in service in his troop in lieu of one abandoned; 1 horse captured in E Troop; 1 horse captured and turned over to regimental quartermaster. I am, captain, very respectfully, your obedient servant, R. R. WEST, Major Twelfth New York Cavalry, Commanding. Capt. E. T. PARKINSON, Assistant Adjutant-General. DECEMBER 11-19, 1864.-Operations about Broadwater Ferry and Chowan River, Va. Report of Brig. Gen. Israel Vogdes, U. S. Army, commanding U. S. HDQRS. DEFENSES OF NORFOLK AND PORTSMOUTH, SIR: I have the honor to report the return of the expedition sent out December 11, 1864, in obedience to telegraphic orders from LieutenantGeneral Grant, to communicate with Major-General Warren. For the purpose of getting an effective force, and in compliance with suggestions from your headquarters, I detained a squadron of the Twentieth New York Cavalry, en route for the front. Two columns were dispatched-one in the direction of South Quay, under Colonel Lewis, Third New York Cavalry, and the other, under Major Gates, Twentieth New York Cavalry, in the direction of Birch Island bridge, on the Blackwater. Colonel Lewis crossed the Chowan December 13, after a slight skirmish, capturing two prisoners, from whom he learned that General Warren had fallen back in the direction of our lines around Petersburg; he then returned to camp. The column under Major Gates crossed the Blackwater at Broadwater Ferry, but had not proceeded more than a mile when it was overtaken by a courier with orders to return to camp. A force was left on the Blackwater for the double object of securing the retreat of the expedition, and also to hold the position to enable General Warren to cross the river in case he was forced back. Major Gates captured 12 horses and a rebel courier with letters, &c. I am, major, your obedient servant, Maj. W. HOFFMAN, Assistant Adjutant-General. I. VOGDES, Brigadier-General of Volunteers. DECEMBER 15, 1864.-Expedition from Fort Monroe to Pagan Creek, Va. Report of Capt. James B. King, Third Pennsylvania Artillery. FORT MONROE, Va., December 19, 1864. SIR: I have the honor to make the following report in reference to an expedition contemplated by the following order: ORDERS, NO..] HEADQUARTERS, Fort Monroe, Va., December 15, 1864. By direction of the major-general commanding the department, Capt. J. B. King, Third Pennsylvania Artillery, with his company (C) will proceed on board of one of General Graham's light-draught boats, and under the pilotage of the officer commanding the boat will land at the battery at the mouth of Pagan Creek and endeavor to capture certain rebels of whose whereabouts Captain King knows. He will take Mr. Bassett as guide. By order of Colonel Roberts: FREDK. R. KENT, Adjutant. About 3 p. m. the afternoon of the 15th instant I left Fort Monroe with fifty-eight men and proceeded under the pilotage of Captain Lowe on board the steamer John Tracy with two 12-pounder howitzers. Arriving off Newport News we laid to till about 5 p. m. We arrived at the mouth of Pagan Creek about 6 p. m. and shortly after embarked about fifty men in a launch to effect a landing at a point a little above what is known as Todd's battery, having first, however, sent off to shore in a small boat a few men as a reconnoitering party, in charge of Lieutenant Martin, of my company. The channel of this creek is very hard to find to those who are not familiar with it, and the mouth of the creek is full of shoals and oyster beds. Unfortunately, at this time the tide was very low, and the launch having got half way to the landing ran aground. We were delayed by shoals several hours, and it was nearly |