180

SCENERY ON LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN.

to the extreme rocky point of the palisades overlooking Chattanooga, and sketch the remains of Stevenson's redoubt;' visit the photographic establishment on the verge of the cliff, where we procured many views of the region, and to go to the strong fort of pentagonal form, with a citadel of logs, which was constructed by National troops on the top of the mountain after the Confederates were driven away. On the highest point of the crest, near the fort, was the Confederate signal station, which commanded the Missionaries' Ridge in the range of vision; and the remains of the "signal tower," composed of a tree and a platform, were yet there.

On Sunday morning we rode out to the National barracks, on the top of the mountain, where an institution of learning for young men and women

was about to be opened, through the liberality of Christopher R. Roberts, of New York, under the charge of the Rev. Edward F. Williams, who, with a corps of teachers, had arrived at Summertown the previous evening. Passing on, we visited the sites of the encampments of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth regular infantry, one of which occupied Rock City, already mentioned. Still farther on, at a distance of about five miles from Summertown, we came to Lula's Creek, and visited the famous Lula's Lake and Falls, and Lula's Bath, in the midst of the forest, and among scenery of the wildest grandeur. That stream, and its picturesque surroundings with Lula's Lake, and Falls, and Bath, were famous in the legends and romances of the Cherokees, which told of the strange events of the life of Lula, a charming Indian maiden. We cannot stop to rehearse them here, and will only record the prosaic fact that we returned to Summertown to dinner, and enjoyed for an hour or more the pleasure of the grand panorama from that point, embracing mountain-peaks, in North Carolina, more than a hundred miles distant; Buzzard's Roost, in the direction of Atlanta; the whole line of the Missionaries' Ridge; the Valley and town of Chattanooga; the winding Tennessee, and the near mountain ranges in every direction. We descended to the valley in time to reach Chattanooga before sunset. On the following morning we went southward by railway, in the track of Sherman's march from Chattanooga to Atlanta. That journey, and our visit to Knoxville and its vicinity, we will consider hereafter.

SIGNAL TREE.

Let us now turn again to the Atlantic coast, and consider events there after the departure of Burnside from North Carolina to join McClellan on the Peninsula, and the seizure of the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, from Edisto Island, a little below Charleston, to St. Augustine.

2

1 See page 179. This battery commanded Chattanooga; also Moccasin Point, upon which it might throw plunging shot. It was one of the guns of this battery which was dismounted by the one on Moccasin Point, 1,500 feet below, and a mile distant in a straight line, mentioned on page 163.

2 See page 815, volume II.

See page 323, volume II.

CONFEDERATES ACTIVE IN NORTH CAROLINA.

181

General Burnside left General Foster in command of the troops in North Carolina, and for awhile he had his head-quarters at Morehead City. He soon established them at New Berne, where the bulk of the army was held, and where, in the course of a few weeks, re-enforcements began to arrive. The sea-coast of that State was in possession of the National troops, but until near the close of

the year"

1862.

these were barely suf

ficient to hold the terri

tory against attempts

made by the Confed

Sept. &

erates, now and then, to repossess themselves of lost posts. One of these attempts was made at the village of Washington, on the Little Pamlico River, then held by a small land force under Colonel Potter, and two gunboats (Pickett and Louisiana) lying in the stream near. The post was surprised by Confederate cavalry at early dawn on a foggy September morning. These swept through the village almost unopposed at first. But the garrison was soon under arms, and, with some troops which had marched out to go to another point, and now returned, sustained a vigorous street-fight with the assailants for nearly three hours, the gun-boats at the same time giving assistance, until the Pickett exploded. The Confederates were finally repulsed, with a loss of thirty-three men killed and one hundred wounded. The Union loss was eight killed and thirty-six wounded.

1862.

Foster was soon satisfied that preparations were making for a vigorous effort to drive him from the posts in his possession, and as re-enforcements were now strengthening his little army, he resolved to strike some aggressive blows that might intimidate his adversaries. Early in November, he moved with the bulk of his army to Washington, and thence marched, by way of Williamson (near which he had a skirmish), for Hamilton, on the Roanoke River, where he expected to find some Confederate armored gun-boats a-building. He was disappointed; so he marched inland toward Tarboro', when, being informed that a force larger than his own was gathered there, he turned oceanward, and made his way to Plymouth, where his troops were embarked for New Berne. Little of importance was accomplished by this expedition, excepting the liberation of several hundred slaves.

A little later Foster undertook a more important expedition with a larger force.4 He set out from New Berne" for the purpose of striking d Dec. 11. and breaking up at Goldsboro', the railway that connected

1 This is a view of the Macon House, where Foster had his head-quarters, on the corner of Arundell and Ninth Streets. Beyond it is seen Bogue Sound and Bogue Island. See page 311, volume II.

These were composed of a company of the Third New York Artillery, with 6 guns; six companies of cavalry, two companies of the First North Carolina, and two of the Massachusetts Twenty-fourth.

By this explosion nearly twenty persons lost their lives.

4 His force consisted of the brigade of General Wessel, of Peck's division; the brigades of Colonels Amory,

Richmond with the Carolinas, and then forming a junction with the National forces at Suffolk and Norfolk. He moved on without much hinderance, other than that of felled trees and broken bridges, until, after a slight skirmish of his cavalry, under Captain Hall, he reached the Southwest Creek." There the bridge had been destroyed, and

Dec. 13, 1863.

Stevenson, and Lee; the Third New York and First Rhode Island Batteries, with sections of the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth New York Independent Batteries; and the Third New York Cavalry.

UNION RAIDERS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

183

December 14, 1863.

about two thousand Confederates, with three pieces of artillery, under General Evans, posted on the opposite bank, disputed his passage. These were soon routed by a charge of the Ninth New Jersey, assisted by a flank movement by the Eighty-fifth Pennsylvania. Foster then pressed on toward Kinston, skirmishing heavily on the way, and when within a mile of that village," he encountered a larger force (about six thousand), under Evans, well posted between the Neuse River and an impassable swamp. After a sharp fight the Confederates were driven across the river. They fired the bridge behind them, but the flames were put out, and about four hundred of the fugitives were made prisoners, with eleven guns and a large amount of commissary stores. Evans fled through the town, re-formed his forces two miles beyond it, and commenced a retreat toward Goldsboro', before Foster could bring up artillery to attack him. The latter pressed on toward Goldsboro', the objective of the expedition, driving the Confederates from Whitehall, and distracting them by feints, until, near his goal, he was checked by a heavy force under General G. W. Smith. He succeeded, however, in destroying the bridge of the Weldon and Wilmington railway,' over the Neuse, at that place; also several other bridges, about six miles of the railway, and a half-finished iron-clad gun-boat. Then he retreated rapidly to New Berne, having lost during his eight days' absence with his troops, five hundred and seven men, of whom ninety were killed. The Confederate loss was near nine hundred, about five hundred of whom were prisoners.

Dec. 17.

The failure of Burnside at Fredericksburg prevented any further attempts of Foster to establish communication with the National forces at Norfolk and Suffolk, and he was compelled to content himself with sending out raiding expeditions to keep the Confederate troops in that region so well employed in watching the railway communications between Virginia and the Carolinas, that they could not well be spared to re-enforce Lee or others. At the middle of January, he sent out Colonel Mix, with his Third New York Cavalry, to raid through the counties of Onslow, Trent, and Jones. For five days those troops swept over that region, driving Confederate detachments before them, capturing prisoners, mules, and arms, and liberating many slaves.

c 1868.

At about this time Foster's forces were greatly diminished by the withdrawal of a large number of his troops to assist in a meditated siege of Charleston. Yet he was not inactive. During the first ten days of March he sent out four raiding expeditions, but they effected no other important result than the arousing of the Confederates of North Carolina, and the concentration of a considerable force under General D. H. Hill. That leader was directed to make a diversion in favor of Longstreet, before Suffolk,' when he marched in force upon New Berne, and with twenty guns attacked an unfinished earth-work on the north side of the Neuse, then held by the Ninety-second New York. Hill was repulsed, when he turned northward, and marched on Little Washington. Foster hastened to the threatened post

1 This was destroyed by Lieutenant George W. Graham, of the Twenty-third New York, assisted by Lieutenant B. N. Mann, of the Seventeenth Massachusetts, after several persons who had attempted the work had been picked off by sharp-shooters.

? See page 43.

184

by water.

• 1863.

SIEGE OF LITTLE WASHINGTON.

He left General Palmer in command at New Berne, and sent to General Peck, at Suffolk, for aid. Hill soon invested the place, and on the 30th of March" demanded its surrender. Foster refused, and a siege was begun. Batteries were erected by Hill at commanding points, and in a day or two the little garrison of twelve hundred men was cut off from all communication outside by land or water, excepting through the precarious methods of small boats, with supplies, making their way in the night, or by some bold adventurer, like Captain McDermot, of the gun-boat Ceres, who, on the night of the 3d of April, volunteered to run the blockade of the Pamlico, with his vessel laden with ammunition. This was accomplished at great risk, for the besiegers had removed all stakes and buoys from the river. He felt his way cautiously, and restaked the channel as he went on. His vessel was under fire nearly all night, and was somewhat bruised; but, at six o'clock in the morning,' she passed the obstructions within a short distance of the Confederate batteries, and reached Washington in safety.

April 4.

On the 8th of April, General Spinola led an expedition for the relief of Little Washington, but failed, when the veteran Fifth Rhode Island (one of Spinola's fourteen regiments) asked permission of General Palmer to run the blockade, or land and capture Hill's batteries. Consent was given, and in the transport steamer Escort, Captain Wall, they left New Berne at midnight, accompanied by General Palmer, Lieutenant Hoffman, of Foster's staff, and Colonel McChesney, of the First Loyal North Carolinians. They reached the flotilla of National gun-boats, assembled below the Confederate batteries,' without difficulty, and on the night of the 13th of April-a still and beautiful night—the Escort, under cover of a heavy fire from the flotilla upon the land batteries, went boldly up the river with its load of supplies and troops. Guided by the stakes planted by McDermot, she pushed on, and gallantly ran the gauntlet of sharp-shooters, who swarmed the banks, and several light field-batteries, for about six miles. Before morning the little vessel, somewhat bruised, reached Washington with its precious freight. On her return the next night, with General Foster on board, she was more battered than in her upward trip, but passed the ordeal without very serious injury to the vessel. Foster, on his arrival at New Berne, set about organizing an expedition competent to raise the siege of Washington, but before he could put the troops in motion, Hill abandoned the siege and fled, pursued by General Palmer, who struck him severely within eight miles of Kinston, and drove him into the interior of the State, when he marched to re-enforce Longstreet in front of Suffolk.3

April 14.

Foster continued to send out raiding parties, who made many captures, broke railways, seized or destroyed a large amount of Confederate property, and quantities of arms, munitions of war, and animals. In May an expedition, under Colonel J. Richter Jones, of the Fifty-eighth Pennsylvania (act

1 These had carried about 8,000 troops, under General Prince, who was ordered by Foster to land and capture a battery on Hill's Point. Believing it to be impracticable, Prince refused to undertake it.

2 Eighteen solid shot and shells passed through the Escort on her return trip, completely riddling her upper works, and somewhat injuring her machinery, while the bullets of the sharp-shooters on shore scarred all her woodwork. Mr. Pederick, the pilot, was killed, when a New York pilot, assisted by a negro, took his place.

* See page 41.