the whole rebel force between them and Newbern, and must soon be starved into surrender. General Reno got the news about three o'clock A. M., and indignant at the shameful abandonment of the regiment, without losing a moment came to our camp and ordered out the 21st as a relieving force. Waiting for nothing, the 21st, accompanied by General Reno, took up the march at four o'clock, followed by a wagon full of bread, beef, and coffee. About daylight a detachment of the superb 3d New York cavalry joined us and took the advance. It was raining heavily, and a rapid march of eleven miles through the deep sticky mud had well-nigh exhausted the breakfastless 21st, when the welcome news was brought back to us that the rebel force was in retreat and the Marylanders marching towards us. The 21st at once set to work to cook food and prepare coffee, and by the time the wearied, half-famished Marylanders made their appearance, had a bountiful hot breakfast ready for them, to which they did ample justice. The 2d Maryland never forgot the promptness with which the 21st had marched to their relief, and the good breakfast we gave them. Their commander voiced the gratitude of his men in the following order : HEADQUARTERS 2D MARYLAND REGIMENT, We, the officers and men of the 2d Maryland regiment, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel J. Eugene Duryée, do tender our most sincere thanks for the most kind and well-timed hospitality displayed by our comrades in arms, the officers and men of the 21st Massachusetts Volunteers, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel William S. Clark, in supplying us on the 17th day of May, 1862, with an abundance of rations and hot coffee, when we were weary, foot-sore, and almost exhausted by a wet and tedious march of over fifty miles. We beg to assure them that such kindness displayed at such a time will be ever remembered by us with the most unceasing gratitude, and should it happen that we can ever repay it it will be the most happy event in our lives. Henceforth let the 21st Massachusetts and the 2d Maryland regiments be brothers. J. EUGENE DURYÉE, Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding, FIGHTING THE SUTLER. May 24th. The sutler succeeded in bringing the vengeance of the boys upon his head by inducing the paymaster to collect the debts due or claimed by him to be due from the men by retaining the amounts from their pay, without having first given either the men or company commanders any information as to his purpose. The innovation was very distasteful to the men, and many of them refused to receive their pay. In the evening the boys, having rigged up some "flying artillery" of logs mounted on wheels, galloped suddenly into position around the sutler's tent, and opened a heavy fire upon it with brick-bats. The officers were not very quick to interfere, and the sutler, after heavy loss, surrendered his point. One of the most interesting events which occurred in May was the arrival of three hundred Union prisoners of war at Newbern, on the 25th, in exchange for rebels captured at Roanoke Island. It was very pleasant to see some of the fruits of our victory. The prisoners had bone rings to sell, but our boys soon flooded the market with a forged article. May 27th. We received the very gratifying news that our Colonel Morse had been discharged from the army by order of the Secretary of War. Little of special interest occurred during the remainder of our stay in North Carolina. On the 20th of June there was a grand review of all the troops in Newbern and vicinity on the occasion of the presentation of a magnificent sword which had been voted to General Burnside by the Legislature of Rhode Island. Our army had been preparing for some time for a march into the interior of North Carolina to cut the railroad communications between the rebels in Virginia and the Gulf States, and intercept their retreat when driven from Richmond, and thus our movements were largely dependent on the success of General McClellan's operations in Virginia. About the end of June reports began to arrive of great victories for the Union arms in front of Richmond, and every one looked for an early termination of the war. On the 30th of June orders were issued for our immediate movement by land into the interior of the State. On the 1st of July we received orders to move on the following day; but as we were ordered to put our baggage at once on a schooner, it was evident that things had taken a new turn. The only thing that we knew of our destination was that it was somewhere by water. Most of us thought that we were going to attack the formidable rebel forts at Wilmington, but dark hints were thrown out that we might be needed to reinforce the army in front of Richmond. As we had occupied the same camp for over three months, we had accumulated a great many camp comforts, such as mattresses, tables, chairs, Dutch ovens, etc., and wagon load after wagon load left our camp without making any apparent impression. The schooner assigned to the 21st's baggage began to fill up, when General Ferrero, on his attention being attracted to our proceedings, ordered a close inspection and vigorous throwing overboard of everything but strictly military baggage, and chairs, mattresses, tables, and Dutch ovens went into the river. Both sides were right. It was our duty to look out for our own comfort as far as possible, and the general's duty not to allow the movement to be embarrassed by transporting unnecessary articles. On the 2d of July we left the camp, which had become almost a home to us, for an unknown destination, and, as we formed line for the march, crowds of negroes pounced upon the household goods which we had been enjoying. Moving to the river, eight of our companies went on board the schooner "Scout" and two upon the schooner "Farrington." We were towed down the river a few miles, and anchored at dark. It was now understood that we were going to Virginia to take a hand in the grand battles that were raging near Richmond; and though we were proud that the 21st was the only Massachusetts regiment among the 7,000 men who were going to those fields of fame, we could not part from North Carolina without regret, and had hoped to see something of the interior of the country. Our service there had been romantic and honorable, and sixty of our comrades slept in her soil. Although Generals Burnside and Reno were going with us, take it all together we felt rather homesick in our crowded quarters that night. On the 3d we were towed down the river by the steamer "Farren," and arrived on the old ground at Hatteras about five P. M. Soon after anchoring we were informed that a message had been sent from Fortress Monroe, via the Dismal Swamp Canal and Roanoke Island, that Richmond had fallen, and we were not needed there. McClellan had allowed the rebels to turn his right, and swinging his left into Richmond had captured the city and routed the rebel army. We were, therefore, to return to Newbern, and strike at once with our whole force into the interior to cut the lines of rebel retreat. We had a happy and lively night. Our anchors were raised, and we were taken in tow early the next morning, and when, after some little doubt as to what direction we were heading for, we finally reëntered the Neuse, we cheered again and again for the good news which had lasted over night. We arrived off Newbern just at sunset, while the forts and gun-boats were firing a Fourth of July national salute. Here we received the sad news that instead of a victory McClellan had suffered a crushing defeat, and been driven away from Richmond. This last information came through rebel sources, and was not fully credited, but the definite good news of the evening before had been shown to be entirely unfounded. The whole matter being shrouded in mystery and doubt, our destination was equally uncertain, and we were kept on board the schooner that night. The next morning we left the transports about ten o'clock and returned to the place of our old camp,-finding it bare and stripped. As it did not seem probable that we should remain there long enough to make it worth while to fit it up again, we made no effort to restore its former comforts. In the afternoon we received orders to reëmbark on the schooners in the morning and proceed to Virginia. Reliable information had now been received of the result of the fighting in Virginia, and we learned with sorrow that the gallant and sturdy Army of the Potomac had been forced to withdraw from the immediate siege of Richmond, and now occupied a new position at Harrison's Landing on the James River, eighteen miles below the city.1 This really last night in North Carolina was an unsettled one in the bivouacs of the dozen regiments who had been embarked and disembarked and were about to reëmbark. There was very little sleeping done; great camp-fires were burning in the noisy camps, and the men of the different regiments were fraternizing around them, singing songs, and talking over North Carolina reminiscences and Virginia chances and expectations. By the kindness of Lieutenant Richardson (our regimental poet), I am enabled to close my narrative of our campaign in North Carolina with this poem, which is inserted (nearly entire) on the request of several of our comrades. 1 The losses in the memorable "Seven days' fight," as it is commonly called, which raged during this forced change of base from the York to the James River (June 26th to July 1), illustrate a fortunate peculiarity of General McClellan's leadership, that, whether his army fought on the advance or retreat, as a rule its loss was smaller than that of the enemy. The official returns of casualties in these battles give the rebel loss as killed 2,820, wounded 14,011, missing 752; while the Union loss was, killed 1,582, wounded 7,709, missing 5,978. Lee (having by a skillful feint on Washington, scared the President into diverting McDowell's Corps from a position securing McClellan's exposed flank (the right), had fully expected to destroy the Army of the Potomac; and his official report (published in Reb. Rec., vol. 9), is full of admissions and proofs of the wisdom of McClellan's generalship and the obstinate courage of the Army of the Potomac. This was the last serious fighting in that part of Virginia for about two years; and General Lee, on the adoption by the authorities at Washington of the overland line of advance on Richmond, was soon left entirely free to withdraw his main army from the vicinity of the rebel capital. - ED. |