bore the brunt of the battle on the rebel side. The other rebel troops, consisting of North Carolina militia and two or three hundred Virginia cavalry, took little or no part in the fight, and made no attempt to stem the tide of retreat. The enemy were even more badly beaten than General Reno supposed. They abandoned a formidable earth-work a few miles beyond the place of the engagement, and did not halt in their retreat until they had reached the immediate vicinity of the defenses of Norfolk. The relative Union and rebel losses are compared in the following despatch from General Burnside to the War Department: HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF NORTH CAROLINA. TO HON. E. M. STANTON, SECRETARY OF WAR. Sir: I have the honor to inclose General Reno's report of the movements made by him, in accordance with my order, for the purpose of accomplishing certain objects already indicated in a former despatch, the main order of which was most successfully accomplished. General Reno's report 'gives a detailed account of the movement, and I need only add that I feel an increased confidence in the brave officers and soldiers who accomplished so much in so short a time. Our loss in the engagement was fourteen killed and ninety-six wounded, and two taken prisoners. The enemy's loss must have been much greater, as the chaplain of the New York —‚1 left in charge of the wounded, reports having seen on the field thirty killed, besides several wounded, the main body of the wounded having been taken from the field when they retreated. Our force drove the enemy from the field in the most gallant style, buried our dead, bivouacked on the field seven hours, transported all the wounded, except fourteen so severely wounded that they could not be moved, but who were comfortably provided for, and left in charge of a surgeon and chaplain. General Reno then, in obedience to orders, returned to 1 The chaplain referred to by General Burnside was Rev. T. W. Conway, of the 9th New York. He did not remain on the field in charge of the wounded, who were left in charge of our Surgeon Warren. The service of the kind and gallant chaplain was, however, of great merit and value. He was indefatigable in aiding and comforting the wounded, and performed the funeral services over all the dead. He remained on the field several hours after our army had left, but rejoined and reëmbarked with his regiment. — ED. his fleet and embarked his men. He felt less reluctance in leaving behind these fourteen wounded with the surgeon and chaplain from the fact that I had but a few days before released some eighty wounded with the surgeons, who were left by the enemy in Newbern, and the commanding officer in that neighborhood would be less than human were he to refuse to release these wounded as soon as they can be transported safely. I beg to inclose my congratulatory order, with the report of General Reno. ... I have the honor to be your obedient servant, A. E. BURNSIDE, Major-General Commanding. General Burnside's congratulatory order, inclosed with the foregoing despatch: HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF NORTH CAROLINA, GENERAL ORDERS No. 30. April 26, 1862. The general commanding desires to express his high appreciation of the excellent conduct of the forces under command of BrigadierGeneral Reno, in the late demonstration upon Norfolk. He congratulates them as well upon the manly fortitude with which they endured excessive heat and extraordinary fatigue, on a forced march of forty miles in twenty-four hours, as upon the indomitable courage with which, notwithstanding their exhaustion, they attacked a large body of the enemy's best artillery, infantry, and cavalry, in their own chosen position, achieving a complete victory. It is therefore ordered, as a deserved tribute to the perseverance, discipline, and bravery exhibited by the officers and soldiers of the 21st Massachusetts, 51st Pennsylvania, 9th New York, 89th New York, and 6th New Hampshire regiments, on the 19th of April, a day already memorable in the history of our country, that the above regiments inscribe upon their respective colors the name "CAMDEN, APRIL 19." The general commanding desires especially to express his approbation of General Reno's strict observance of his orders when the temptation to follow the retreating enemy was so great. By command of MAJOR-GENERAL BURNSIDE LEWIS RICHMOND, Assistant Adjutant-General. id ce. ere The casualties suffered by the regiment in the bat he; Camden, were killed and mortally wounded, four; otherwise wounded, eleven; prisoner (not wounded), one: as follows): Company A. Wounded and missing: Privates Charles A. Blackmer, in neck; John E. Rand, in right arm; Eleaser S. Whitney, reported missing, was prostrated by exhaustion before the fight, and his whereabouts unknown on the return march of the regiment. He subsequently was taken prisoner by the rebels, and sometime afterwards was paroled and exchanged and rejoined his company. Company B. Died of wounds: Private John Dunn. Wounded: Sergeant Charles O. Frizzell, in arm. Dunn was shot through the bowels, and died of the wound on the 1st of May. He was a deserter from the English army, and bore the scars of several wounds received in the East Indies and Crimea. He had been desperately sick with a malarial fever for some weeks, and had not returned to duty when the regiment started on the expedition; a fighter all through, he insisted on going with his company, in spite of the advice of captain and surgeon to remain in camp at Newbern. The distressing forced march was more than he could endure, and after ten miles in the broiling sun and choking dust, he fell utterly exhausted, and was left in charge of a comrade in the shade by the roadside, with his eyes closed and apparently dying; his comrade, however, confiscated a donkey and cart, and John, having somewhat recovered, was tumbled into the cart and resumed the march. Coming up to the regi ment when the battle was well in progress, he walked forward leaning on his musket till he reached the skirmish line. of the 21st. Not happening to see a satisfactory chance for a shot he continued on until he was twenty yards in advance of the line; then, seeing a rebel skirmisher behind a bush close by, he raised his gun, but before he fired was shot by his antagonist. When the regiment left the field that night, John wyas still living and cheerful; always fond of whiskey, he galked his company commander, when he came to bid him in and-by, for a drink; the officer, turning to the surgeon, asked drink would hurt him; "Nothing can help or hurt him; t. all th but re he can't live till morning," answered the surgeon. "I've seen worse wounded men get well," said John as he embraced the canteen; "but I thank you, doctor, for your opinion as long as it gives me the whiskey." Thanks to his constitution and courage, he lived to pass out of rebel hands, and died in Hygia Hospital, at Fort Monroe. Poor John Dunn, there was a time when I little thought that I should regret his loss or wish to eulogize him. When we were ordered from Annapolis, he was lying in the post guard-house awaiting transportation to the Dry Tortugas, under sentence of court-martial to long imprisonment for having attempted to kill a citizen and bayonet his second lieutenant. Colonel Maggi, on being released from arrest, and assuming command of the regiment, celebrated the event by a general jail delivery, releasing John Dunn with the other prisoners. When John reported for duty, I told him that the colonel could not have known that he was under sentence of general court-martial, and promptly returned him to limbo; but he complained to the colonel, and in spite of my protest was released again. I then told him that, although as he knew very well the colonel had no more authority to release him than I had, as long as he was allowed temporarily to escape punishment, I would treat him the same as the other men, and if he behaved well would do what I could to get him pardoned. To which John made answer: Captain W, I am no hypocrite; I know my duty, and want no fair words; you've done your best to let me rot in prison, and I give you fair warning that I will take your life in the first fight, or the first good chance I get." I laughed at his threat, but being satisfied that he meant business gave him a file-closer, who would see fair play; but there was no need of precaution. John and his vicious intent had passed entirely out of my mind, when they were recalled to me at the battle of Roanoke Island, as I happened to pass him within reach, and felt a strong hand laid upon my shoulder, and heard the words, "God bless you, captain," in John's voice. Thereafter he never failed in respect and affection. There never was a better man in active fighting service than he; 66 and I not only felt with all the company that in him we had lost a pillar of strength, but personally sincerely mourned his death. Company C. Died of wounds: Privates William W. Dane and Edward E. Parker. Wounded: Corporal Henry Cain, thigh; private George H. Cotton, elbow. Parker was shot in the shoulder, and died of the wound on the 6th of June, in Hygia Hospital, Fort Monroe; Dane, a lad only sixteen years of age, was shot in the forehead, and soon died of the wound. Company G. Killed: Private Juba F. Pickering. Wounded: Corporal Harrison C. Cheney, left arm; privates Joseph B. Brown, thigh badly crippled; George L. Cheney, foot; Thomas Gilmartin, left ankle; George G. Hadley, thigh badly crippled. Private Orrison Parkhurst, reported missing, fell out from exhaustion before the fight, and getting on board one of the last transports to leave Elizabeth City, rejoined us in a short time at Newbern. Pickering was a good man, and an excellent and faithful soldier; he was a resident of Blackstone, and left a widow and two children. He was struck in the forehead by a bullet and instantly killed. When struck he was in the act of biting his cartridge to load, and was found after the battle with the end of the cartridge still between his lips. Company H. Wounded: Private Charles Phelps, face. The battle of Camden showed the rebels that their hold upon Norfolk was simply at General Burnside's pleasure, and undoubtedly was the principal reason why they abandoned it as a military position early in May, and allowed it to pass into the hands of the Union forces. The "Norfolk Day Book" of April 21st (two days after the fight) gives the following account of the battle: On Saturday afternoon, about two o'clock, eight companies of the 3d Georgia regiment, under command of Colonel Wright, attacked the enemy in an open field about two miles below South Mills. The enemy's force was estimated at from 3,500 to 4,000 men; but notwithstanding the great odds in point of numbers against us, we suc |