also burned several more houses and barns and two distilleries connected with guerrillas, and taken some relatives as hostages. I would most particularly desire that these hostages remain in my own custody, to be dealt with as they shall deal with the prisoners taken from my party. We have taken between 40 and 50 more guns in these last two camps, mostly nice Enfields; also 1 drum. In one encounter we killed and wounded 13 of the guerrillas.

We have many sick, including 9 with small-pox.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

EDWARD A. WILD,

Brigadier-General of Volunteers.

Brigadier-General BARNES.

HEADQUARTERS COLORED TROOPS,
Norfolk, Va., December 28, 1863.

CAPTAIN: I have the honor to submit a succinct account of my late raid, with observations thereon.

We started December 5. Those from the camps outside of Portsmouth (700 from the First U. S. Colored Troops, under Colonel Homan, and 400 from the Second North Carolina Colored Volunteers, under Lieutenant-Colonel Pratt, afterward under Colonel Draper, who joined us at Elizabeth City, having ridden through almost alone in one night) went by Deep Creek and the Dismal Swamp Canal. Those from the intrenched camp northeast of Norfolk (530 from the Fifth U. S. Colored Troops, under Colonel Conine, and 100 from First North Carolina Colored Volunteers and Fifty-fifth Massachusetts, under Captain Jones) went by Kempsville, Great Bridge, and Northwest Landing to South Mills. I accompanied the former party.

Two small canal steamers were loaded with rations, to accompany us along the canal, but by some unaccountable blunder they were sent astray through the wrong canal. At South Mills, after a short pause, finding they did not come up, I sent back orders to have them meet us at Elizabeth City. We were thus obliged to live on the country for a few days, which we did, judiciously discriminating in favor of the worst rebels.

I then marched southward to Camden Court-House, and back to South Mills. Here out two columns met, and we were re-enforced by two companies of cavalry (120 men from the Fifth and Eleventh Pennsylvania) under Captains Skelley and Faith, and a section of the Seventh New York Battery, under Lieutenant Thompson, all under direction of Captain Skelley. I then built a substantial bridge over the Pasquotank, below South Mills, constructed by Colonel Holman and Major Wright, of materials taken from the house and barn of a rebel captain near by. We crossed and marched to Elizabeth City, which we occupied seven days. While there I sent out expeditions in all directions, some for recruits and contrabands' families, some for guerrillas, some for forage, some for firewood, which was scarce and much needed by us. Every man was constantly employed.

Our little steamers joined us here. We unloaded them and kept them in use, one towing schooners to and from Roanoke Island loaded with negroes, their baggage, horses, and carts; the other