Today in History:

979 Series I Volume XLVII-I Serial 98 - Columbia Part I

Page 979 Chapter LIX. THE CAMPAIGN OF THE CAROLINAS.

enemy evacuated their lines and retired beyond the Neuse River. The casualties in the command from the 8th to the 10th, inclusive, were as follows:

Killed. Wounded.

Command. Officers. Men. Officers. Men.

Palmer's division --- 18 5 77

Ruger's division 3 26 13 131

Carter's division 1 9 2 37

Total* 4 53 20 245

Missing. Aggregate.

Command. Officers. Men. Officers. Men.

Palmer's division 1 27 6 122

Ruger's division --- --- 16 157

Carter's division 25 882 28 928

Total* 26 909 50 1,207

Making a total of 1,257, out of which nearly 900 were captured in the surprise of Upham's brigade on the 8th.

I owe it to the troops of the provisional brigades to say that, although they were without regular organization and commanded by officers who were strangers to them, they nevertheless behaved in the most soldierly manner and acquitted themselves well in every situation.

The commanders of divisions distinguished themselves both for personal gallantry and judicious handling of their troops.

The only members of my staff with me were Major T. T. Dow, my inspector-general; Major Theodore Cox, assistant adjutant-general; and Capts. E. E. Tracy and Hobart Ford, my aides, upon all of whom devolved an unusual amount of labor and of peril, an whose good conduct was conspicuous throughout the series of engagements.

I am also under special obligations to Brigadier-General Greene, who, being on his way to join the army of General Sherman, volunteered for general staff duty. His horse was shot under him during the engagement of the 10th. Bvt. Brigadier General I. N. Stiles, who had been ordered to report to me, but was yet unassigned, likewise volunteered for staff duty, and exhibited great gallantry.

For particular mention of meritorious conduct in the division, I beg leave to refer to the division and brigade reports accompanying.

The enemy's force is now known to have consisted of about 16,000 men under General Bragg, their organization being that given above. Their manifest object was to defeat and drive back from New Berne my command before it could be joined by the other divisions of the Twenty-third Army Corps, then known to be on their way from Wilmington, and which in fact joined us on the 12th. The rebels were foiled in their purpose and severely punished. We have no accurate mode of estimating their losses, though from the manner in which they attacked a line of intrenchments all our past experience warrants the assertion that it must have been much heavier than our own.

On the 14th my command moved to Kinston, under orders from the commanding general and was followed by the Twenty-third Corps. A small body of cavalry occupied the place, but left our approach after a slight skirmish. The bridges over the Neuse were all destroyed and the rebel iron-clad gun-boat was burned and sunk. A pontoon bridge was laid on the 15th and the troops crossed the Neuse and encamped beyond the town, where they remained till the railroad reached the Neuse River, on the 20th, when it moved with the rest of the Army of the Ohio for Goldsborough, Palmer's division, however, being partly left to occupy the District of Beaufort. The whole of the provisional

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*But see revised table, p. 62.

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Page 979 Chapter LIX. THE CAMPAIGN OF THE CAROLINAS.