and got safely through, and returned at 7.15 o'clock on the morning of April 2 with dispatches from General Foster.

After arriving in front of the rebel batteries and remaining there all day, and finding it quite impossible to run the transports by the batteries at that time or until additional gunboats should arrive so as to hold the enemy's guns in check while the vessels

were passing, and after having carefully examined in person the shore from the mouth of Blount's Creek to within a short distance of Hill's Point, having likewise made the necessary soundings along the shore to ascertain the depth of water between the above named points with a view to select the most suitable place to land, I decided to have the troops put ashore and storm the works on Hill's Point, and to that end issued the following orders on the afternoon of April 1, 1863:

SPECIAL ORDERS,
HEADQUARTERS ABOARD JOHN FARON, Numbers 1.
Pamlico River, N. C., April 1, 1863.

I. Colonel Dyer, commanding the One hundred and seventy-fifth Regiment Pennsylvania Militia, will disembark his regiment on the steamer Wilson and land them near the mouth of Blount's Creek and storm the battery on Hill's Point at daylight to-morrow morning.

II. Colonel Bierer, commanding the One hundred and seventy-first Regiment Pennsylvania Militia, will hold that portion of his command that is now aboard the steamer Emilie in readiness to disembark at daylight to-morrow morning to support Colonel Dyer, who is to storm the battery on Hill's Point.

III. Lieutenant-Colonel Troxel, commanding the One hundred and fifty-seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Militia, will hold that portion of his command that is now aboard the steamer Emilie, and a sufficient number in addition from aboard the schooner to make his command 300 men in all, in readiness to disembark at daylight to-morrow to act in conjunction with Colonel Bierer's command as support to Colonel Dyer, who is to storm the battery on Hill's Point.

IV. Lieutenant Thomas Low, in command of three guns of the battery, now aboard the schooner Annie L. Edwards, will be ready to go into action with his guns at daylight to-morrow morning. He will act in concert with the captain of the gunboat Lockwood. The schooner will be towed into action by a propeller.

By command of Brigadier-General Spinola:

L. HANLEY,
Captain and Assistant Adjutant-General.

I also made a thorough and careful examination on the evening of April 1 of the approaches by water to Bath, on the north side of the river, with a view of landing there and marching to Washington in case I failed in taking the battery on Hill's Point.

At 2 o'clock on the morning of April 2 the steamer North Shore arrived with Brigadier General Henry Prince and staff aboard. The foregoing orders were not executed, as General Prince took command of the forces, and all movements from that time until he left again for New Berne were under his direction and will, I presume, be embodied in his report.

At 6 p. m. on the 2nd instant the steam-tug Alida left for New Berne, and at 8 o'clock the same evening General Prince and staff started for New Berne on the steamer North Shore, which again left me in command.

April 3 I loaded eight small boats with ammunition, and although it was blowing almost a gale of wind, which rendered the undertaking of running the blockade extremely hazardous in addition to passing the enemy's batteries, yet I experienced no difficulty in finding a sufficient number of volunteers from aboard the gunboats to man all the small boats, and at 9 p. m. this little fleet started, under the command of Lieutenant Williams, of my staff, and reached the garrison in safety. Upon consultation with Captain MacDearmid, of the gunboats Ceres, he volunteered to buoy out the channel and run his boat past the batteries.