AEMY OPERATIONS. 



135 



and having captured about two hundred prison- 

 ers and one hundred and fifty horses. 



In North Carolina, during the year 1863, no 

 important operations were carried on against 

 the enemy in consequence of the weakness of 

 the Federal force. It acted chiefly on the de- 

 fensive, and held the important positions which 

 had been previously captured. 



In March the Confederate general, Pettigru, 

 with a large force of infantry and artillery, 

 made an unsuccessful demonstration on New- 

 born. The loss of Gen. Foster, in command of 

 the Federal forces, was two killed and four 

 wounded. In April, Gen. Hill laid siege to 

 Washington, on the Tar river. The town had 

 only a small garrison and was slightly fortified. 

 Gen. Foster, who was there at the time, caused 

 the works to be so strengthened, that they were 

 held until reinforcements arrived from New- 

 bern to raise the siege. 



In May an expedition was sent against a 

 camp of the enemy at Gum Swamp, which 

 captured one hundred and sixty-five prisoners 

 and military stores. In July another expedi- 

 tion was sent against Rocky Mount on the Tar 

 river, which destroyed the bridge at that place, 

 and a large amount of property belonging to 

 the enemy. No further operations of import- 

 ance took place in North Carolina during the 

 year. The Department of North Carolina was 

 . united with that of Virginia, under the com- 

 mand of Gen. Dix, until the latter was trans- 

 ferred to the command of the Department of 

 the East, when Gen. Foster assumed the com- 

 mand. The latter was subsequently transferred 

 to the Department of the Ohio, and Gen. B. F. 

 Butler appointed to the command of the De- 

 partment of Virginia and North .Carolina. 



After abandoning the siege of "Washington 

 in April, Gen. Hill marched toward Nanse- 

 mond to reenforce Gen. Longstreet, who was 

 investing Suffolk, in Southeastern Virginia. 

 Upon failing in his direct assault upon the 

 place, Gen. Longstreet began to establish bat- 

 teries for its reduction. The defence of the 

 place was conducted by Gen. Peck, under the 

 command of Gen. Dix, who made every prepa- 

 ration of which it was capable, and retarded 

 the construction of the enemy's works until 

 the attempt was finally abandoned. The Fed- 

 eral loss during these operations was forty-four 

 killed, two hundred and one wounded, and four- 

 teen missing. They captured four hundred 

 prisoners. 



About the 20th of June, while Gen. Lee was 

 advancing into Pennsylvania, all the available 

 forces under the command of Gen. Dix, being 

 about eighteen thousand men, were moved up 

 the York river and landed at the Whitehouse, 

 for the purpose of threatening Richmond, of 

 destroying the railroad bridges over the South 

 and North Anna rivers, which were on Gen. 

 Lee's line of communication, and doing as much 

 damage as possible to the enemy, besides occu- 

 pying the attention of a large body of his force. 

 One of the bridges over the South Anna was 



destroyed by an expedition under Col. Spear, 

 and the quartermaster's depot at Hanover Sta- 

 tion. On his return he brought back thirty- 

 five army wagons, seven hundred horses and 

 mules, and Gen. Fitzhugh Lee, the son of Gen. 

 R. E. Lee, as a prisoner. The other bridge 

 over the South Anna was not destroyed, but 

 the railroad track between it and Richmond 

 was torn up for a considerable distance, and 

 the bridge at Ashland Station, on the same 

 road, eleven miles out of Richmond, was com- 

 pletely demolished and burned, as also the de- 

 pot. After remaining at the Whitehouse three 

 days, Gen. Dix received orders to return with 

 his forces for the purpose of reenforcing Gen. 

 Meade. At that time he had completely cut 

 off Gen. Lee's communications with Richmond 

 by way of the two railroads crossing the South 

 Anna river, and had control of the whole coun- 

 try from the Pamunkey to the Rappahannock. 



The small force in the Department of the 

 South caused a suspension of active oper- 

 ations until March, 1863. An attack upon Fort 

 Sumter and Charleston had long been con- 

 templated by the Navy Department, and it was 

 represented that the operation of the ironclads 

 would be greatly aided by a land force pre- 

 pared to assist the attack, and to occupy any 

 work reduced by the navy. 



Gen. Foster was, therefore, sent with a con- 

 siderable force and a large siege equipage to 

 assist the naval attack. But not proving ac- 

 ceptable to Gen. Hunter, then in command, he 

 returned to North Carolina, leaving his troops 

 and siege equipage. The naval attack on the 

 fort was made upon April 7th (see NATAL OPER- 

 ATIONS), but was rather unsuccessful, and noth- 

 ing apparently remained to be done by the 

 land forces. It was now represented by the 

 Navy Department that a second attack upon 

 Fort Sumter and Charleston was preparing, 

 and that its success required the military oc- 

 cupation of Morris Island, and the establish- 

 ment of land batteries on that island to assist 

 in the reduction of the fort. As this was a 

 task requiring engineering skill, it was assign- 

 ed to Gen. Q. A. Gillniore, who took the com- 

 mand of the department. On the night of the 

 3d of July he commenced his advance upon 

 Charleston by the movement of troops to Folly 

 Island. There they remained as secret as pos- 

 sible, and erected batteries to cover those of the 

 enemy on the south ends of Morris Island. On 

 the 10th the entire force which was required 

 having arrived, the batteries opened upon the 

 enemy, and when their guns were silenced a 

 charge was made by the infantry, who had 

 crossed to the island in boats, and the works 

 captured. A despatch from Gen. Gillmore thus 

 reports his movements : 



HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE Sorrn. J 

 IN TUB FIELD, MORRIS ISLAND, 8. C., July 121 fi, 1S63. f 

 Maj or- General H. W. Halleck, General-in-Chief: 



SIR : I have the honor to report that at five o'clock 

 on the morning of the 10th instant I made an attack 

 upon the enemy's fortified position on the south end 

 of Morris Island, and, after an engagement of three 



