48 



ARMY OPERATIONS. 



Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, 

 and in pursuance of instructions received from 

 the President of the United States, Major John Hay, 

 Assistant Adjutant-General, will proceed to Fernan- 

 dina, Florida, and other convenient points in that 

 State, for the purpose of extending to the citizens of 

 the State of Florida an opportunity to avail them- 

 selves of the benefits of that Proclamation, by offer- 

 ing for their signature the oath of allegiance therein 

 prescribed, and by issuing to all those subscribing to 

 said oath certificates entitling them to the benefits of 

 the Proclamation. Fugitive citizens of the State of 

 Florida, within the limits of this Department, will 

 have an opportunity to subscribe to the same oath 

 and secure certificates in the office of the Post Com- 

 mander at Hilton Head, South Carolina. 



By command of Maj.-Gen. Q. A. GILLMOKE. 

 ED. W. SMITH, Ass't Adj. -Gen. 



Orders were issued to Brig.-Gen. Truman 

 Seymour ou February 5th to proceed to Jack- 

 sonville, Fla., and effect a landing and push 

 forward his mounted force to Baldwin, seventy 

 miles from Jacksonville. It was the junction 

 of the railroads from Jacksonville and Fernan- 

 dina. On the 6th the expedition, consisting of 

 twenty steamers and eight schooners, under 

 convoy of the gunboat Norwich, left Hilton 

 Head and arrived at Jacksonville on the next 

 day, February 7th. When the landing of the 

 troops commenced a small body of the enemy 

 in a wood adjacent to the town fired three 

 shots, thus wounding two or three persons. A 

 company of colored troops went in pursuit, and 

 the enemy after firing a few shots fled. 



About twenty-five families remained in Jack- 

 sonville. They were chiefly women and chil- 

 dren, and all professed to be in favor of the 

 Union. The railroad was in running order to 

 Tallahassee. Provisions and cattle were abun- 

 dant. Gen. Joseph Finegan was in command 

 of the forces of the enemy. 



In the afternoon of the 8th the march to the 

 interior of the State was commenced. The 

 forces were divided into three columns, com- 

 manded respectively by Cols. Barton, Hawley, 

 and Henry. Col. Barton took the main road, 

 Col. Henry took the road to the right of that, 

 and Col. Hawley one still further to the right. 

 After an advance of three miles the three roads 

 united on the line of the railroad. Here the 

 infantry bivouacked for the night, and Col. Guy 

 V. Henry, with the 40th Massachusetts infantry, 

 the independent battalion of cavalry and Elder's 

 horse battery B, 1st artillery, pushed forward 

 on a reconnoissance. It was dark when the 

 movement commenced at a brisk trot toward 

 Lake City. For the distance of five miles none 

 of the enemy were seen. The country through 

 which the force passed was low, level, and 

 marshy. On each side the road was flanked by 

 pine forests. The soil was that of fair farm- 

 ing land to Lake City, but beyond it becomes 

 a rich sandy loam. A mile and a half from 

 Camp Finegan a picket station was discovered, 

 but the pickets had fallen back to the reserve 

 post. Pressing forward, after a short stop, Col. 

 Henry soon came in sight of Camp Finegan on 

 the right. About two hundred cavalrymen 

 were seen drawn up in line of battle. Having 



no apprehension from this force, he continued 

 his advance, and three miles beyond surprised 

 and captured a camp of artillery containing 

 four guns, camp and garrison equipage, includ- 

 ing wagons, tents, commissory stores and offi- 

 cers' baggage. Three prisoners were taken. 

 The remainder of the force escaped to the 

 woods. This body was falling back, and had 

 not anticipated so rapid an advance of the 

 Federal force. Early on the next morning the 

 advance reached Baldwin, a place of fifteen 

 buildings. Here three cars, two of which were 

 filled with corn, a three-inch rifled gun, a con- 

 siderable quantity of cotton, rice, tobacco, and 

 other stores were captured. At evening Gens. 

 Gillmore and Seymour arrived. 



On the 10th Col. Henry continued his ad- 

 vance. At Barber's Station a thousand barrels 

 of turpentine and five hundred pounds of bacon 

 were captured. An advance guard was then 

 sent forward to see if the enemy were in posi- 

 tion to defend the south fork of the St. Mary'a 

 river, while the remainder of the force cau- 

 tiously followed. The enemy in small force 

 were found defending the fork, when a skir- 

 mish ensued, in which four were killed on the 

 Federal side and thirteen wounded. Two of 

 the enemy were killed and three wounded, 

 when they fled to the woods. Their force was 

 about one hundred and fifty men. At 6 p. M. 

 Col. Henry reached Sanderson, forty-miles from 

 Jacksonville. The place had been abandoned 

 by the enemy, and a large amount of stores 

 committed to the flames. On the llth the 

 command encamped five miles from Lake City, 

 which was held by the enemy but evacuated 

 during the night. This was unknown to Col. 

 Henry, and, as he was without infantry, ho 

 retraced his steps to Sanderson. The most im- 

 portant property captured was as follows : Two 

 t\velve-pounder rifled guns, two six-pounder 

 guns, one three-inch gun, two other guns, five 

 caissons, a large quantity of ammunition, an 

 immense supply of camp and garrison equi- 

 page, four railroad cars, one hundred and thir- 

 teen bales of cotton, four army wagons, one 

 hundred and five horses and mules, a large 

 stock of saddlery, tanning machinery, three 

 thousand and eighty-three barrels turpentine, 

 six thousand bushels corn ; three large ware- 

 houses were destroyed. On the llth telegraphic 

 communication was established between Jack- 

 sonville and 'Baldwin, and on that day Gen. 

 Gillmore sent instructions to Gen. Seymour not 

 to risk a repulse in advancing upon Lake City, 

 but to hold Sanderson unless there were rea- 

 sons for falling back, and also in case his ad- 

 vance met with serious opposition to concen- 

 trate at Sanderson and the south fork of the 

 St. Mary's. On the 13th Gen. Seymour was 

 further instructed to concentrate at Baldwin 

 without delay. This was done at once. 

 Meantime, Col. Henry was sent toward the 

 left to capture some railroad trains at Gains- 

 ville on the Fernandina and Cedar Keys rail- 

 road. This resulted in a skirmish with a 



