Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1861-10-17
HEAD QUARTERS, 8TH INFANTRY, N. O. s Troops J
Camp Raleigh, Roanoke Island, Oct. 9, 1861

HEAD QUARTERS, 8TH INFANTRY, n. O. S. TRoops, |
>, camp haleIgh, Roanoke Island Oct 9, 1861 { |
NeSSrs Fulton & Price
AS have never seen as yet any mention made Of the
0Ih hegthent State Troops, take it for granted that
many OF your readers who have friends connected with
IL IN one way or another might be more or less interest
cd 10 knowing what are doing Though deem il Init
Just 20 say ID the beginning, that they will have to con
tent themselves with rather dry mlrsel coming "a t;o
does, from the almost barren sands ol the CO chou
where there IS but little to please or excite the taste Of
me last dlouS, who Tor naught save things fresh
from tie CORY battle field.
% the LIST inst, while in our quarters at Roanoke
information from pretty reliable source was received
that aDkee steamer was endeavorne to effect a land
ng some twenty-five or thirty miles below u.s. and imme-
dlateiy COL Wright Of the Sd Georgia volunteers with
a detachment Of men, AID Commodore Lynch of the C.
,. Navy, Started in pursuit.
Scarce three hours had elapsed before heavy frino
was heard and II you could only have been in Camp to
not &c the different enance8 Of officers and men as
each report OF The guns brought to our cars it
would have made your heart leap for joy, evident was
the display OF anxiety to meet the YANKEES in "battla
array. But night INTERVIEWED and to Join our friends
was matter OF mpossblity, so we were forced from
necessity to rest cOnented and patiently await the news
| OF the morrow, which, thank Heaven, came soon for
the anxious mind it were drove faster the wheels of
time, and much to our hearts delight we arose from our
setpcss cots but to the waters Of the Abermarle
welcome the yankee steamer Fanny-the same which |
Old Picay9ne landed with at Hatteras-which after a
little spirited engagement with the gun-boats Raleigh
and CureW, forced, 10 quote from a letter since
found in the possession of yankee prisoner to haul
down The stars aud stripes and surrender the South
erh Conlederacy tie supplies Of the 20th Indiana Re
gIment together with thousand and some odd over
coats some ammunition and Ge ried cannon, to say
nothing OF the different officers aud men numbering 10
all about fifty.
Orders were Immediately issued by COL Wright,
(whom we 'ounAir command of the forces the Island,
upon arTival,) for the 81 Georgia Volunteers and
8h n. &. State Troops hold themselves in readiness
with four days cooked ratOnl to march at mOment's
warning. All Of which promptly done, with the
exception OF the unnecessary delay and length of time
consumed IN getting the board Of the different
steamers and baTgs which to take in pursuit OF
the remainder Of the goth Indiana.
After travelling good portion of the night, about
SO Or a. NJ, little fleet arrived opposite Chicka-
macomico, where instead of landing immediately or
golng little farther down, shot and shell dscharg-
ed at what supposed to be the enemy's camp for
over an hour when the Georgans and detachment OF
the It'll n 9. Y. under command Of Col Wright effect
ed landing, but only reached the shore in time to see
the whole Indiana Regiment in full speel towards Hat
teras, thing which could very easily lave been pre-
vented had both Itgments gone some eight or ten miles
farther down, and there quietly landed, inasmuch
New Inlet would have checked their passage farther
North and by going to their they did, obsa-
Gle interviewed to prevent their reaching Hateras.
AS soon as possible after the GeOrgians landed the
6th \. g. received orders to go some twenty-five or
thirty mile farther down towards Hateras, aud there
by discriminating, check tie Indauans in their flight
at well guard against renforcene1tS from Hatteas.
The order promptly Obeyed and about ~ ?. M
we arrived opposite the place where it proposed to
land but all we ad to assist in plshiEg this
undertaking iron barge with six hundred
men on board, and DO light draugh steamer to tow
The only that was with US having been detained for
some other up where the GeOrgans had landed
After turned loose by tie ST amer
aged by boats ana polling, to get i'll two hun
bred yards nearer and there stuck fast sand
sbOa!. Nothing dauntGd, however, so eager were We
all to get to land that though it three miles Otf
officers and leaped overheard and endeavored to
wade, but they had proceeded than about
nine hundred yards when it discovered that chan
mel of some six feet OF water prevented their going FAR
ther 1t was sunset and the men were forced
to return to the barge as the TIDE was apparently rising
land to have gone on would hat cause the loss of
telling how many men, not few being unable to swim
Once again upon the barge and different steamers, as
we were in among the shoals, and not more than four
or five miles from tie forts at Hateras, the Commodore
deemed it advisable to get out in little deeper water, so
we returned to where started from IN the morning
: and then anchored. Next morning, again started
in the direction OF Hateras, but before we bad gone
more than twelve miles, large war steamer, which was
outside opened upon US, endeavoring, il possible to
shell out the Georgians and 18th n q. regiment who
J. had remained land during the night. While the
firing kept up, which amounted to TIE discharge OF
- some hundred Or She and shell, Col Shaw,
Win q part Oh BIS Idlu&u dLu COIECISu
the tents, camp equppage &c, belonging to the enemy
ii and slowed them away in different barges which evil
i IDENTIFY belonged to the enemy, anu placed there for
is no good purpose, afterwards found out from diff
J. ferent diaries, letters, &c
a Col Wright had his horse killed under him. but he
L managed to arrest the who did it. Though our
e victory was such it might have been, still our
trip was not all in vain, for besides tents, supplies, &c
we managed to get some thirty odd prisoners, making
n all between eighty and ninety live Yankees that have
of come within possession during the last week, and
do not think prizes be worth IS than forty o.
fifty thousand dollars.
, / would be almost derelct in my duty, did fail t.
Il mention the universal favor in which your towDsman
Lit. Col. William j. Price. is esteemed by al The 9th
t. GERS OF the regiment alike anG soldier ant
to when on late Yankee hunt it would have been tru
d " gratifying to all of his friends could they have wit
messed the zeal manifested by him On every occasion
and almost as soon barge struck the shoal
might have been among the first to leap veboard
,e as did all of our field officers. ID. X. +.