The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1864-06-28
YANKEE RAIDS.
From the Goldsboros Journal of the ED.

A gentleman VINO aTTlFeu III thiS pi"oo, Jo1.SA
day morning from Kinston,. gives us the following
affirmation which may be generally relied on:
On Monday morning, a force of ankee cavalry,
go strong under Col. Ripley, with two pieces OF
artillery, started out from Newbern, on the Dover
road. in the direction of kinston. On MONDAY
nioht they encamped at Core-Creek, about Ii
miles this side of Newbern; where they spent most
of Tuesday in building bridge across the creek;
and advanced, on Tuesday evening, to Wise's Fork,
nine miles below KinstoD, where the main force
encamped- for the night. About o'clock A. u.
Yesterday morning, they moved forward small de-
tachment of their force towards Jacksons or Cobb's
mills. where they came up with two companies OF
Folks cavalry which, after slight sklrmish-
inc, fell back nearly to Knston, where they were
met and reinforced by two batteries from Starr 8
battalion, aftc which no farther demonstrations
were made by the enemy; but On the contrary they
! were supposed, at o'clock yesterday morning, to
be falling back.
| LATER-We the Junior have just returned
from Kinston where We obtained authentic INFORM
alton concerning the raid alluded to above.
From the best information, the Yankee force,
which consisted of infantry and cavalry alone, did
hot number two hundred. The fight at Cobb's
Mill was mere s,trprise of our. forces. Yankee
infantry hanked our pickets by means of woods and
swamrs, and by lying in ambush in the rear OF our
advanced pickes, captured the courers passing be-
tween the pickets and headquarters. COL Folk
falling to obtain such prompt information as he ex-
pected, and as was necessary to enable him 10 re-
concile the conflicting rua.Jrs which bad reached
him during the day, Gin consequence of the cap
ture Of the courers,) at II o'clock p NJ, night be-
fore last set out from Knston to join his regiment
few miles off, to learn the precise condition Of
things On nearing Cobb's Mill he was some few
hundred yards in advance of body of his cavalry
which accompanied him. He and his adjutant
were permitted to pass on, but when the body OF
troops in the reached the point where the
Yankees were in ambush they were suddenly fired
upon and some Ave Of them killed. Col
Folk and his adjutant were taken prisoners, IN
hurt.
There was no other fighting than that done by
the enemy in ambush-our detached squads Of
troops being thus surprised made no resistance,
the enemy could not be nor his numbers
certaincd. We lost eight men killed, very few
wounded and few Observation-Disclosures the killed
| are Lieuts. Delart and Fitzpatrick and private
Phillips of Folks cavalry. We could not learn
the names of the others. Our losses in prisoners
occurred by the fankng process before alluded tc.
In conclusion we have only TO say that more
caution might be exercised below, and must be, to
secure US FEM these vexatious raids. And We
may add with pleasure that the exertions of Gen.
Baker give earnest Of amount Of energy and
activity seldom seen in general commanders.
In few hours after the first tidings of the raid
reached him in Godsboro' he was 'at the 'front.'
with:a force which would: have put quictus on
the Yankee movements in short order.
AND STILL ANOTHER RA1D.-Gen. Baker re-
ceived Information last evening that the Yankees
ere in force in Onslow and were moving on Mag
noa. Steps were promptly taken to look after
them.
THE FALL OF LIEUT.. GEN POLK.
Lieutenant General Polk, with General Joseph
e. Johnston, Lieut. Gen Hardee and Gen Jackson,
accompanied by their respective stats, had ridden
out on the morning of the 18th instant to Pine
Mountain to survey the positions. They reached
that elevation, which is in the neighborhood of
Gen Bates line, some five or six miles in front of
Marietta, about II o'clock, a. VI. The party
dismounted, and all their horses were left
below the crown Of the knoll. Some one had sug
gested that so large group Of officers at so expos
ed point might attract the fire Of the enemy,
The suggestion had scarcely been offered before
shell from one of the enemy's batteries, recently
planted, about nine hundred yards distant. passed
very near them. The group then began to dis
! persein different directions Gen Johnston and
Lieut.. Gen Polk moved off few PAGES together
and separated-the former selecting path lower
down the hill, and Gen Polk proceeding along the
cone of the knoll Gen. Johnston had scarcely
parted from. Gen Polk, before second shell from
the same battery struck the latter in the chest,
and he fell without a groan. Col. Gale, of his
staff, who observed his fall, imm odiately back
to the spot but before he had reached it the great
soul of his loved General had sped beyond the
clouds. There vas slight tremor of the lower
jaw, but the eyes fixed and the pulses ceased:
a three inchrihe ball or shell had taken effect in
the left arm, above the elbow, crushing it aud
passing through the body and also through the
right arm, just below the shoulder joint, leaving
1t in the same mutilated condition the left por
lions OF the integuments- serving to secere the
arms still to the frame. The opening through the
chest was indeed frghtful one, and in all prob
ability, from the direction Of the missile involved
the heart and lungs in its The position of
the General on the slope Of Pine Mountain, at the
moment Of the sad occurrence, accounts for the
upward tendency Of the shot, as indicated in the
course traced his person.
The enemy's battery by this time began to fire
With great rapidity, and the body was borne back
on litter under heavy FIRE. 1t was carried to
the Relief Committee ward Of Dir. J n Simmons,
in Marietta. Here, upon examination of tie
peck ts OF his coat were found, in that Of the left
side, his Book Of Common Prayer for the service
Of the Protestant Episcopal Church., and in the
right pocket four copies of the Rev. Dr. Quin-
tard's little work entitled "Balm for the Weary
and the Wounded.' Upon the fly leaves of each
of these little volumes, indicating for whom they
intended, Inscribed the names rcspec-
lively Of Gen. Jos E Johnston, Lieut. Gen Har3ee
and Lieut. Gen Hood "with the compliments Of
Lieut. Gen 'Leonidas Polk, June 18th. 1864