The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1864-01-07
[coarEsroSrEScE or the rRmrSr.l
A Raid into North cnro,,nr
ESrHENcHED CAHr. NoRFoLR. VA.)
DUCgNnrR 21. iSB3.

! iHlEND hobihs lit having been my
good fortune to accompany an "expo-
dltion' or raid" from here 20 North
Carolina, perhaps hurried and brief ac.
count of il may BE- of interest to your
many readers. With five days ratons in
their havcrsacks and blankets on their
shoulders, the 9th U. S. colorcd tro ips
took their departure from their snug win
ter qunrtcrs on the 9th inst. and started
in a souh cdstcrly direction. After
trnvcling twenty miles we commenced to
gather up conirabands. This was donc
by sqund OF soldiers being scnt 20 n
house to Ct the coatrabands ready, and
to procure transportation for their goods
ard The womcn and children As the
only convcyuuccs here are horse carts,
aud they often being drawn by a single
OK, you may Judge ofthc unique appear
ancc of hundred Of such toums, filled
up with bedding, surmountcd by sable
woman and half dozen (and sometimes
a whole doztn( ltt!o cbouics Of various
sorts and sizcs. For such train we
had in couple OF days Of raidng.
On the fourth day we struck the dis.
lmul Swamp Canal, about milo north Of
the feeder from Diamond Lake. We en-
campcd that night, after travelling along
the Canal some seven miles, on the lurn
Of Col. Furguson, ot the rebel army
| Next morning we reached South Mills
in North Carolina, where We lounc Gen.
Wild, aud joined the balance Of
tho expedition, consisting of somc IT,.
200 lnautry, a section of the ith R'gu-
lar Artillery, aud two companies orpenn-
sylvania cavalry. Hero our conlrubund
train was sent to Norfolk
Two days more of marching without
anything occu ring oCspcciul = rolc brought
Us to Elizabeth City, situated on pasqu,.
Iunk $ und, an arm Of Albcmarlc Sound.
This place was captured by the gunboat5
Immediately after the capture Of Rotn.
oak Island by Burnside. From Eza.
beth City We modl number Of cxcur.
sions after puerilas, aud captured sever.
al, We also succeeded Bringing Ia Il
great many contrabands. These latter
were scut to Roanouk leland, where Il
contruband camp Is established. s vcr-
al boat excursions were made down the
Bay, and number of small vessels doing
n contruband trade twas captured. In one
of these expeditions, captured several
kegs of butter, bags of salt, fish, sugar,
boots, candy, &C., which, being conlisca-
Gated, furnished us with varieties for ta.
bic use.
On the 18th ult., we left Elizabeth
City. Companies A II G, aud of the
9th, and dctochments of the Doth Mass.
and I'd North Carolina, under Colonel
Draper, of the ID North Carolina took
south castcrIy direction, while tho west
ot tho brigade under Gen. wild went
northcrly to South Mills, went with
the former detachment. From South
Mills the Gen. was to take II south cast.
crly course, and meet us at Ind,untown,
a town by the way, OF some three houses,
Our detachment marched that night to
Shiloh Church, aud took up our quarters
INSIDE, taking good care 10 build some
roaring lr,s on the outside. About II
o'clock we were started by the rattle of
muskctry, and soon found that compLi
of some fifty brave gucrilas had crcpt
up within some two hundred and fifty
yards ofthc church and poured vo,lcy
into oar fires. The vollcy was promptly
rotorncd, hut guess no one was hurt on
either side.
The next day ahou, o'clock p. NJ.
when some three miles from Indiantown
we were fired upon by a company Of
gucrllas, who We're posted in u thickct
about $50 yards from tie road, both on
our right and on our front. The road
making sudden turn to tho len, rave
ihcm chance To give us an cnfilading
fire from their ambush. The fight lasted
about 80 minutes, and curing tho whole
time continuous roll of muskctry was
kept up, the bullets buzzingvcry uncom-
torlably about our heads. Four of cur
men were killcd,-thrcc of them being
from my own Company c. and I
wounded, several seriously. The names
orthe killed of the 9th Regiment are
Jeremiah Franklin, Jordon DIrton, and
Richard II, FcS. David Guam was shot
through the body. The gucrlas had En-
field Rides, and their ammunition bore
the marks OF our English friends.
Amer hunting through the thickets for the
enemy, we loaded up our killed aud
wounded, and marched cautiously to In
d.antown, Here cur rear guard was
again fired on. but no ono was hurl.-
The sooundrcls retroatod on the double
quick when We got a0cr them, Here
we were lined by Gen. Wild, who had
the day before hung guerilla, and that
evening burned the house OF one Sander
lin, Captain OF the guerilla band We had
been fighting.
Next morning We went out aud found
the rebel camp in an almost impeaetra,
bleswamp-having toNvalk on logs in
single die for near mile--and burned
it. In ii We captured number Of guns
and some 5000 rounds OF ammunition.
besides quantity OF eommlssary stores.
The muster roll of the company anG the