outside of the lines, to see
what information we could pick up. Mounting cavalry horses, we went
out a distance of four or five miles, returning by the way of the
Columbia road picket post. At one house where we stopped, a lady who
had just arrived from the interior said that the rebels were
concentrating, and it was reported that they were going to attack
Plymouth. As I had heard these stories before, I paid but little
attention to her report at the time.

On Saturday, April 16th, two days after, I was again officer of the
picket on the Columbia road. The next morning (Sunday) at dawn, while
asleep at the reserve post, I was awakened by the discharge of a
musket by the picket at the bridge. Rushing to the spot, I found the
picket to be William Maxwell, of Company A. He reported five or six
scouts who had come to the edge of the woods suddenly, but fled on
being fired at. I reported the fact to General Wessells, on being
relieved at nine o'clock A.M. He seemed to think them guerrillas, but
they proved to be advance guards, for in the afternoon when most of
the soldiers were in church, the pickets were attacked by cavalry on
the Washington and Lee's Mill roads simultaneously, and so sudden was
the attack on the Washington road that the entire reserve picket were
taken prisoners.

The "long roll" was sounded, and the troops prepared for the attack.
Light artillery and cavalry were immediately sent out to ascertain the
strength of the enemy. They had a short engagement, resulting in one
killed, and Lieutenant Russell of New York Cavalry badly wounded. In
the garrison, there were besides the Sixteenth Conn. Vols., the
Eighty-fifth New York Volunteers, One Hundred and First, and One
Hundred and Third Pennsylvania Volunteers, Twenty-fourth New York
Independent Battery, two companies of the Second Massachusetts Heavy
Artillery, two companies of New York Cavalry, and two companies Second
North Carolina Volunteers, making in all 1,600 effective men. Early in
the evening the enemy made a furious attack upon Fort Gray, on the
river, a mile above the town. By eleven o'clock in the evening it was
ascertained that the enemy had a force of between ten and twelve
thousand men, and all loyal women and children in the place were
embarked on board the "Massasoit," and sent to Roanoke Island. It was
very evident to us that we must either be killed or go to "Libby."
Company "H," Captain Barnum, had been sent that morning to Roanoke
Islan