April 16, 1863, The New York Herald
Our Suffolk Correspondence.
SUFFOLK, Va., Monday Noon, April 13, 1863.
We fired upon the enemy last night, shelling the woods from one of the gunboats over the town, without provoking a reply. There is information current that the rebels are waiting for reinforcements, and moving to outflank us by way of Deep Creek, thus getting between us and Norfolk.
Last evening several trains went down to Portsmouth loaded with women, trunks, &c. Many of the ladies thus skedaddling were Northern ones; yet the majority of them were natives, or, as we express it here, “Our Suffolk girls.”
About sundown a heavy rain set in, and continued up to midnight.
During the day the Adams Express agents had a busy time of it. They have received over a quarter of a million dollars from sutlers and traders. These amounts are to be sent North for deposit, and to various firms.
With the light of day we found a clouded sky and a heavy rain, and occasionally we heard the resounding of heavy guns, sometimes from the gunboats and at others from a redoubt on General Terry’s front. The sharpshooters, too, are doing well.
With our glasses we can see many of the rebels entering the houses of people living near our present line of defence, and even looking inside a few tents we abandoned, and which were occupied by the men and officers assigned to our extreme advanced signal station. A small detachment of the rebel sharpshooters are lying flat on the ground – on the other side of a deep ravine – within a short distance of one of our batteries, and yet so favorably have they placed themselves that we have not yet been able to dislodge them, although they have been firing for several hours. The South Quay battery has been firing for three or four hours. General Corcoran has charge of the whole line of our defensive works.
About nine o’clock the reserve pickets of Acting Brigadier General Foster’s brigade were driven in, and skirmishing commenced almost in full sight of our breastworks toward the Sommerton road.
The trading stores around town are open, and some of them are actually doing a moderate degree of business. Those who contemplate leaving town are purchasing such articles as are necessary for their immediate use.
A report has reached us that the enemy is throwing up fortifications on the left bank of the Nansemond river, at a point about four miles from Suffolk. Several of the gunboats comprising the Nansemond squadron have been fired on by the enemy’s sharpshooters. In the river at the present time are the army gunboats Smith Briggs, Captain Lee; West End, Captain _____; and the navy gunboats Alert, Acting Master Cox; Philadelphia, Acting Master Reynolds; Commodore Barney, Lieutenant Cushing, commanding, and Stepping Stones, Acting Master Harris. The flagship of the squadron is the Mount Washington, Lieut. Dawson, of the Minnesota, in command.
At eleven o’clock a detachment from the First New York Mounted Rifles was sent over the Nansemond river and out on the Providence Church road. They had proceeded but a very short distance when the enemy’s infantry opened on them from the woods, wounding two of our men and slightly wounding an officer. The gunboats Smith Briggs and West End opened fire from the river and shelled the woods. The shelling had the effect of making the enemy’s advance fall back to a safer position. The river presents a very interesting scene now that all these gunboats are in it. At the time the firing commenced a large detachment of infantry arrived, and proceeded to tear down a number of houses adjacent to the river which interfered with the range of our guns.