April 16, 1863, The New York Herald
Our Suffolk Correspondence.
ON SIGNAL TOWER, SUFFOLK, Va.,
Monday, Midnight, April 13, 1863.
It will be remembered that my despatch of this morning left the enemy firing with his artillery from the Sommerton road. At one o’clock he ceased firing and retired in good order. About three o’clock P.M. he appeared on the same ground and renewed the fight. After a brief engagement he was again forced to fall back, owing to our ability to concentrate some thirty-five guns on any one given point.
During the afternoon the enemy appeared n the other side of the Nansemond river, and attacked our gunboats with dismounted cavalrymen and sharpshooters, causing a loss to us of only two or three wounded. Four of the gunboats opened fire at once upon the enemy, when he fell back into the woods. From this place we dislodged him with the aid of shell. He then retired still further back, occasionally displaying a few scouts in the tops of trees and mounted ones at other prominent points.
The enemy opened a signal station on the Petersburg Railroad, where it crosses the Franklin Railroad, during the early part of the afternoon. We soon discovered that this station was of immense advantage to him, in that he could signal for many miles up and down the line of the railroad. To destroy this station, which was three miles distant, became a military necessity, and the gunboat Smith Briggs, Captain Lee, was ordered to do the work. From the deck of the gunboat nothing could be seen beyond a mile except the wood. But the firing commenced, and with the aid of our signal officers, who, placed in three positions – one in the extreme advance toward the station, the other on the main tower in town, and still another on the gunboat – we threw so many shells directly upon the enemy’s position that he was forced to abandon it and seek safety in immediate flight. This was quite a little exploit; for it must be remembered that Captain Lee could not see the enemy’s position, while the range had to be changed according to the signal officer’s report. It may be styled […..] by signal.”
Another skirmish took place late in the afternoon, when the enemy was driven back into the woods by three detachments from three regiments of Acting Brigadier General Foster’s brigade. In this skirmish the injury we sustained was trifling.
All the houses within the range of our guns affording the enemy a position to place sharpshooters behind or tending to interfere with the range of our guns, have been burned. During the evening the sight presented by these burning houses was quite unique.
At five P.M. we received a despatch from Major Patton, of the First New York Mounted Rifles, to the following effect:– “From information derived from one of our scouting parties, I learn that no enemy is on the Edenton road for a distance of five miles out.”
During the afternoon a number of prisoners, as also not a few deserters, were brought to the headquarters of Major General Peck. From these we learned that the enemy had arranged to attack us yesterday, but, that owing to the failure of the different division commanders to come up with their forces, and thus make a simultaneous attack, offensive operations had to be stayed until such time as the misunderstanding could be rectified. This was the statement alike of prisoners and deserters, among whom were some non-commissioned officers.
Toward evening a train was sent to Norfolk, having on board all the prominent male secessionists. These were to be conveyed to Fort Norfolk, and there held as prisoners for the present.
During the early part of the night our gunboats kept up a constant firing on the enemy’s position on the opposite side of the river. To this there was but a feeble response.
As night approached Major General Peck visited the whole line of intrenchments in person; took every precaution to provide against surprise during the night, and had resort to every facility to sustain an attack on the following day. This personal visit of the General commanding had a very inspiring effect.
This afternoon Mrs. J. E. Smith, one of the F. F. V, while attempting to escape to our line of intrenchments while the engagement was going on in the direction of the Sommerton road, was shot dead by the rebel skirmishers. Her husband, who was escaping with her at the time, got to our intrenchments in safety. Mrs. Smith was about thirty years of age. She is the mother of some five or seven children, the majority of whom are young and living.
Among the curious incidents of the occasion is one worthy of special note. The females of this place expect at any moment to be called upon to skedaddle. They consider they will be unable to carry with them in the hurry but very few articles of clothing. Hence many of them look like fat old dowagers, from the fact that they have on some five or six dresses, with a proportionate amount of underclothing. This may seem very curious; but it is nevertheless true.
The night up to this hour has passed tolerably quiet. Occasionally the silence of the hour would be broken by a few shots from the gunboats, as they attempted thus to fathom the meaning of certain noises in the distance, or to draw the enemy’s fire.
The enemy now holds his position with a regiment deployed as skirmishers about two hundred yards from our pickets and videttes on the Sommerton road. Occasionally there would be a rifle shot to two exchanged, but nothing more. On the Edenton road we could not find the enemy’s whereabouts. On the south Quay and Blackwater roads he remained the same. On the other side of the Nansemond river, the rebels kept their pickets posted in the edge of a woods on either side of the Providence Church road. Down the river some distance the enemy attempted to build a battery in the neighborhood of the mouth of the Jericho Canal. On finding this out the gunboats went into action and succeeded in driving him off, while we threw up another fortification on a high bluff on the other side of the river.
Gen. Peck has today issued the following congratulatory order:
GENERAL ORDERS – NO. 23.
HEADQUARTERS, UNITED STATES FORCES,
SUFFOLK, Va., April 13, 1863.
The Commanding General congratulates the troops upon the patience and fortitude with which the fatigues of the past three days have been met, and the spirit and vigor with which the enemy has been repulsed wherever he has appeared. He believes the gallant soldiers of his command will cheerfully join him in acknowledging the valuable co-operation of the naval forces.
By command ofMajor General PECK.
BENJ. B. FOSTER, Acting Assistant Adjutant General.