Newton County GaArchives News.....MR. MOSS'S DIARY AS KEPT DURING SIXTIES August 10 1916 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Phyllis Thompson mandpthompson@bellsouth.net February 1, 2004, 11:58 pm The Covington News "This Is As I Saw It. It May Be Different As Others Saw It" He Says of 3d Regiment, Company H. BEGINNING WITH THE YEAR 1861 April, 1862 18....Another alarm of same sort. 19....Got orders at daybreak to march immediately to the entrenchment. When we got there, there was a dispatch for us to move rapidly to Pasquotauk Bridge, for the Yanks were landing at Camden Court House on the Camden side of the river. We double-quicked several miles and when we got to the bridge Col. WRIGHT took the artillery and part of the Regiment and went out towards Camden Court House. Soon we heard the artillery firing, pretty soon the small arms commenced, and at 2 o'clock the engagement became general and lasted about two hours, when it was found out that we were fighting under a disadvantage. A retreat was ordered to cover the retreat. Our troops fell back to South Mills. About 12 o'clock at night news came that the Yanks were flanking us. We were ordered up and fell back to Culpepper Locks on Canal and awaited reinforcements. Captain McCOMAS of the artillery and four of the Regiment were killed and a few wounded. 20....Re-inforcements arrived from Portsmouth. General BLANCHARD, with the 2d Louisiana Regiment, and the Portsmouth Rifles. The Yanks sent in a flag of truce for an armistice of three days to bury their dead and pick up stragglers. It was not granted. Col. WRIGHT sent them word he would bury their dead and pick up stragglers himself. Late in the evening Col. WRIGHT and General BLANCHARD took all but Companies H and K and started for South Mills, we to follow in the morning. Rained all the evening and night. We staid in Wallis barn, which was a good big one, 250 feet and well filled with fodder, shucks, corn, etc. and pumpkins he had raised the year before. 21....At 4 o'clock in the morning Companies H and K were ordered up and to march to South Mills. Rained all night hard. Sometimes powerful black muddy road along the canal. Got within six miles and waited for day and saw several prisoners on the steamer, Arrow. The wounded were put in the church and one of their surgeons was left to attend to them. 22....Companies H and K got to South Mills and the Regiment was there and the dead were laid out and dressed in old man WARDLAW'S house, ready for burying. They were buried in the evening. The Second Battalion of North Carolina went to Richardson's Landing and the 1st Louisiana Regiment to Camden Court House. Col. WRIGHT took the 3d Regiment and went to the battle field to look at it. 23....Company H was ordered to the Pasquotauk Bridge to repair it, for we had burned it the day of the fight, to keep the Yanks from coming up on that side of us. 24....Finished repairing the bridge and me and GEORGE LEVY and Captain JONES went down the river in a skiff to cut down trees to keep the gunboats from coming up. 25....JOHN S. CARROLL came to camps from home. 26....The bridges and roads were repaired from South Mills to Elizabeth city. 27....Rainy day and considerable electioneering in camps all day, getting ready for the morrow; all commissioned officers, both regimental and company were to be elected. 28....J. S. CARROLL went home, came to us on the 25th. Election for Regiment officers was as follows. Colonel; A. R. WRIGHT Lieutenant Colonel; JAMES REED Major; STURGIS Company H: Captain; JOHN F. JONES 1st Lieut. L. F. LUCKIE 2d Lieut; JOHN H. EVANS 3d Lieut; S. H. STARR 29....Nearly all the boys went in a battery in the Pasquotauk. I sent some tricks home by J. S. CARROLL that was got a Elizabeth City. 30....We fished in the river and caught a good many perch, some eels and a few grindles, the first I ever saw. May, 1862 1.....We were mustered into the Confederate service for three years, unless sooner discharged. 2.....Captain GRIMES took two pieces of artillery and attacked a gun boat below Sawyer's Landing. The boats retreated back. We were ordered to stay in camps. Report that there were three gun boats up the river. They did not come. 3.....Company H was sent to the entrenchments, 5 miles from the draw bridge on the road to Elizabeth City. We staid there all day and returned back to camps after dark. There were more ticks there at the entrenchments that CARTER had oats or wheat. To Be Continued This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/gafiles/ File size: 4.8 Kb