er fire, they crossed the creek on a mill dam, flanked the
rebel battery, and, taking it by storm, captured a rifled six-pounder
and several prisoners. The rebels retreated hastily and succeeded in
saving the other six-pounder, but left six killed and wounded. Three
hours were consumed in the reconstruction of the bridge. When completed
the infantry and artillery crossed and marched towards Kinston, about
three and a half miles, and halted for the night, in line of battle,
with strong pickets out. The enemy made but feeble resistance to the
advance of our forces, Mix's cavalry driving them like chaff before
them. The night passed quietly, a little affair between pickets, without
result, breaking the monotony of the night.

On Sunday morning, at daybreak, Mix's cavalry and Wessell's brigade
began to advance, feeling their way cautiously up the road about two
miles, when the enemy's pickets were met and driven back through a piece
of woods about three-quarters of a mile, when they retired upon the main
body of the enemy, six thousand strong, under command of
Brigadier-General Evans, of Ball's Bluff notoriety. His forces consisted
of three regiments of South Carolina infantry, the balance, of
artillery, cavalry and infantry, was made up of North Carolina troops.
Here our advance halted and the artillery was ordered to the front, and
at 10.30 the artillery opened on the enemy. The rebels were found to be
drawn up in line of battle, on a ground partially wooded and covered
with a dense underbrush, with their artillery in the center and on
either flank. They formed their line nearly in the shape of a triangle,
with the base towards our forces. Our line was formed with the Ninth New
Jersey on the right, Wessell's brigade in the center and left; Behind,
in a second line, was the Twenty-third Massachusetts Regiment, on the
right the Forty-fourth and Forty-fifth and other regiments of Amory's
brigade, Stevenson's and Lee's brigades being held in reserve. Our
artillery was placed in position on the right, centre and left of the
line. The battle was begun by the artillery at 10.30, and continued
uninterruptedly until about 1.30 o'clock, when the enemy commenced to
retreat. But a short time elapsed after the artillery duel had begun
before the infantry got to work in earnest, and the musketry became very
rapid and hot. The fight was quite lively until 1 o'clock, but not at
very close quarters, when the rebels began to fall back, and