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going in small boats, while others in their eagerness for the fray jumped fromthe transports, which were fast on the mud bottoms, and, holding their car-tridge-boxes and muskets over their heads, waded to the land. In addition tothe 13 regiments of infantry, 8 pieces of artillery were landed, 6 in chargeof Lieutenant McCook, of the navy, and 2 commanded by Captains Daytonand Bennett, of the Marine Artillery.
The enemy had chosen a strong position, well calculated for defensive pur-poses. On Otter Creek, about seven miles up the river from the mouth ofSlocum’s Creek, they had a line of intrenchments reaching from the NeuseRiver to the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad; two miles beyond they haderected a strong field-work for preventing a landing at that point; three miles
farther on there was a battery mounting 4 heavy guns,but bearing upon the river; and one mile farther up to-ward New Berne was their long line of strong works,the chief defense against an attack upon that city. FortThompson, a large and carefully planned flanking bas-tion, located on the river, and mounting 13 heavyguns, the enemy’s extreme left, was the commencementof their main line of breastworks, which extended amile and a quarter to the railroad; and commencingthe other side of the railroad was another series of de-fensive works, consisting of rifle-pits and detachedintrenchments in the form of redans and lunettes, thatterminated in a 2-gun battery, about two miles fromFort Thompson. All were located upon a low, swampysoil. The line from the river to the railroad was pro-tected by a ditch and clearing in front, and the onebeyond by a swamp and underbrush along its whole length. These workswere armed with 41' heavy guns and 19 field-pieces, and had between7000 and 8000 men for their defense. In the river, opposite Fort Thompson,and crossing its channel, were a double row of piles and many sunken vessels,formidable obstructions, to assist the fort in preventing an attack upon NewBerne from the river. The naval forces moved up the river along with thetroops while the light guns on shore were being dragged through the deepmud of the road. The first day’s march took the whole Union force beyondthe second deserted work, where the advance came in contact with theenemy’s pickets. It being then 8 o’clock, a halt was ordered for the night,and the weary, hungry troops found a soldiers’ resting-place in the mud, withno better covering than a continuous downpour of cold water. The eightpieces of artillery, although assisted on their way by the whole of the 51stPennsylvania, did not arrive on the ground until 3 o’clock the followingmorning. [See map, p. 651.]
During the night it was ascertained from pickets, negroes, and others thatthe enemy’s fortified line was not far off'; and early on the morning of the14th the positions of the Union forces were designated preparatory to a for-ward movement for attack. General Foster was to move up the country
BRIGADIER-GENERAL L. O’EBRANCH, COMMANDING THECONFEDERATE FORCES AT NEWBERNE. KILLED AT ANTIETAM,SEPT. 17, 1862.
FROM A PHOTOGRAPH.