State

A War Echo From Dismal Swamp As the list l ( It* ragori ail South Mills, ai .strange drama reached its climax. »!/ R. A. MAVIS. M.D. Surgeon 3rd (■«‘org'ia Ih^'l.. C'.S.A. At the time my slorv begins. Febru¬ ary 1 86 1 . I was Surgeon to perhaps the largest regiment in the Confederate Stales. It consisted of eleven companies averaging one hundred men each. Most of the men were from Georgia, in the neighborhood of Rome and Athens. What warriors they would have been had they resembled the ancient Ro¬ mans and Athenians, yet they were as brave and gallant a legion as was ever commanded by Alexander or Caesar, but they did not possess the culture that might be expected of Athenians. While as brave as Spartans, they were generally a rought set of fellows. There were a few South Carolinians scattered through the command, but how they got there I do not know, but they were gentlemen in the strictest sense of the term, not only courteous and chival¬ rous hut cultivated, gentle and urbane. Our regiment, the Third Georgia, had been sent from Norfolk to South Mills in North Carolina, a hamlet on the Dismal Swamp canal, just where the canal opens into the Pasquotank river. Elizabeth City had been evacuated by the Confederates, all its inhabitants had deserted the place, some had gone to Norfolk and Portsmouth, some to South Mills, and some were scattered about in farm houses through the coun- lr>'; I here were several Federal gunboats lying in the mouth of the river, a few hundred yards from the wharf, and every day about noon they would steam up to the wharf to rcconnoitcr, and then drop back to their former position. Two companies of our regiment were stationed in the suburbs of the town, where they were out of sight but could watch the motions of the gun¬ boats and other vessels. Guarding the Locks Our regiment had been sent to South Mills to guard the locks of the Dismal Swamp canal, and prevent any force, which might land at Elizabeth City, and march twelve miles, front destroying the locks. This little hamlet, about thirty miles front Norfolk, has the tow path of the canal for its main street, several short streets running at right angles to the canal back inti» the country for a few hundred yards. The houses arc all. or almost all. of wood, and are scattered about without much order, except on the canal. There is one church — Methodist, two so-called hotels, two stores, a blacksmith shop, and a cobbler's. The town boasts of two hundred inhabi¬ tants. Roanoke Island and Elizabeth City had just fallen into the hands of the enemy, and our little town was over¬ flowing with refugees from those places. Our regiment had a very good brass band and although it was war time, the little place was very gay. for our band was very accommodating, and ever)' night would play for the young people to dance. There were many young girls, and We are indebted to Henry W. Rrockenhrough, a banking execu¬ tive of Richmond. Virginia, for this account of a highly unusual episode which took place in the Camden County area of North Carolina during the War Retween the Slates. Heretofore unpub¬ lished. the story is related by Richmond Addison Lewis, a Con¬ federate surgeon and officer who participated in the experience; and its authenticity is confirmed by members of his family. The original of l)r. Lewis' ac¬ count is in the Confederate Mu¬ seum. in Richmond. a whole regiment of men, so there was no end to the fun and frolic while we remained at South Mills, which was from February, until the evacuation of Norfolk. There were two roads by which a force landing at Elizabeth City could march to South Mills. One by Camden Court House, the other, the direct road to South Mills. Our regiment had thrown up some little embankments on these roads, just outside the suburbs of the little town. They were scarcely deserving the name of fortifications, for they were only about three feet high and extended only a few hundred yards on each side of the roads, but it was difficult to flank them on account of the marshy soil and thick undergrowth. On the morning of the 19th of April. 1X62. our scouts reported that a Fed¬ eral force five thousand strong, with two batteries of artillery — twelve pound howitzers — had disembarked under the command of Generals Reno. Reynolds and Hawkins — I do not know which was the ranking officer — and were marching directly for South Mills. The Fedcrals Attack At this point there was a dense wood, through which the road passed, and at the edge of the woods, a deep draining ditch, and in front of the ditch, open fields, nearly half a mile wide on each side of the road. Two com¬ panies of our regiment were guarding the road from Camden Court House. Nine companies were stationed in the woods. Our battery was placed where the road enters the woods, and it con¬ sisted of four six-pounders. The wind was blowing almost a gale, from us to¬ ward the enemy. One of our soldiers suggested piling the rails from the fence along the ditch and setting them afire as soon as the Federals were in sight. This was done, and our men were com- io THE STATE. June 1, 1969