General Seymour was allowed to occupy Jacksonville unmolested, and that place remained in undisputed possession of the Federals for the remainder of the year, while the rebel commander went into winter quarters at Camp Finegan, eight miles distant towards Baldwin.
General Seymour was relieved from command of the Federal forces in the State, and shortly after, Major-General Foster was assigned to command the Department of the South, in place of General Gilmore, who was appointed to the command of the Tenth army corps, in Virginia.
On the 20th of July General Birney was dispatched from Jacksonville with a small force to the mouth of the Trent creek, where he destroyed two bridges, and then advancing to Callohan station on the Fernandina railroad, he destroyed a telegraph office, some cars, and other property. Returning to Jacksonville, a few days thereafter, he embarked on transports to Whitesville, on the north fork of the Black Creek, where a slight skirmish ensued. Baldwin and Camp Milton were afterwards occupied by Federal troops, but no military movements of importance occurred in Florida during the remainder of the year.
BATTLE AT BACHELOR’S CREEK, N. C.
February 1, 1864.
Before daylight on the 1st of February, a Federal outpost at Bachelor’s Creek, eight miles from Newbern, was attacked by a Confederate force under General Picket, consisting of a portion of Hoke’s, Corse’s and Clingman’s brigades. The Federal force was surprised by a superior force, and after a gallant resistance were defeated, with a loss of about one hundred in killed, wounded and missing, and three hundred taken prisoners. The Confederate loss was about forty in killed and wounded. While it was yet dark, the same force of rebels descended the creek in barges, and captured and burned the United States gunboat Underwriter, which was aground between Forts Anderson and Stephen, within a mile and a half of Newbern.
CAPTURE OF PLYMOUTH, N. C.
April 19, 1864.
A serious misfortune befell the Federal arms on the above date in the capture of Plymouth, an important town on the Roanoke river, eight miles from its mouth. This town had been in possession of the Union forces for about two years, by whom it had been almost destroyed at the time of its capture. It had since been strongly fortified, and placed in charge of a brave and competent officer, who added new lustre to his well earned reputation, by a skillful and soldierly defence. The town was on the south bank of the river. A breastwork, with several strong forts along its line, had been constructed, while about a mile up the river, another defence, called Fort Gray, had been built, which was protected on the water front by a triple row of piles, with a number of torpedoes attached.
The rebels had constructed a powerful iron-clad ram, called the Albemarle, in the river above, which had been equipped for some time, and was now only waiting the cooperation of land forces to join in assailing the Federal defences.
Two Union gunboats, the Southfield and Miami, were anchored in the river opposite the town. General Wessels’ garrison consisted of two thousand five hundred men, and was composed of the One Hundred and First, and the One Hundred and Third Pennsylvania infantry, the Eighty-fifth New York, the Sixteenth Connecticut, two companies of Massachusetts heavy artillery, two companies of North Carolina volunteers, and the Twelfth New York cavalry.