The Greensborough Patriot
Aug. 7, 1862
Page 2
The Fight at Smith’s Mills.
We learn that
about 2 o’clock on Sunday last, the enemy, numbering 500 infantry, 40 cavalry
and 4 pieces of artillery, attempted a crossing of the White Oak River at
Smith’s Mills. The White Oak River is
the county line of Onslow
County in the direction
of Newbern.
They were met
there by about 125 men of Captain E. D. Ward’s squadron of cavalry. Our people had previously removed the
covering from off the bridge, so that the enemy could not at once cross.
The fight lasted
about three hours, when Captain Ward fell back a short
distance out of the range of their artillery.
They continued to shell the woods until near dark, when they fell
back. In the engagement we had one man,
Sergeant Williams, of the Gatlin Dragoons, wounded in both legs and one horse
wounded by the bursting of a shell.
Captain Ward learns from citizens along the line of the enemy’s retreat,
that we killed two dead on the spot, wounded eleven badly and several more slightly. Among those badly, was their colonel, who was
shot from his horse.
They curse our
“two barreled cavalry,” and say they want shot guns too. They fell back about seven miles, to Mrs.
Bryan’s where they met more of their men.
They were then on the 28th, 1500 strong, among them five
hundred cavalry.
They stripped the
corn fields for roasting ears as they went, killing cattle, hogs, poultry,
&c. They were piloted by a free negro, who was also among the wounded. Our men behaved remarkably well.—Wilmington Journal.
