November 20, 1862
Page 2
We met a gentleman from Pitt county at the depot yesterday evening, from whom we learned the following facts: A gunboat ascended the rive to within a mile of Greenville on Sunday last, when it stopped and they transferred some artillery pieces to a flat and came up to the town. The party of Federals that took possession of the place consisted of about 80 only, and they only remained two hours. They fired the bridge near the town, but on being remonstrated with, suffered the fire to be extinguished, and so it was saved. They took off as prisoners nine citizens of the county and town—Messrs. Joel Hodges, Ex-Sheriff, Joseph Daney, Clerk of Superior Court, Edward Howell, Wm. Stokes, James Cobb, Benj. Corry, Charles Green, Allen Tyson, and one other, whose name our informant had forgotten. We had no troops there, and no opposition was offered them. They retired and returned no doubt to Washington the same day. The Town is now occupied by our troops, and all is quiet.
We obtained these facts from a Mr. Evans who lives near Greenville and who has been there twice since the Yankees left, once but a few hours after they had cleared the town, and they may be relied upon as being in the main correct.
If 80 Yankees can take quiet possession of Greenville, how many will it take to capture Goldsboro or Weldon? We hope we are to have a change in the management of military affairs in North Carolina. Do give us and active, fighting commander.
--Daily
Progress—
[Transcribed by Sharon Strout]