| From the Wilmington Journal |
| |
| December 23, 1862 |
| |
| Wilmington & Weldon Rail Road Co. |
| Office Chief Eng. & Sup't. |
| Wilmington, N. C., Dec. 21, 1862 |
| |
| Messrs. Editors, |
| There is much apprehension
about the damage done the Road during the late foray of the enemy. |
| They appear to have ventured
as far South as Goshen Swamp, 64 miles from Wilmington, with a small
force of cavalry. At Goshen they destroyed a part of the trestle
bridge there, and half a mile further North they caught four of the
Company's negroes and made them to take up about 175 yards of the
track. They burned several small culvert trestles as far North as
Mount Olive. Another party came upon the Road at Dudley too late,
however, to intercept the down passenger train, which had been run
back from near Mount Olive, by the Southern branch of the Railroad
destroying party. The party at Dudley burned the warehouse with 1,000
bushels of corn and meal, the wood and water station and three freight
cars, lumber &c., doing the track very little damage. |
| During the attack on the Neuse
River Bridge a working party tore up and turned over about half a mile
of track -- burning a portion of the cross ties. You can judge of the
damage they have done us. |
| The work of repairs has been
pushed on so far to completion that our trains will run to within a
short distance of Neuse River by Monday, 22d (tomorrow) at 1 P. M. |
| How and why
Neuse Bridge was lost must rest with others to explain. It was fired
by shells from nine pieces of artillery. |
| Without serious accident, and
with the blessing of good weather, I hope to pass our trains over the
Neuse before New Year's day. |
| Yours truly, |
| S. L. Fremont |
|