Union Troops At Plymouth, North Carolina Are Threatened By Rebel Advances

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War-date Union soldier's letter, 4pp. 8vo., written by Pvt. John H. Chamberlin, Co. D, 5th Mass. Vols., Plymouth, N. C., Mar. 15, 1863, in part: "…Tuesday afternoon (the 10th)…word came in to us that the Rebs were driving our pickets in and that they were advancing on the town. The long roll was beaten and what few soldiers were here fell into line and marched out to support the pickets…where we have an embankment thrown up…we were thrown out as skirmishers…waited for the Rebs to come up…the Rebs would not come farther than the edge of the woods…the report came in that they were troubling our pickets again. We were again immediately ordered into a line and advanced…the Rebs saw us and fell back into the woods. We did not dare to venture out a great ways because there is not but four companies of us…we…fell back to the centre of the town and then the gun boats began shelling the woods. They shelled the wood about half an hour and then we were ordered back to our quarters…11 o'clock at night…we heard our pickets firing and that was an alarm for us…so out we went…our pickets had fallen back…they ran across a dozen…Rebs in their rear…they fired into them and then retreated back across a corn field…the company coming up scared the Rebs and they just [?] for the woods. The company fell back again and the gun boats began shelling the woods again…this time the gun boats went at it in earnest and the Rebs have fallen back to a church about four miles from here. There is a regiment of them and a battery of four pieces. It is the 17th North Carolina Regt. Our company has been out and burnt a Black Smith shop where their pickets were stationed. They calculated to make a dash in…and surprise us, but they were mistaken…on Thursday night our gunboats thrower some more shell…into the woods. We can see their camp fires…sometimes we can see them signalizing. Yesterday our picket boat went into a creek…and surprised some of the Rebel cavalry…as they were eating breakfast…they ran off and left their saddles and…bales of cotton…yours, etc., John H. Chamberlin." VG

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