The Battle of South Mills- April 19, 1862

After victories at Roanoke Island, New Bern and Fort Macon and the establishment of new garrisons in Washington and Plymouth, Union General Burnside found himself with a lot of territory to protect. His ability to launch any other major movements was limited. With the success of the Confederate ironclad Virginia at Hampton Roads Commodore Rowan relayed his concerns to Burnside that the Rebels would attempt to send a smaller ironclad down the Dismal Swamp Canal to Albemarle Sound. To prevent this Burnside agreed to send an expedition to destroy the canal locks at South Mills led by General Reno. General Reno would leave New Bern with the 21st MA and 51st PA. He would stop at Roanoke Island and pick up three of Colonel Hawkins Regiments giving him more than 3,000 men, as well as four boat howitzers. The two transports entered the Pasquotank River after dark on April 18th. One of them grounded and the other with Hawkins three Regiments landed at Chantilly, shown in the map below (Stop 5). Reno sent Hawkins forward to South Mills with orders to hold the locks until the other two regiments arrived. Hawkins was being guided by a local man captured near Elizabeth City on April 9th. The local man started them down the wrong road and then fled (via tour stops 6-7-8). When the second transport arrived Reno took the direct route (tour stops 5-4-8 past the Courthouse). He managed to catch Hawkins near Lamb’s corner (at tour stop 8).

**Map from the Battle of South Mills Driving Tour Brochure**

Camden County has produced a brochure about the battle. To proceed chronologically and to reduce the total driving distance it is best to proceed in the order- Stops 5, 4, 6, 7, 8, 3, 2, and 1.

Stop 5- Chantilly (36.3012146, -76.1712699)- Union forces landed here on April 19, 1862. General Jesse Reno’s Union forces consisted of three regiments from Roanoke Island and two from New Bern. They were accompanied by a detachment from the 1st New York Marine Artillery and underwater explosives expert, Professor Benjamin Maillefert, of New York City. Their objective was to blow up the locks at South Mills, cutting off the major route for supplies to Norfolk and denying Confederate ironclads a route to the Albemarle Sound.

Stop 6- Gumberry Road (36.3270862, -76.1680114)- Hawkins 4th Brigade made a wrong turn in the dark here.The Union battle plan called for Colonel Rush Hawkins and his Fourth Brigade from Roanoke Island to land at Chantilly under the cover of darkness, followed by a twelve mile forced march to South Mills. They were to capture and hold the bridge over the Pasquotank River below South Mills, preventing the seven Third Georgia companies posted on the Pasquotank County side of the river from crossing over into Camden County. Reno was to follow with his two regiments from New Bern and the explosives to blow up the locks. In the darkness, Hawkins and his Fourth Brigade took a wrong turn onto Gumberry Road,

Stop 4- Camden Court House- Reno and the 21st MA and 51st PA passed here on the way to the battlefield. Reno’s column left Chantilly at dawn and followed the most direct route past Camden Court House, stopping to rest at Lamb’s Corner around 10:00 a.m. While stopped, clouds of dust and flying colors were spied approaching from the east down Lamb’s Road. Reno called his men into line of battle and prepared to fire on the approaching force, thinking Hawkins was already at South Mills holding River Bridge. The supposed enemy turned out to be Hawkins and his worn-out men, several hours late. They fell in behind the fresher troops of the Second Brigade and continued northward towards Sawyer’s Lane. On returning to their ships at Chantilly Union troops released prisoners from the jail and ransacked several buildings.

Stop 7- Location of Lieutenant Alonzo Bell’s House (36.3477723, -76.1566294)- The 4th Brigade under Hawkins (the 9th and 89th NY, and 6th NH) ate breakfast here on their detour. Hawkins recognized Bell as one of the paroled captives from the Battle of Hatteras Inlet. After eating, the Union column continued down Lamb’s Road towards South Mills, an unintended detour of about 5 miles. Hawkins blamed the blunder on treachery by his local guide.

Stop 8- Lamb’s Corner (36.3797316, -76.2225883)- the site where Reno’s 2nd Brigade drew up in battle formation facing Hawkins’ 4th Brigade approaching from the east before recognizing they were Union troops who had taken the wrong road to the battlefield.

Stop 3- South Mills Battlefield

The Union advance had not gone unnoticed by Confederate Colonel Ambrose Wright of the 3rd GA. Wright had a cavalry company that could serve as pickets, a 4-gun battery and local militia in South Mills. He left 2 companies and a cannon to guard the road from the west to South Mills and headed south with his small force of about 400 men. After marching 3 miles he came to an area where the woods suddenly opened on to a cleared field 600-800 yards wide extending for about a mile (shown in the wartime map below, followed by a modern day google satellite map). He would form his line there in an irrigation ditch with his 3 guns in the center of the road. About 300 yards in front was another irrigation ditch which his men filled with wood from fences and set on fire to prevent the Yankees from using as cover. The Confederate guns under Captain McComas opened fire on the Federals around 11:30 AM.

The 51st PA and the 21st MA arrived on the field first and quickly headed to the woods to the east while Colonel Howard of the New York Marine Artillery returned fire with 2 of his boat howitzers. Reno realized a frontal assault was not possible and sent the 6th NH to the left and the 9th and 89th NY toward the right. Seeing the threat coming to his left, Wright moved Company D to that side of his line. During this process Captain McComas was killed. This threw the Confederate cannoneers into disarray. Noticing this, Federal Colonel Hawkins without orders charged the line. His Zouaves were quickly repulsed with over 70 men killed or wounded and Colonel Hawkins wounded in the arm. Colonel Wright decided to withdraw 2 miles to Joy’s Creek as the 21st MA, 51st PA, and6th NH fired after them. The battle was over by 4:00 PM. Reno rested his men until 9:00 PM and then ordered a return to the transports. They reached Chantilly at dawn and returned to Roanoke Island and New Bern. The Federals lost 13 men killed, 101 wounded and 13 missing. The Confederates lost 7 men killed, 18 wounded and 4 captured.