Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 5.
Frank Moore, Ed.

I have the following particulars of one of the most gallant engagements of the war, so far as our troops were concerned, from an officer of Captain Flusser's fleet, who has brought despatches to Washington from his commanding officer:

One thousand four hundred rebels marched toward Plymouth, N. C., on Tuesday last, intending to enter the town and lay it in ashes. A native Carolinian, knowing the intention of the rebels, came quickly to town and reported the matter to Captain W. H. Hammell, of Hawkins's Zouaves. No time was to be lost. To defend the town there was one company (F) of Hawkins's Zouaves, one company of regularly enlisted loyal North-Carolinians, with such other loyal fighting civilians as the town could furnish. All hands were quickly at their post. Half of the Zouaves were sick with the fever which prevails there at this season of the year, and all of the commissioned officers were sick, except Lieutenant Green, of the Zouaves, who was disabled by a wound received in a former engagement up the Roanoke River. The command of about three hundred men devolved upon Orderly Sergeant Green, of company F, of the Zouaves. At the approach of so vast a force, some generals would say, “Surrender;” but this was not the Sergeant's motto. He took his brave men, went out on Tuesday, the second instant, and met the enemy three miles from the town.

The enemy consisted of infantry and cavalry, the former under Col. Garrett, (who, in fact, was in command of the whole force,) and the latter in command of Capt. Fagan. When Sergeant Green came upon the enemy, he found them bivouacked in the woods, intending not to attack before the next day. A rebel intended giving the alarm of the approach of our forces by firing his piece, but it missed fire. Our boys took this as a signal of alarm, and they dashed upon them with great earnestness, fighting the whole force for an hour, Sergeant Green conducting himself in the most gallant manner. In the short space of an hour he whipped a force of one thousand four hundred, captured Col. Garrett, their commander, a lieutenant, and forty prisoners, together with many [606] of the cavalry horses. The rebels lost thirty killed, with the ordinary proportion wounded. When the enemy broke and fled, the loyal North-Carolinians were fast and fierce in the pursuit of their rebel neighbors. The chase was given up only when the enemy was completely put to flight.

The civilians fought splendidly. Mr. Phelps, a carpenter, whose hospitality I have enjoyed, was the first to fire his favorite rifle, taking down the first rebel that fell. In this conflict we lost three men killed--one a Sergeant of company F, of the Zouaves, whose name is Miner; the other a member of the North-Carolina company; and the third, one of Captain Flusser's brave tars, some of whom were engaged. Let officers of higher rank look at the conduct of Sergeant Green, and learn wisdom — the kind of wisdom we now need; and let soldiers learn from the result of the affair what even small numbers will accomplish when they have the right sort of fire in them. The bravery of our little army in Plymouth deserves, and will undoubtedly receive, the highest honor of the nation.