Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 8.
Frank Moore, Ed.

[398] troops to Henry's rear. Every mile that we now travelled, carried us one mile further from the infantry. At seven A. M. we dashed into Baldwin, a place of fifteen buildings, the largest of which is the railroad station. None of the enemy were seen. The place boasts one hotel. When we entered the town, the proprietor was asleep, and shortly after came down-stairs, only half-dressed, to find out what was going on. We captured here another telegraph operator and three instruments. We also captured three cars, two of which were filled with corn, and the other had on it a three-inch rifled gun and caisson. In the railroad depot was stored an immense quantity of supplies, and in an adjoining building we found cotton, rice, tobacco, pistols, and other property, valued at half a million of dollars. We took breakfast at the hotel, and on settling our bills, found rebel money more acceptable than our own. It so happened that we could give the landlord what he wanted, as one of our number in searching the trash in the deot came across one hundred and fifty dollars' worth of confederate notes. Twenty-seven dollars of this stuff paid for a breakfast for nine. At Baldwin, the railroad from Fernandina to Cedar Keys crosses the Florida Central. It will be seen at a glance that it is an important place for us to hold. In the afternoon, General Seymour and staff came up from Jacksonville, and later in the day, General Gillmore, with a portion of his staff. That same night, the three cars were loaded with cotton and other property, and drawn by horses to Jacksonville. Since then all the guns and camp-equipage taken at Ten-Mile Run, also much of the property captured at Baldwin, have been sent to Jacksonville. Colonel Henry left Baldwin at nine o'clock on the morning of the tenth. At a point on the railroad, four miles above Baldwin, we came across thirteen bales of cotton, and further up, near Barber's Station, we entered a building by the side of the railroad, which contained one thousand barrels.of turpentine, and five hundred pounds of bacon. All this will soon be transported to Jacksonville. We proceeded slowly up the road and kept a good look-out for bushwhackers, but did not get a sight at one. At eleven A. M., we reached the station called Barber's. Here we halted to allow the advance-guard to go ahead and see if the enemy had posted himself in a position so as to defend the South-Fork of the St. Mary's River, which lay three fourths of a mile beyond. Then followed the skirmish at the South-Fork. Captain Elder placed his guns in battery at Barber's, and the Fortieth Massachusetts regiment formed in line of battle a short distance in advance, while the Second battalion felt their way cautiously to the river. No sooner had the advance-guard of four got near the bank, when they received a volley of bullets from the rebels, who had planted themselves behind trees on the north side. At the first volley, Thomas Dean, of company C, was killed, and two others wounded. Captain Webster, of company E, had his horse shot from under him, and his shoulder-straps shot away. A plunging bullet, fired from a rebel on the top of a tree, struck the ground between Colonel Henry's feet. Colonel Henry, now familiar with the enemy's position, disposed his troops accordingly. One company of the Fortieth was dismounted and sent forward as skirmishers, the right of the road receiving particular attention, inasmuch as the conformation of the river exposed the rebel left to our fire from the right. While the Fortieth were engaged skirmishing, the battalion dashed down the road to the river, and immediately commenced fording, the bridge having been destroyed. The rebels held their ground till the battalion had nearly crossed, when they left their horses tied to trees and fled to the woods. The skirmish lasted half an hour. We lost four men killed and thirteen wounded. The list will be found below. The rebels had two killed and three wounded. The wounded were taken to a house, owned by Mr. Barber, where their wounds were dressed by the surgeon who accompanied the column. The number of rebels that opposed our crossing, was one hundred and fifty. One rebel, who was in a dying condition, told me that he had been forced into the service, and when he heard that we were on our way to Barber's urged the other rebels to throw down their arms and give themselves up as prisoners. But they told him we did not number over three hundred men, and it would be an easy matter to keep us from fording the river. We secured here about fifty horses, and gathered up a quantity of sabres, carbines, and pistols. I learn this place is called Barber's from the fact that a man named Barber formerly kept here a sort of hotel. His own house, with five or six out-houses, are the only buildings in the vicinity. Barber. left the premises on the morning of our advance. He owns twenty-five thousand head of cattle, and is reported to be the wealthiest man in the State. No one, however, would judge him to be a man of wealth after seeing the miserable hovel in which he dwelt. He is a rebel of the worst sort. At one P. M., we moved forward, and arrived at Sanderson at six P. M. Sanderson is a village a little larger than Baldwin, a railroad station, and distant from Jacksonville forty miles. The rebels had left the place fifteen minutes before we arrived. In the afternoon, the cars had been there from Lake City and taken away some government stores. Three large buildings near the depot were in flames when we arrived. One of the buildings bad in it three thousand bushels of corn, and another two thousand barrels of turpentine and resin. The remaining building contained commissary stores. The conflagration continued all that night and during the following day. In the depot we found two hundred bags of salt and fifty bushels of oats. Our horses did not suffer for forage, and as for light to enable us to look about the town, the burning buildings afforded sufficient. Sanderson was the centre to which all the forage and provisions for the State was forwarded.

We remained at Sanderson till two A. M. the next morning, and then started for Lake City. We arrived within two miles of that place, without