Engagement at Windsor

Engagement at Windsor. Action on the Cashie River. , Windsor's residents slept peacefully the night of January 29-30, 1864, unaware of what the morning would bring, as U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Charles W. Flusser led three gunboats their way to disrupt Confederate recruiting efforts. USS Massasoit steamed up the Roanoke River and disembarked 500 men of the 103rd Pennsylvania Infantry at dawn. Near here, Co. E, 2nd North Carolina Volunteers (U.S.) and a detachment from the 15th Connecticut Infantry disembarked from USS Bombshell and USS Whitehead. The columns, almost 2,000 men, converged on Windsor, where the residents awoke to gunfire in the streets., Confederate Capt. Byron B. Bowser and Co. B, 62nd Georgia Cavalry, defended the town and the nearby Wilmington and Weldon Railroad. The Federals attacked down King Street to your left, driving the Georgians, who fled after encountering the rest of Flusser's command. Several enslaved persons liberated themselves and withdrew with the Federals to their gunboats., In wildly divergent reports, each side claimed a victory. Pvt. Charles Lepley, 103rd Pennsylvania Infantry, wrote that his unit landed at 4 a.m., "500 strong and 1 piece marine artillery. Marched 8 miles and come upon 300 Rebs at Windsor and Route them completely taking 3 prisoners and Instruments of a Brass Band. Burn their Barracks and return to the Boat at 5 oc. [PM].” In contrast, Confederate Col. Joel R. Griffin wrote that "with forces of 200 men and mountain rifled piece, after fight of two hours with 1,200 of enemy and three pieces artillery, the Yankees were driven from Windsor... to their boats. We lost 6 men; enemy not known.", (sidebar) , Bertie County, 1863 , In 1860, Bertie County’s population was 43% white and 57% enslaved and free Black people and Native Americans. After the Emancipation Proclamation authorized the enlistment of Black soldiers, about 300 county residents joined the 35th, 36th, and 37th U.S. Colored Cavalry regiments, among other units. After the war, many veterans who experienced the decline in African American civil rights took action again. In 1871, for example, Windsor resident Peter Mountain, 35th USCT veteran, left for Liberia with 163 other Black people, following in the path of numerous veterans and their families. Some decided to stay, however, and in 1890 about two dozen 14th Colored Heavy Artillery veterans lived in Windsor., (captions) , Lt. Cmdr. Charles W. Flusser All images courtesy Library of Congress , USS Massasoit