Narrative from the report of Bvt. Brigadier General O. M Poe to the Chief Engineer, dated October 8, 1865.*

Narrative collated from the report of Lieutenant and Brevet Captain Stickney, Corps of Engineers, June 3, 1865, to General Richard Delafield, Chief Engineer U. S. Army. (See plans Nos. 3 and 11.+)

While remaining in Goldsborough, from march 24 to April 10, the pontoon train was put in complete repair as far as material at hand would admit. Thirty new canvas boat covers were received and all but ten of the old covers sent to New Berne.

April 10 the army moved out from Goldsborough toward Raleigh, arriving at the latter place on the 14th. The next day the Fifteenth Army Corps proceeded to Morrisville and the Seventeenth Army Corps to Jones" Station, at which places they were halted on account of the negotiations for the surrender of the enemy's army. None of the bridges over the streams between Goldsborough and Raleigh were destroyed, but the planks were in most cases thrown off and were soon replaced, causing no delay of any consequence. The roads were in very bad condition between Goldsborough and Pineville, the Fifteenth Army Corps being obliged to build 214 feet of wagon bridges over sloughs, 175 feet of foot bridges, and 13,196 yards of corduroy. The Seventeenth Army Corps made 426 feet of bridges and 16,918 yards of corduroy. The army remained in the vicinity of Raleigh till April 29, when, the rebel army having surrendered, it started on its homeward march toward Petersburg, where it arrived May 6. The roads were in excellent condition and bridges standing over all the rivers except the Neuse and Roanoke. The army arrived at Robinson's Ferry, on the Roanoke, May 3, the pontoon train being in advance. The river is 740 feet wide at the point at which the army crossed, and the depth of water from five to ten feet. The pontoon train contained only 580 feet of bridging, but they found four large wooden boats on the river, which were rigged up with cennd the bridge was ready for crossing by 8 a. m. on the 4th, after a hard night's work. After remaining two days at Petersburg the army moved to Manchester.

The major-general commanding informed Captain Stickney that from Manchester up they would find bridges over all streams, as they were to be left for them by the Army of the Potomac, which preceded them; consequently he did not think it necessary to procure more chesses.

On the 12th of May the Seventeenth Army Corps started for Alexandria, the Fifteenth Army Corps on the following day, and arrived there on the 19th. The roads were generally good all the way form Raleigh to Alexandria, and the army moved with surprising celerity. He was disappointed, however, about the bridges, there being none over the Pamunkey or Occoquan Rivers. The former was very much swollen, the water overflowing the southern bank to the depth of about two feet and a half when they first arrived, the morning of May 13, and continued to rise during the day and following night.

The pontoon bridge was laid and some trains passed over that afternoon, but before the next morning the water rose so high that it became necessary to build a kind of trestle bridge about thirty

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*Here omitted in view of the full published in Series I, Vol. XXXVIII, Part I, 127; Vol. XLIV, p. 58, and Vol. XLVII, Part I, p. 169.

+Plate LXXXVI, Map 2, and Plate C, Map 1, of the Atlas.

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