A Trenton Soldier's Description of the Battle of Roanoke Island.

Camp Burnside, Roanoke Island, N.C.,
Headquarters Co. K., 9th N.J.V. Saturday, Feb. 15th.

We left Hatteras Inlet on Wednesday, Feb. 5th, preceded by thirty seven gunboats. We anchored at dusk 15 miles below Roanoke Island, where we remained till Friday morning, when we again weighed anchor and steamed up to the Island, where we arrived about noon. The gunboats, however, opened fire about 10 o'clock, and in a very few minutes the batteries along the shore returned it with great spirit. The way in which the balls and shells flew about was a caution, I assure you. I had never before witnessed a bombardment, and although we were not out of harm's way, I greatly relished the sport and was intensely interested in the awful yet sublime spectacle. An hour after we had anchored at the Island; we got ready to land when the proper moment for so doing should arrive. Companies C (our flag company,) and E from our right wing, and Company K, (my company,) from the left wing, were soon in quarter boats. Portions of the 1st brigade under Gen. Foster, (of Fort Sumter notoriety,) were the first to land, while our three companies were the next. At a little after 3 o'clock, the first (or lower) battery was nearly silenced, and we were ordered to row into the Shore. The way we pulled our oars was surprising, even to ourselves, but we were anxious to get on shore, where we intended to give the bloody rebels a severe threshing. Several gunboats covered our landing, and by shelling the portion of the Island where we landed, drove the rebels who had gathered there to oppose our landing into the woods. When our shells appeared among them, they flew in all directions and knew not whither to fly. Well, we landed just before sunset, and quickly formed in order of battle, although we had landed in a dense thicket and almost impassable swamp. For the greatest part of the time we were up to our knees in mud and water. Skirmishers were advanced for a mile or so, and they exchanged a few shots with lurking rebels. But we soon gained an open field, where we bivouacked till daylight. It was quite cold during the night and rained most of the time, rendering it very unpleasant for all of us, as we had nothing with us but our overcoats and haversacks, provided with three days' rations. We could neither keep warm nor dry, although we stood around large blazing fires, built of pines. It was a more unpleasant and disagreeable night than that which you and I passed the night after the battle of Bull Run, and the Lord knows that was bad enough.

At day break on Saturday we sprung to our arms on hearing the firing of musketry - our pickets were being driven in by superior numbers of the enemy, who did not know what number we had landed during the night. In a few minutes the 1st Brigade started for the scene of action, and it was not long before we heard heavy and continued firing. Five pieces of small cannon accompanied the 1st Brigade, but they could not be worked with advantage, owing to the nature of the ground. At 8 o'clock , Gen. Burnside (bully boy) ordered us to the relief of the 1st. We started off cheerfully, leading the van of the 2d Brigade (General Reno). We had not gone more than two hundred yards before we met numbers of the wounded being carried to the hospital. This made us feel sorrowful, but we marched on through the woods, fully determined to avenge our brave and wounded comrades, and give the bloody rebels such a thrashing as would stagger them for the rest of their lives. I suppose we had to march a mile and more from our bivouac to the battle field. We marched along a winding road in four ranks till we had reached within four hundred yards of the masked battery, when we filed off to the left, in order to attack the right flank of the enemy. The 1st Brigade were engaging the enemy on the right, and the 3d Brigade, led by the Hawkins' Zouaves, occupied the road or center - this latter Brigade, however, were not engaged in the fight. Well, after filling off into the woods, our regiment formed in divisions (two companies) and we thus advanced to within a hundred and fifty yards of the right flank of the enemy. We had now gotten in a dense thicket, and while we could hardly penetrate the undergrowth, we had hard work to move through the mud and water, which was up to our waists. Many times during the thickest of the fight my cartridge box was submerged in the water, but my greatest aim was to keep my rifle and powder dry.

It was the hardest kind of work to wallow through the mud, and I (as file closer) had much responsibly in keeping the men together, of course I had a good deal of wading to do. Our regiment, during the entire progress of the battle, were the nearest to the enemy, and while we stood the brunt of the battle, we were constantly exposed to a galling fire. The battery (which we could not see till about 11 o'clock), was mounted with three heavy cannon, and they constantly hurled forth showers of both shot and grape. As a general thing, the enemy fired high, but the boughs of trees and brushes were continually falling on our heads. The scene was awfully terrible, and yet sublime, and such as no man need ever wish to experience again.

There were four companies of sharp shooters from Arkansas, (Ben. McCulloch's men) behind the breastworks, behind those who worked the artillery. There were also (according to the evidence of the enemy themselves) about 2,700 rebels in the rear of the battery, and they kept up a sharp fire on us too, so you will see that the New Jersey 9th was rather in a hot place. Our gallant Lieutenant Colonel Heckman, from the commencement to the close of the battle stood on the outskirts of the wood, between us and the enemy, and continually cheered us on to the work. He never flinched, and while he acted in a heroic manner, he gained the love and won the admiration of his splendid command. Who would not be brave under such a commander? Oh! Lieutenant, I wished you were with us; you would have had a splendid chance of distinguishing yourself.

After taking possession of the deserted battery, our brigade quickly formed, and off we again started at a double quick for the fugitives, who could be seen flying over the low lands towards the other side of the Island, where they could shelter themselves in their batteries along the shore of the sound.

I suppose we ran four miles through meadows and over hills when we reached the rebel hospital. Here we found the dead body of O. Jennings Wise - son of Governor Wise who was killed while attempting to escape from the island in a small boat. There were some hundred of the rebels in the hospital and several dead. Along the road which we pursued, heaps of dead rebels could be seen. They had been carried thither during the battle. After leaving a guard at the hospital, the Massachusetts 28th and our gallant regiment were ordered to pursue the fugitives still further, which we gladly did, although we were pretty well fatigued and wet and hungry. We chased the cowardly wretches seven or eight miles further, when we found about 300 of them drawn up on the mountain. They fired into us but killed none of us. We killed seven of them, and soon put the thieves to flight. On, on, we pressed for a mile or two more, till we reached their town or barracks, where we captured about 3,000 prisoners without any trouble. They thought the woods were full of our men, they said, or they would not have given up. This they said afterwards. At the barracks we captured several thousand stand of arms, beside immense stores of provisions, &c.

The barracks had just been finished, and were very acceptable to us, I assure you. The rebels could not have completed them in a better time. The barracks will accommodate 20,000 soldiers, and the rebels never thought of leaving them; in fact, they had also erected prison houses for those of us whom they caught. During the afternoon, the batteries along the shore surrendered, after spiking the cannons, and destroying the ammunition, &c. On Saturday evening, the rebels blew up a fort on the point opposite the island. It was called Nag's Head.

Elizabeth city was captured on Monday by our gunboats, and seven rebel gunboats either captured or destroyed - among them the Fanny, which was taken from us some time since. I have seen one of the captured gunboats.

The five batteries on the island mounted 32 heavy 32 pounders - part of them splendid rifled cannon. Among the 4,700 prisoners taken are over 200 officers, several Colonels, Majors, etc.

The entire loss of the Union forces is estimated at about 110 wounded, and 32 killed, among the latter one Connecticut Colonel - a brave fellow.

The rebel loss will amount to 200 killed and 300 or 400 wounded.

Many of the rebels, succeeded in escaping from the island before we could cut off their escape.

The rebels never expected that we would undertake to fight them in that dismal cypress swamp. They have since told me that they would not have dared to venture in the swamp. They expected us to file out on the only road through the woods, and when we had come near enough, to open fire upon us with their grape.

They had every advantage, although we had superior numbers. They worked their guns very nicely, but they fired too high, or many more of us would have been made to bite the dust. Our five small pieces of artillery could not be gotten into position or the enemy would have suffered more. Our bright barreled rifles, the rebels say, did the work. I know that we threw bullets over a mile, to kill; the rebels told me so. They tell every one that the blue coated-devils and their bright barreled rifles played the old scratch with them. They meant us - the New Jersey Ninth!

Capt. Corlies, of Company H, of Pennington is a brave officer. Two men in my company were shot down at my side in the battle - one lost one and the other both legs. The concussion of the ball stunned and nearly knocked me to the ground. The same ball killed young Blackwell, of Co. F, and the concussion killed Capt. Henry, of Co. H; there were no marks on him. Four men in my company, all near me on the left, were severely wounded. Our Regiment in the battle had 31 wounded and 6 killed. Among the latter, Capt. Henry and Sergeant Armstrong of Company H, Belvidere.