them toward the redoubt. Attacked thus on all three sides, the little force fell back to the north side, and there surrendered. Colonel Shaw says, "With the very great disparity in numbers, the moment the redoubt was flanked, I considered the island lost. The struggle could have been protracted and the small body of brave men, which had been held in reserve, might have been brought up into the open space to receive the fire of the over whelming force on our flank, which was under cover of trees; but they would have been sacrificed without the smallest hope of a successful result."
The loss of the Confederates was 23 killed and 62 wounded; among the killed were Capt. O. Jennings Wise, and Lieutenants Selden and Munroe. The Federal loss was, killed, 37, wounded, 214. Colonel Shaw surrendered about 2,000 men, including his sick. The difference between this force and his reported effectives comes from the fact, that, after the main battle, the Second North Carolina battalion (eight companies) and Major Fry with four companies of the Forty-sixth Virginia arrived on the island and were included in the surrender.
When the Confederate vessels retreated from Roanoke they might have escaped to Norfolk, but they felt impelled to obey general orders "to defend home waters," and went to Elizabeth City. There, with 200 pounds of regular and 100 pounds of blasting powder, Lynch made what defense he could against the gunboats that followed him, but his ships were destroyed by the enemy or beached and left. So, in addition to Roanoke, Elizabeth City was in the hands of Burnside.
Shortly afterward an expedition, commanded by Col. Rush Hawkins, Ninth New York, made its way up to Win ton and burned a good part of the town. The five companies, all raw militia, sent to defend it, "fled," Moore says, "ingloriously in the direction of Murf reesboro."
With the fall of Roanoke the way was clear for General Burnside to direct his army against New Bern, the
