Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1861-11-22

rival, but before the fight, but which |
wanting means of transportation, failed
to reach their destination. Our gunboats
have penetrated every where, the numer-
Gus inlets and bayous giving us complete
command of all the country Immediately
surrounding us. At Beaufort, a beautiful
city of about five thousand inhabitants.
no white person is to be found, the place
being occupied solely by negroes, who
have focked in by thousands, and have,
and are, pillaging and destroying. 1t is
curious and sad sight. Elegant furni-
ture turned out into the street, negroes
playing on grand pianos in the street
ruin and desolation everywhere. We are
securing cotton, and making preparations
to advance and occupy Beaufort. Expe-
ditions are fitting out for all the adjacent
parts of the state. Lam to 60 tomorrow
in charge of party. We should have
gone to-day but for dense fog. Our
troops are comfortably situated on shore,
and are delighted at the pleasant quar-
ters the navy have won for them. The
enemy are mastering iii great numbers so
the negroes say, and will, undoubtedly,
try to arrest onr progress Unless the
government Immediately sends us an army
of fifty thousand men, they will soon be
able to draw lines about US. Now they
are panic-stricken, and know not what to
expect or where to look for us. BY the
negrcs, we learn that all the women and
children are leaving Charleston and Sa-
vanuah, and that we are expected there.
think we're our generals and men suffi-
cicntly experienced to drive forward, we
might take either city. But as all are
green troops, VIC must await their usual
slow movements.
The action was of about five hours du-
ration. 1t was fierce, and we'll fought on
both sides. Several times the shot and
shell raincd about us, the whistling and
explosions being bewildering. Hatteras
was child's play to it, / cannot now i'm
agne such fire and SO little injury.
Forty-three guns of the heaviest calibor,
many of them rided cannon of heavier
description than | have ever before seen,
throwing shot weighing one hundred and
twenty pounds constantly discharged at
this great target incessantly for five hours,
and yet we were struck but thirty-six
times, and had but one man killed and
| five wounded! The causes of this are
supposed to be as follows:-lst, we, en-
gagged at extremely short range, at no time
greater than eight hundred yerds, and
most Of the time five hundred and fifty
yards, using Eve second fuses. Their ele-
vations were of greater distance, never
imagining that VIC would dare come in so
close if there was water enough, which
was doubtful. I'd, the sand thrown about
by the bursting of our shells blinded and
bewildered them continually filled the
bores of their guns and rendered them
dangerous to fire until cleared. Sd,
their fuses were bad. 4th, our fire was
so terrific that the raw troops lost their
balance and became panic stricken. The
destruction done by our fire is perfectly
indescribab]o The fort is torn and dis
mantlcd, guns thrown about like baubles,
carriages split and torn to shrcds. l was
the first to occupy the fort, and planted
our flag. Capt Rogers, with flag of
truce, had preceded me few moments,
and hoisted over the hospital our stars
and stripes. With my battalion of blue
Jackets, | then took possession of the fort,
threw out pickets and stationed sentinels
on the parapet, et,-then with detachment
went about and collected the dead which
lay around, taking one halfscared wretch
prisoner. One place was pointed out
where twenty had been buried already.
/ found and buried seven poor mangled
corpses, about thirty more have been found
since and buried by the army people
ashore. They lie around in barns and
bitches, and in the fields. The surgeon
Iin.chicf was found near the shell room, in
side the fort, killed by a shell which in
stantly buried him in the sand thrown up
by its explosion. He was still seated on
his camp stool, with bandagcs and box
of instruments in his hand. The enemy
!. y aI