Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1861-06-21
From the World
THE BATTLE AT GREAT BETHEL
FULL DETAILS OF THE BATTLE.
FoRT MONROE, Tuesday, june IL.

cheek the maraudlng expeditions OF a
company Of, daring, and dashing rebels
who had recently made frequent prac-
tice Of descending to the very outposts at
Hampton, seizlng negroes, and pressing
the Union whites into service, and firing
upon our pickets. ss; s..r. -.3
We found all busily engaged in pre-,
pairing for the expedition, and elated at
theIprospect of an engagement, though not
a soul of course knew where or how. far
they would be ordered, or what force they
were to meet Our scouting party, num-
bering about fifty, though wearied by
marching and the excitement attendant
upon the "sport," were all ready to pre-
pare themselves, and quickly formed in
the ranks. The regiments were ordered
to take with them their full equipments
and rations for two days, and at | | o'clock
marched out four abreast and ready to
meet the foe in any quarter. They were
marched to Hampton three miles, and
halted on this side of the river. COL
Duryeo's Regimenr-the "rcd devils"-
and Col. Townsend's Third Regiment, had
reached the point in advance, and were
waiting their arrival. - ''
All Sunday the Naval Brigade, under
the direction of company Of United
States marines, were engaged off Fortress
Monroe practicing the management Of
eight or ten scows, each carrying twenty
four oars, and capable Of transporting 1870
men EACH besides the rowers. When eve
ming approached every oar-lock was care
fully mufled, and the scows manned each
by a coxswain and twenty six rowers from
the Naval Brigade. Ct Under the darkness
: Of the night, in regular file, and every
! oar striking in measured time these trans
ports glided out from the fort, and rowed
in the harbor to the mouth of Hampton
! River, and up the bosom Of the sleeping
stream. At about midnight they were
Z rnoored on the hither shore in Hampton
, and Just below the remains of the bridge
! destroyed in their retreat just two weeks
+ since. The stream at that point is from
sixty to one hundred yards in width
' Two or three shots were fired by our owr
! scntries upon the boats as they passed, as
: though a kind of preface to that enormous
: and melancholy blunder which, in an houl
=, or two more, was to follow.
: Thus when the regiments of Colonels
Duryee, Allen, and Townsend arrived al
: the bank of the river, they found The
' means of transportation awaiting them
: and in few minutes Colonel Duryee's
and Colonel Townsend's had crossed, anc
we're on their march to Little Bethe
: Church, about five miles further on.
THE VILLAGE AND THE MARCH,,
. Colonel Aliens Regiment, not being
k deemed necessary for the approaching ac
! ton, were ordered back to camp (thret
8 miles) as a reserved force, to march, how
. ever, early in the morning to Little
! Bethel. ,.. LII to-. -e... =. l...
( 81 RENDEZVOUS OF "oONTRABANDs." J"
, The negroes, who arc now almost tn,
only inhabitants Of the beautiful village
were filled with CONSERVATION when, il
the darkness, they found the strcet
: thronged with soldiers. "The secession
: lists is come" was whispered around, ant
: they for time believed their rendition t.
:, slavery, or, what they dread perhaps evel
more, transportation to Norfolk to worl
: upon secession batteries, impending. i
has been the practice for some time 0
the band of rebels which this excursion
was designed to breakup to descend upol
these rendezvous of escaped slaves, captur
as many as they can command at once
= and conduct them to Norfolk Their
they are treated with unprecedented cru
| IL - hn hnt Ia,