Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-05-10
HEADQUARTERS 25TH Mass. VOLUNTEERS,
NEwBERN, y. C., April IS, 1862

HEADQUARTERS 25rH Mass. VOLUNTEERS
NEwBERN, y. c., April Is, 1862. !
My Dear l.: Thursday morning (24th)
opened bright and beautiful. | drew aside the
calico curtains from my window at Beau
fort and beheld fort Macon and its rebel
flag floating high over it, the rebel sentries
marching on the parapets, their Furnished
arms glittering in the morning sun. AT I l-2
o'clock a sail boat from the fort bearing a flag
of truce crossed the inlet and was met by
| flag from the ''Alice Price (the headquarters
Of Gen. Burnside) and consultation was
held some twenty minutes on the sand bar,
between Col. White of Mississippi, the rebel
commander of fort Macon, and Capt Briggs
Of Gen. Burnside'S staff-Briggs and White
being old friends in the United States service
White declining to surrender and declaring
that he would flight it out The boats bear
ing the flags returned to their respective head
| quarters, and from the Alice the signal was
given to our forces at the batteries on the
sand bar to "open fire Immediately" The
fort opened fire at 0 o'clock and threw some
twelve or fifteen shells which burst high in
the air in the direction Of our batteries. with
no response from our guns. After noon the
enemy repeated this performance but failed
to elicit II response, the fact being that we
were not quite ready, and Gen. Burnside was
informed that Gen. Parks would open early in
the morning.
Our batteries opened on the fort at o'clock
Friday morning, 18th A battery of four 10
inch mortars, commanded by Lieut.. Flagler,
! l. S. A., battery of four G-inch mOrtars,
commanded by Lieut.. NJ. f. Prouty of Spen-
Ger, Of our regiment, and three Parrot guns,
commanded by Captain Morris, U. S. A.
About fifteen minutes after the attack, the
guns from the fort returned our fire, and the
deep booming of the mortars, the crash of the
bursting shells, the humming of the PARROT
shots, made music unheard before along the
quiet shores, and carried death and destruc-
ton to the beleaguered fortress. At nine
o'clock the gunboats Daylight Chippewa,
Georgia, and barque GcmSbok and one other
whose name | forget, moved down toward the
fort on the outside, and sent their compli-
mentS i'll Slot and shell to the commandant of
the fort And now it ''thunders all along the
sky" | never shall forget the sights and
sounds; they were indeed sublime, and not
often to be seen and heard in ones lifetime.
1t was understood the fort would not fire upon
Beaufort, the families of many of the soldiers
in the fort residing therein. The housetops
and balconies were crowded with the pOpulace
garrisoned there. The utmost anxiety pre-
vailed here for the fate Of husbands, brothers.
and sons Of those who looked with fear and
trembling on the scene, but could not turn
away.
The first shells from our mortars fell short:
then the S-inch went just beyond it; the 10
inch just beyond and to the left; but the sig
nal corps were on duty, and soon the range
was capital. Now a shell would burst directly
over the fort, fifty feet or more in air, scatter
ing its iron fragments in every direction; and
then another striking the cope, or parapet. or
interior area, would burst, sending up cloud
of dust and rubbish, showing that it was not
sent in vain. When our gunboats commenced
operations, a couple Of rifed cannon were
manned on the fort, and paid their compli-
ments to little navy, distant from the fort
nearly two miles. One shot went through
the ''daylight' ON her ''starboard quarter
doing little comparative damage, the splnters
breaking the arm of the engineer. The gun
boats kept at work but little more than an
hour, and then glided away out of range
Our batteries kept the ball rolling, and
the response came quite regularly from
the enemy till about 3 l-2 O'clock p. NJ when
the fire slackened, and about 4 l-2 a white
flag was run up on the ramparts and firing
ceased. flag oftruce came from the fort to
know on what terms they could surrender
Pending the receipt Of an answer from Gen
Burnside, the rebel flag was flying and under
meath it on the parapet the white flag. 1t
| took time for Gen. Parks to communicate with
| Gen. burnside, and all was quiet during the
| evening and night, it having become apparent
| that the lighting was over and that on the
| morrow all would be in our hands and the
fort, property and detences wrested by fraud
and treachery be surrendered again to their
rightful owners.
At O'Clock on Saturday morning, flag
Of truce left the fort with Col. White. who
went on board the Alice Price, and concluded
the papers of population, when nothing re-
NAMED but to surrender the fort. The Alice
steamed down from her anchorage four miles
away, and dropped close under The fort Gen.
| Burnside and Colonel White went ashore, the
| former to take formal possession, while few
companies of our troops were marched up the
sand bar and stationed as a guard. The rebels
stacked their arms, the rebel flag was hauled
| down, and l had the pleasure Of seeing sold
glory run up and flying calamity over the
fort and the heads of the rebels and traitors.
visited the fort at the earliest movement and
saw the havoc that had been made-seyenteen
guns disabled. In the bomb proof saw the
dead and the dying-seven dead and sixteen
wounded-and conyersed freely with officers
and men, We lost only one killed Our
regiment was truly honorcd in the brave and
faithful manner in which Lieut.. Prouty, com
manded his morter battery, throwing more
missiles into the fort than either of the Others