Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1862-12-22
The News of the Week.

nifty, owing to the advance of the enemy to-
wards Goldsboro', anil the falling back of
our forces before his largely preponderating
numbers. But there was no panic-no
tears-but that the heavy enforcement
mat were pouring in daily to the rescue of
the gallant handful of a few hundred men
tnat held from twenty to thirty thousand of
the abolition horde in check for two or three
Gays, would be able to arrest their onward
march and drive them back to whence they
came. And the sequel has proved that this
confidence was not misplaced. From the ac-
counts to be found in other columns, it will
be seen that although the enemy had advanc.
ed to within some three miles of Goldsboro'
on Wednesday, he was ~repulsed and driven
back three miles from the position he held
in the morning. On Thursday the enemy
retrea'ed, and the victory on our side was rem
dered complete and decisive.
Nowhere and at any time during the war,
has there been better fighting and greater
damage done the enemy withless injury to our
W forces than in this long contested struggle
from Kinston to Goldsboro', Extending for a
perid of six days. We are without full and
well-authenticated particulars of each days
battle, but the final result is so cheering, and
establishes so signally our ability, under God,
to defeat the yankee vandals even with the
greatest odds against us, that the heart
swells with thanksgivings to Him, that He
has outstretched His strong arm in defence
OF our beloved old State, and preserved us
from the rayages of the merciless foe.
The enemy succeeded, however, in dam
aging US in one serious point, viz: the de-
struction of the Railroad bridge over the
Neuse, q few miles below Goldsbere', not
withstanding, it is said, some two or three of
our regiments had been sent there to guard
the Bridge. There must have been gross
lack of vigilance and watchfulness, to suffer
six men to get to the bridge and set fire to it
so effectually as to prevent it's extinguishment,
with SO large a force there to guard it. That
49, "A - SiN ohA uICCLOldIy VllldlilS WIZ
killed, is a gratifj ing fact, but it does not
ser The loss of q briga of such
dimensions. ~~D3 Aieh 4effaefaaIIS cnrs~v
the passage of the Railroad trains from Will
M ngton to the north. The yankees also tore
up part Of the track Of the Railroad, at Mt.
Olive and burnt the Depot there but these
were small matters, had not the Railroad
bridge been destroyed. by later accounts,
We learn the bridge was fired by a shell
But Notwithstanding this misfortune. the
defeat of the Abolition horde and the severe
chsstisement ne has received, driving him
back, with his gunboats, under the cover OF
his fortifcations at Newbern, is a brilliant
achievement of our arms, for which we may
we'll be truly thankful.
And coupled with this glorious achieve
ment, comes the splendid victory of Lees
grand army at Fredericksburg-extended &C
counts of which will be found in this paper
Burnside has been driven in inglorious con
fusion and defeat across the ~Rappahannocl
and forced to abandon that ION to Rich
mond' route, although reinforced by Seigl
with thousands of fresh troops in the mids
of the conflict-his hosts before greatly out
numbering our OWL. Great dissatisfactio,
existed among his officers and men, amour
ting TO refusal to obey orders to charge gu
batteries in one instance, and in mutinou
conduct in several enthusiastically tina
great dissatisfaction existed in his ranks, an
that his army was completely shattered an
demoralized by the stunning defeat and ter
rible punishment it had received.
Where Burnside's grand army will nex
make . demonstration, is yet to appear. Bu
fight he must, for, as the Richmond Examir
err. remarks, he has the goad of the Wash
ington Cabinet in his back. They hav
come to the conclusion that Richmond wi
be taken by bloody battles, hence they erdt
him to fight bloody battles if defeated,
attack again if he losses MANY men, to los
more Imperious necessity as well as the o
ders of his masters, compel Burnside
practice this strategy. He cannot stay whe
he is. He must retreat into the b2rrens
Stafford, or storm the heights of Spotsylv
MIA. Fredericksburg furnishes fine whit
quarters, if there are no cannon planted
the peighbouring hills. The Rappahanno'
is an excellent channel for supplies, provid
! Federal transports can come to the wharf
!, the town without going under water at t
!. bluffs below, to avoid Confederate artiller
= But LEES cannon is actually planted
! MaEyE1s farm. Not even a gunboat has be
able to ascend the river farther than t