Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-07-23
The Department. of North Carolina.

Isle OF NOftn Carolina.
| Letters from Newbern of the 18th report
| an engagement of no slight Importance on Ro-
anoke river, some sixty miles from its mouth,
| between three of our gunboats, with COM
pany OF Hawkins Zouaves, and a regiment of
rebel cavalry, supported by strong force
of infantry and artillery and rebel fort
which commanded the river Near Hamilton
| the Zouaves and three or four companies
were landed, who were ordered ''to flank the
rebel fort and take Hamilton" while the gum
| boats were again to advance and silence the
| rebel batteries in front. They made a sue
! cesstul charge against the fort, which they
TOOK, despite strong opposition, together
with the village of Hamilton. over which the
stars and stripes were raised with an addition
al outbreak of enthusiasm A large rebel
steamer was also captured without injury, and
our forces were left in undisputed possession
OF this highly important port, with all its river
craft and large amount ofcommissary stores
and cotton, which the rebels had no time to
destroy. We lost one man killed, John H.
Bridges of Danvers, Mass, and several
wounded. The vict0ryis of great importance.
lnasmuch as it clears the way to Weldon. 1t
Is impossible to estimate the loss to the enc
my, who, 1t is said, left some forty or fifty
dead on the field: The following is the rebel
account OF the capture =
From the Richmond Dispatch July ls
The bombardment of the village of Haml-
ton, n C., defenceless village, was a most
barbarous affair. The following dispatch to
the Raleigh Telegraph gives the fullest ac-
count we have seen =
WELDON, July l0.-A courier has lust ar
nd hat
Yankee gunboats came up the Roanoke yes
terday, and without the slightest notice open
ed bombardment upon the town of Hamil-
ton. The result of the grand attack was one
infant killed on the part of the inhabitants.
portion of Captain Whitaker's cavalry was
before them, resisted their landing, and sue
ceeded in killing several Yankees, with but
two or three wounded among his men. The
Yankees are now in possession of Hamilton
always an undefended place
BLACK AND WHITE sEAMEN.
Quite an exciting and interesting regatta
came off the other day in front of the naval
headquarters. One of the two boats entered
was manned by six contraband seamen, beau
tifully attired in man-of-war costume, and
the other was manned by eight white seamen,
who were considered the crack crew of these
waters. Distance was offered the contraband
crew, who had only been seamen some three
months, but their captain refused to accept
OF any advantage whatever, and insisted on
giving the white seamen the advantage of two
men. Everything being in readiness the
word was given, and off wentthe boats, throw
ing the crowd, white and black, into the most
intense excitement Judge of the astonish-
ment of all when the boat containing the
contrabands was seen to turn the mile
post first, and great was the excitement
and deafening were the cheers as they
came some three rods in advance of the white
crew, who were dripping with perspiration,
and thoroughly mortified at the unexpected
result. They were inclined to think the con-
test was an unfair one, until the captain of
the contrabands offered to renew the race by
having the crews exchange boats, which prop
osition was not accepted by the white seamen
for fear of a like result. The captain and his
contrabands could not only pull a small boat
faster and with more steadiness than the same
number of white seamen, but that they, with
others he had on board, could man his big
guns with more agility and skill in time of ac-
ton than any white seamen he had ever seen.
Also, that they were more attentive to duty
and performed more work, and were more
civil and orderly than the white seamen.