Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-02-24

tdttc III course must CdETN eOTIOM
and mourning into some families. and some of
onI comrades must fall; hut let those who
have lost friends remember that the yict ny is
ours, and that they Tell in a noble cause, gal
ianiy fighting Tor the nag and freedom Of
their country: TO day a flag Of truce has
been sent ior the body of Capt. Wise, Srd n
masked battery with three guns has been Its
covered at tue left of our battle ground, which
the enemy intended to use as cross fire if we
attempted 10 flank them on dry land, but as we
took 7he swamp, which they thought impossi-
ole, 1t was not brought into action. Had we
attempted To flank them On the hard land
above the swamp our loss would no doubt
have been very great. This afternoon our
blankets and knapsacks have been brought
from the steamer, and we shall now be COM
Portable. All hail to Gen. Burnside's divis.
ION! We are all ready for another battle, and
wherever Gen. Burnside sees fit TO lead US
there we will go and CALAMITY do our duty.
Therefore look Tor further good news from the
Worcester county boys. T. f.
Private letters have Ecen received from
Lieut.. Col. Sprague, Major McCatierty, Capt.
Denny, and others, of the Massachusetts
twenty fifth regiment, from which we are per-
mtted to make a few extracts. Col Sprague,
writing Feb. 8, says
'The battle OF Roanoke Island was fought
yesterday, and The victory is ours. We are in
possession of the island, four batteries mount
ing thirty large guns, and nearly 5000 prison.
ers, two of whom are colonies, three leuten-
ant colonels and at least FIVE majors-three
being officers Of the staff OF Henry a. Wise.
Several of their Off 3ers were killed. Among
the pris oners are troops from North Carolina,
Il
Ben McCullougG Rangers from Louisiana"
Speaking of the night after the landing on
Roanoke Island, he says =
awe encamped or rather bivouacked by
camp fires through the damp, drizzy night /;
headquarters of the twenty fifth in a small
corn barn. My friend, Col. Russell, of the
tenth Connecticut, who fell during the action,
shared my couch in the corn crib, and his
blanket covered us both. lie was truly fine
fellow and gallant officer"
The next morning, when they marched for
ward, Lieut.. Col. Sprague commanded the adj
vance and directed the movements of compa-
MES a and Il, that acted as skrmishers. In
the course of brief description OF the battle,
he says -
'Shot and shell from the rebel battery)
whizzed through the air over our heads, doing
much damage TO the forest trees in our rear.
Their rifles and muskets did better execution,
and our wounded were constantly carried to
the rear The guns of their battery soon got
better range, and made some havoc in our
ranks a cannon shot passed between the
adJutant and myself, standing think less than
ten feet apart, and killed five men, two Of
whom belonged to the Massachusetts twenty
third"
Col. Sprague concludes thus -
81 am in good health and spirits My wrist
is improving, but not strong yet Grateful
that my lie was spared while others fell
around me, l ask our Heavenly Father for
renewed strength for further action in the ser.
vice of our beloved country"
MAJOR McCaferty says:
owe have passed the Rubcon of one fight.
and our boys have all done nobly. We were
carried to the landing on the steamer pilot
Boy Many OF the officers jumped into the
water and rushed to the land. Capt. Pickett
first struck the shore, and Capt. Atwood put
up the first flag upon a bayonet In the
morning, Capt. Pickett's and Capt O'Neil's
companies were thrown out as skirmishers on
each side of the road, and they drove in the
rebel plckets as we approached the cut in
which the battery was placed on Supple
Hill. The firing on us began vigorously
on the right. The boys advanced stead
lily, firing as they went, un.il their ammunition
was exhausted. We remained under fire three
and half hours, and the battle lasted tour
hours. The battery on Supple Hill was well
constructed and well served. The fight was
sasage but short, Our men are now quartered
inside the camp We expect to follow up our
victory with new battles"
Capt. Denny says =
"The prisoners have been well treated
About forty occupy the same room we have.
We talk the fight over together, and discuss
the merits of the two armies, and converse
about secession and uniCn. l think most of
them have now a better opinion of us than
they had before. Their officers give Massa-
ehusetts troops much praise for bravery"