The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1862-04-17
The Victory at Ncwbern, and the Cap
tuIe of Beaufort, ". G.

tuTe of Beaufort, n. C.
The sudden disappearance of the enemy from
their late lines south of the Potomac led many
thoughtful readers Of the news TO suspect that
while enough would stand about Richmond TO
defend that center and capital Of the COniederacy
for q little season. the ret Of their army would
hasten down To the rear Z Norfolk. and desper-
ately essay % drive Burnside out Of the ChOwan,
the Roanoke. and the waters Of Albermarle
Suund. This the demUralized trOOIs might accept
as 4 compromise between their clamOr u return
each regiment 10 its own wounded State and the
imIeriuus demand of Richmond that they stay
and fight for Virginia To- the last. Burnside
seems To have susI ecied this intention, and re-t-
Ing frIm his endeiyOTs u cut tile great Railroads
At Weldon and Carton, determined TO give them
an ample field 10 operate Onto lengthen the
line Of attack from CuTrituck Sound To- the
Neuse, - that from iull Ialf the seahUaTd iTunt
OF North Carolina they might reasonably expect
an attack. the hour that they rested on their
arms, and from Every creek have To sweep Il gun
bIat Ur leave him victor. Suddenly, then, after
being heard Of last ut EdentUn, he APPEARS of
Newbern. and his trOUIs win another glorious
victory. All the regiments with him in this
noble work will inscIibe 'Newbern' ON their
banners, and = in that sign, conquer
Newborn il "A port Of entry and while North
Carolina was a province, it was it's capital. IL
IL situated ON the Neuse river, (Which enpties
into the southern end Of PamlicO SOund) 80
miles from Its mouth and just above the point
where the river Trent empties into II. At this
point the Neuse Is a mile wide. The Atlantic and
North Carolina railroad, which ut Goldsborough
crosses nearly ut right angles the Wilmington
and Weldon railroad, 1.-THE only railroad that
crosses the entire State north and south) runs
through Newbern and thence along the right
bank Of the river until, when the Neuse bends
nUrtheriy, it keeps straight ON toward Beaufort.
Burnside landed his three brigades, too inpatient
To wait for the boats to come to land, on Thurs
day evening, March 18th, in two hours time, ~
miles below Newbern, on the right bank OF the
Neuse. y dense fog hung over the water at the
time, so thick that until Saturday morning, the
fleet could take no hand in the heavy work that
ensued. Early Friday morning, the march be-
gan. The soldiers dragged their howitzers by
hand along the swampy road that lies parallel to
the railroad, and drenched with a heavy ram.
After two hours march they rame upon IA desert
ed camp, it, fires still burning and breakfast
untasted in the kettles. Passing ON until within
two Zone account says Sky miles of Newbern,
they found an earthwOrk defense stretching from
the river two miles across To the swamp on the
south, and made stronger by an abattis of felled
tres. The rebels who had rrireated from the camp
below, here had taken their stand, and, with the
force already behind tx, were supposed To- count
10 1000 men. The line of battle was formed TO
overcome this formidable obstacle. The first
brigate,-all Massachusetts bOys.-rushcd IN
upon the left, u twenty-gun battery raining upon
them grape, canister and shell, and the Infantry
harassing them with IN incessant fire, The
second brigade, made up of New York, New Jer-
sey, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania troops,
engaged their right, while the third brigade bare
steadily against the centre. Our ammunition
failing the order was given TO charge bayOnet.
Then our men poured over the ielled trees. over
the e~arthwOrks, into the entrenchments, fearless of
death, and winning It or fame Ut every step. It
was a desperate assault that the rebels cared not To
prOtract more than four hours. They then fled
like frightened sheep toward the city. Some had
rr.aarc 81 mind p.t.xb %. hnrn rho hrffraa of
the creeks that intercepted the road behind them.
Many took the cars that were at hand and started
OF 10 GOldsbOrOugh, burning the bridges they
Many were made prisoners
But Newbern was not yet taken. On Satur-
day, the g%unboats Under Commodore Rowan,
up the river. They easily W rked past
the vessels that had been sunk in the cham
mel. engaged and silenced the batteries on the
north side ut the river. and when the thick log
Of Sunday morning (the l6th) lifted. steamed up
alongside oil ana siIencyd Fort Tll"mI son. which
spOrted two cOlumbiad-. and then Ia Fort Ellis,
" which, after u brisk fight, they captured. Fort
Love was all that was now left tu the rebels Un
tire river below Ncwbern. Here the enemy had
Il lot Ot scUws, filled with rusin and
turp milne, intending To tow them into the stream
anu set fire to them. But the scuws stuck in the
mud, and the illumination wss not youchsaied.
The Fort Lovers lam " OPPOSED the new suitUrs
for their Position. and s~uecumbrd. y lew shells
on the Railroad depot. and u few ut the town,
bTOuSht out the white uISs That the " lnVInclDfe
rebels had III rrady reserve, and Newbrrn was
Durs. The rebel soldiers Thought To signalize
their Eight by burning the city, but To that the
citizens said nay, only a few = whisky and tur-
Ientine distilleri-s" were CONSUMED. There
were not lacking UniOnists to greet Us as on that
Sunday afternoon our troops marched into New
bern.
Our losses in gaining this victory are great-9O
killed. and from 800 to 400 wounded But it
blood well spilled. for it all goes to cement
the Union, and the brave men who
shed ii died as their comrades would wish to die.
The eEemy's loss is not stated. If it was not
greater than ours. the more shame on them, for
cant losses tarnish the honor of the defenders of
forts and entertainments as defeats alone cannot.
Burnside does not rest on his laurels. On
after Newbern fell, he passed south
sasterly to Beaufort, and took il. Fort Macon,
Jn the point opposite the town. was blown up by
rebels and evacuated.