The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-02-08

- -. AV
as $50: = sassa M ssssaa ssis
q 81 So 81 lJUNE. 1889.
CsAnodore Goid.beressh's oaeial Re
port. ~
WARRINGTON, Thursday, Jan. so, 1869.
| Com. Goldsborough's dispatch, dssed Unite,
States fag-stcainer Philadelphis, Hatteras Inlet
January 26, did not reach the Navy Depart
inent till to-day. He says that be arrived in th,
| transport Spaulding on the morning Of the 18Th
INST, just At the conimencement Of strons
northeast gale Of wind, which lasted until ths
morning OF the 18th. He continues:
Then, for the hrs. moment, VIC were enabled
TO commence moving our naval vessels TO Z no
sition In the Sound, over and beyond the Bulk.
head, where seventeen Of them nov lie and have
been lying for several days. under immediate
command of Commander Rowan, In full read,.
ness for operations Of any sort. With the ex-
caption OF the Whitehall and Com. Barney, all
the vessels intended serve on the Expedition
have safely arrived. T; Q whitehall, in trying
10 get here, became so t.riously disabled thai
she was compelled TO Put back into Hampton
Roads, whence ordered her 20 Newport News
Owing TO very serious difficulties, 1t was not
in Gen. Burnside's power, before yesterday, TO
make any rapid progress In getting his vessels
over the bulkheAd. Some Of the difficulties,
fear, may provo insuperable, but many of them
will be surnounted In day or two Then we
shall at once move together to our destined
point OF attack. The channel-way Of this bulk
head is shallow, narrow and tortuous-u der the
most favorable circumstances, scarcly an inch
me fh~r ls~ III r. - =
be found in II. II was only by the greatest ex.
ertioss and perseverance on the part Of my Off
GERS and men, and by turning every possible ex.
pedient to prompt account, that our vessels Of
the heaviest draught--some Of them drawing
eight feet-were worried through this perple I.
ing gut, and it was in contending with this difi.
cult passage, with our vessels struggling along
lnavoldably one by one, that frst expected
opposltton from the enemy, bat nothing of the
sort occurred. Until quite recently he was in
the habit of visiting this neighborhood weekly,
and amusing himself by just keeping out OF
harms way, and expending ammunition from
rihed guns at the vessels In this harbor. In no
instance. however, did any prcjectile of his ever
reach any one of them.
had occasion to send out steamer day be.
lore yesterday to ascertain il u certain buoy in
the Sound was still in its place, and while en-.
steamers in the distance. On the fact being
communicated TO Com. Rowan, be instantly put
after them with several Of our steamers, but
they at once took to fight, and we're too far OF
TO be overharled. Any decided approach now
70 TINS quarter oa the part of the enemy with all
the force he could muster would, to O moral
certainty, result in his speedy capture or de- I
struction.
Flag Officer Goldsborough states that he
mas got seventeen Of his war vessels over the
Swosh. 5
e8 DIFFICULTY OF GETTING Pilots
Z Much OF the time Of Flag. officer Goldsbo,ough
has been consumed in the examination of natives,
with view OF obtaining pilots. The duty Of
pilots was some time since committed
to hands that little less than neglected 1t alto
gether. Consequently it had to be done almost
wholly after our arrival here. Scouts were sent
to Chicamacomico, 40 miles above, and to Ocra.
coke, IL miles below, to bring in the natives,
nearly all of whom had the reputation of being
more or less familiar with the sounds and their
estuaries. But few would confess to any knowl.
edge, particularly of Gratan Sound, of which in.
formation was most desirei-a fact which they
well understand. Most of them knew something
of almost every other locality, but of this little
or nothing The apprehension of being required
to go where there was danger appeared to knock
whatever they knew of the Sound out of their
heads But the guises of these people were
easily penetrated, and they stood objects of pity
more than of censure for the lies they told Not
SO OF all, however, for there were some who Dur.
sued the manly course, and were employed by
the flag officer.
THE BEST Pilot WAS NEGRO BEN.
Among those who presented themselves to
flag officer Goldsborough to give intelligence
and make themselves useful, was a negro named
Ben. he was no common man, whether YOU
considered him as white or black but natively
considerable above the average in intelligence
and straight.forwardness in communic ating what
he knew. By all odds was he the best specimen
OF a man of the 40 or. 30 who that day were
questioned on the same subjects; and it was the
oFlnion OF those who witnessed the scene
(which, by the way, would, in the hands of an
artist, make one OF the livelest pictures imagin.
able), that Ben was in fact one Of the most con-
siderable men yet found in this part Of North
Carolina When Hatteras was taken, Ben was
employed on the island near Chicamacomico but
tue slaves OF his master, who lived on Roanoke
Island, having mostly decamped, be was taken
home. Subsequently, with dozen others, he
escaped to Fort Hatteras in an open bost. He
has made occasional secret visits to Roanoke,
and managed to bring away eighteen Of his i'm
mediate relatives. He and two brothers will
continue with Flag Officer Goldsborough through
the campaign.
EXTENT OF DAMAGE BY sToRx.
Witi al! our disasters and troubles Of the
fortnight past, the actual loss is comparatively
small, certainly not serious enough to prove any
material injury to the expedition. The stores
on the City of New York were supernumerary.
aud the vessel herself of no value in the shall.
low waters where Burnside is to operate. A
lew horses were lost on the Pocahontas, but
there will be little chance to use horses or land
transportation for some time to come. The
floating battery Grapeshot was cut adrift off
Cape Hatteras. One schooner laden with coal
and one With forage, were sunk. Tie gunboat
Aouave bilged and sunk, but we have plenty
more OF the same sort left Taking everything
into coDsideration-the large feet, the charac.
ter OF the vessels, the large force of men. the
strong gale encountered by the way, and the
8bominable nature of the harbor in which the
deet has been lying, the Government may con.
gratuiate itself with the success which has thus
far attended Gen. Burnside's Expedition. The
public may depend upon it that when the feet
is ouce safely over the Bulkhead into Psmlico
Sound-and this is merely q matter Of time
Burnside's blows on the enemy will be quick
and sharp, and he will not rest until he has
swept every rebel craft from the waters Of both
sounds, and every battery from the shores that
he approaches.
Gen. Burnside was full Of hope, anticipating
the most complete success. In conversation be
remarked "that he had seen darker days than
this" and that no disaster which the feet had
yet experienced disheartened him in the least
The soldiers place the utmost confidence in his
judgment and abilities as General, and wher-
ever he will lead they are ready and eager TO
follow.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE INIxy
But little 10 known in regard to the enemy,
further than that, according to rumor, they are
prepared to defend Roanoke Island vigorously.
According to the best information possessed,
they have Y, 500 men, principally Gsorglans, and
four batteries--0ne on the island and two on