Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-04-04
@Ortester 4aiIp Spy.
THE DAILY SPY.


located upon one of the squares of the burnt
district, and will be one of the prettiest camps
we ever had. Col. Pickett is in command at
this post, the force consisting of the 25th reg
iment, two companies of the 9th Massachu-
sets, one company of the 9TH Massachusetts,
one company of the LIST North Carolina regi4
ment, the 10th Massachusetts regiment, and
two sections of a battery, with four gunboats
in the river, and it is expected that Col. Lees
entire brigade will be stationed here for the
present, and defensive operations are to be at
once commenced. In short time Plymouth
will be impregnable. A few months since the
enemy surprised the garrison here and de-
stroyed the best part Of the town, SO that
where once stood commodious mansions moth
ing but piles of brick and charred timbers meet
the eye. 1t is wonder that the garrison here
at that time was not captured, but for some
reason the enemy left town contented With de-
stroying most Of the houses. The custom
house shows the effect of the attack, having
been struck and damaged considerably by the
shells of the enemy. Most of our troops were
quartered in that building, and, though under
heavy cannonade from the enemy at very
short range, only one man was wounded, Ser
geant Cliff, resident of this town, (his fami-
ly also living here,) distinguished himself
on that occasion, and is now pro-
NOTED captain of Co. G., LIST N. c. regiment
Seine of our Worcester croakers and seces-
sionists of the copperhead stripe, might learn
lesson of patriotism by hearing these North
Carolina loyal troops talk about this war and
the dastardly conduct of the rebels. Many of
them are deserters from the rebel army and
all are earnest in their determination to put
down this rebellion; and | notice that thev
don't seem very particular hoW the thing is
done, only that it is speedily and thoroughly
done.
few days since a number of deserters
came TO us from the rebel army. Three of
them were natives of East Tennessee, and
were conscripts in Virginia regiment. |
conversed with one of them tall, lean, dark
compleXioned Tennesseean, about thirty-tiye
years old. He was determined loyalist-a
real martyr in the Union cause. Talk about
suffering at the north! You don't know any
thing about the suffering of Union men in
this war, and these internal GROWERS and
croakers at home might profit by hearing
such men as these deserters tell the story of
their sufferings. This young man of whom
am speaking, was out spoken loyalisI.
He was among the twelve hundred Tcnnes-
see patriots who determined to fight the trail
tors. They were attacked with artillery and
driven to the mountains. This young man
was driven to the borders of Kentucky, where
he was betrayed and taken to Knoxville, and
lay there in Jail four months, suffering, as he
told me, all the persecution which the traitors
know how to inhict upon loyalists. Finally
he was taken to Winchester, Virginia, with
the two who deserted with him, and eleven
Others, and there they were enrolled into the
Virginia regiment under Col Gannett; each
of them however refusing to take any oath of
fealty to jeff. Davis. This Virginia regiment
and five others, were lowering about this
place laStweek, and these young men, with a
number of others, made their escape
and entered our lines with light and joyous
hearts. They are agreed in representing the
rebel army ''hard up" Provisions of all
kinds are at more than famine prices. Corn
is 50 per bushel. A common pair of shoes
cost $50. Flour and many other necessaries
OF life cannot be had at any price. One
of these high prices is the wonderful depre-
citation of confederate money, which is now
worth only 20 cents on the dollar payable in
money of their state banks, while our much
laughed at ''green-backs' are at 20 per cent
premium in Richmond and gold at 81 ,25 pre-
MUM with silver at about the same prices.
Citizens all through the northern counties of
the state, even those who supposed to be
''seceSh i'll their sentiments, bite at our
'green-backs in preference to even their own
state bonds. Confederate honeywell they
won't take it if they can avoid it! just tell
your valiant copperheads and detested trail
tors at home to put these facts in their respec-
tive pipes and smoke them. 1t will be good
for their vile stomachs. Talk about compro-
missing with the southern confederacy, or
ctnnOinr at oputbinn short Of
annihlation You might as well talk of max
ing terms with Satan and compromising with
the inhabitants of the bottomless pit. The
army will consent to one as soon as it would
the other.
Last Monday evening three companies of
this regiment, ''F," a." and "K," and COM
pany 'H," of the 9th Mass, left here on an
expedition under command of Capt. Denny,
of the 25th Mass, up the Chowan River.
That night they landed at Holly's wharf, and
bivouacked upon Holly's plantation. The OBJ
ject of the expedition was to intercept party
of rebels who formed part of column against
our garrison at Winfield and which had been
handsomely repulsed by Lieut.. McLane and
portion of his N. G. company.
A portion of this column had succeeded in
crossing the ChOwan, but the colonel and some
sixty rebels had been prev vented from crossing
by our gunboat, and were somewhere in the
swampS' AT daylight, Sunday morning, our
force under Capt. Denny moved rapidly to-
wards Crock Hook creek and reached its
mouth about O'Clock, learning that the enc
my had, fifteen minutes previously, crossed
the creek in small boats. A negro was dis
covered with canoe which furnished trans
portation for four men, who crossed the creek
and found the boats with which the enemy
had crossed and brought them back. Comma.
ny H" Capt. Sanford, of the 9th Mass. was
embarked as fast possible and soon after
landed. Met the enemy in the swamps. Cant.
Foss, of the 25th, with his company, was imme-
diately sent over and sharp engagement of
a few minutes followed. Private Fowler of
company H., being killed and two of that
company badly wounded. Company ''I,' un-
der command of Lieut.. Forbes, was sent off
some three miles to guard a cross road, to
prevent the enemy from escaping in that d-
rectiOn, and company ''K, under Lieut.. Tew
followed company ''F'' into the swamps with
a howitzer manned by marines from the gun
boat Perry" 1t was soon ascertained that
the enemy had fled in all directions, each one
on his own ''hook." Our force commenced a
quick march to Edenton, (the advance guard
having several encounters with small squads
of the dying enemy which place they entered
in good order at 3 p. III. wounded rebel
lieutenant was taken prisoner on the march
to Edenton and paroled. Edenton is a beau
tiful town located upon bay jetting out from