Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-03-21

regiments OF infantry, seventeen pieces of ar
tillery, and regiment of cavalry, under COM
mand Of Gen. Pettigrew.
At daylight Gen. Pettgrew summoned the
92'l to surrender, and at the time had his ar
tllery planted at the skirt of the wood about
five hundred yards from the works. The de-
mand was imperative, and Col. Anderson's
reply as laconic and decisive, being simply
81 don't see it in that light" Then the artil-
lery and infantry opened upon our works, and
were replied to vigorously. The tents and
huts inside the works were riddled with shot
and shell, but we lost but four men wounded
in the whole affair. The rebel force on the
Trent road consisted of four brigadeS of in
tantry and two regiments of cavalry under
Brig. Gen. Daniels. He had also FIVE batter
les of artillery, as l learn from prisoners and
deSerterS.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
On the 18th, the anniversary of the opening
of the battle of Newbern, the enemy appeared
. i'll large force between the Trent and Neuse
rivers, and drove our pickets in over Deep
Gully. Col. Lewis, commanding the third N.
7. cavalry, was Immediately thrown out with
Belger's battery, to hold the enemy in check,
which he successfully accomplished, when
Gen. Palmer came up with a portion of his
command, and the enemy fell back.
On the morning of the 18th large force Of
the enemy, with eighteen pieces of artillery,
appeared in front Of fort Anderson, on the
north side of the Neuse, and commenced its
hombardment. Fort Anderson is an unfn-
ished earthwork, without any cannon then
mounted. The enemy sent in, by flag of truce,
summons to surrender, to which Col An
derson, commanding the garrison with the
92d New York volunteers, replied that it
would be impossible for him to entertain the
proposition, and Immediately sent word to
Gen. Foster at Newbern of the force and de-
scription of the enemy.
The enemy, under command of Gen. Pet
tigrew, opened with their batteries at short
range with shot, shell, and canister; the men
protected by the parapet were untouched, but
the tents in rear of the fort were completely
rddled. The cannonading at daylight reused
the whole town, the troops were under arms,
and everything made ready for general at
tack on the city. Gen. Foster sent word to
the garrison to hold out till the last moment,
and never to surrender
The gunboats under command of Commo-
dere Murray, were soon in position, and the
scene became one of intense excitement; ev-
erythng centered on the little band in the
fort. The gunboats soon sent their terrible
missiles, and told upon the enemy with great
etfect-one she'll from the Hunchback killing
two men and wounding thirteen. The enc
my'S fire slackened, and then entirely ceased;
another flag of truce, with a summons to sur
render, giving Col Anderson seven minutes
to answer in before an assault. Col. Ander-
son replied that he did not lcant SeceN seconds,
and that when they fired it suited his conven-
fence, as well as the assault.
During this time Gen. Prince had been
placing in position some 20-pound h0witZers
belonging to Ransoms battery, and they open
ed upon the enemy in a lively manner, and
after three hours sharp work the enemy fell
back repulsed in their efforts to capture Col.
Anderson and his command. During the day
the fort was reinforced by the 85th New York.
Gen Foster was present where the danger
was most imminent, and directed in person
much of the artillery fire from the Newbern
side of the Neuse river.
The casualties were very slight on our side,
one man killed and tico grounded. The in
tentions of the enemy were not fully ascer-
tanned when our informant left on Sunday at
2 o'clock. Gen. Prince, with his division, was
en- route to the front, and would give the enc
my battle if they should make stand. Dur
ing the cannonading the banks of the Neuse
were lined with men, women, and children,
as well as the house tops.
deserter reports that the enemy suffered
severely from the shells of the gunboats and
our 20-pounder howitzers. The shots from
the enemys guns seldom reached the New
bern side of the Neuse. One gun of the enc
my burst during the engagement, killing and
wounding several.
SUNDAY, March 15-Noon.-The rebels
have retired towards Kinston, and all is safe.
The whole affair has been a superb failure.
The steamer is whistling her last shrek, and
| must close.
EXPEDITIONS FROM NEwBERN.
NEwBERN, N. c., March IL, 1868.
The past has been a week of activity, anx-
ety, and excitement to us, and one fraught
with great consequences, and | am pleased to
record the fact, if fer no other reason than to
inform the world that Gen. Foster and his
command still live and seem determined to let
tour erring southern brethren" understand
that we can cylinder come round" once in a
while upon their rear, Notwithstanding our
little army has been so weakened by the bull
headed strategy of somebody-not resident
here. Within the last ten days no less than
four important expeditions have left this place
and all ha re been signally successful in at
tanning the objects at which they were aimed.
On the 9th inst. Gen. Henry Prince, with
his division, Belger's and Riggs battery, and
portion of the Sd New York cavalry, started
on reconnaissance to the south of Newbern.
1t was most successful in its results. The
rebel cavalry force in Oslow county was COM
petely broken up. Lieut. Williams of the 63d
North Carolina cavalry, and about dozen
prisoners were captured, and the balance dis
persed, taking to the swamps to avoid capture.
The reconnaissance extended to Jacksonville,
| Onslow county, and information of very valu-
able nature was obtained. The expedition
returned to Newbern on the 18th inst, the
enemy having failed to make a stand Spino-
las and Jourdan's brigades comprised the IN"
rantry force, under Gen. Prince.
! On the north side of the Trent river, the
18th Massachusetts volunteers, with two com.
panies of the third New York cavalry, started
on an expedition to proceed on the road as
lar as the Kinston and Trenton forks. They
surprised rebel encampment of two compa-
Mes by night, and captured or dispersed the
whoie command, destroying their camp equip
On Sunday, March lst, an expedition lef
this city for HYDE county, to rout and dis
perse the guerrillas infesting that portion o
the state This expedition fought and drove
the rebels at one place, but was not stron.
enough to occupy all the points. 1t returned
to Newbern Friday. A large expedition lef
March 7th sufficiently strong to clean out al
the guerrillas.