Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-04-21
0Ortest&r Daily SPY,
THE DAILY SPY.

NEwprnN, N. c., April Is, 1868.

- psf,,,,, Of lie A,..o,.t 3, y,,,y,k4 IN
J E, o 5. ~ ['''y5 i'IS rot"
1rIa On ~. ,,.l a. - - w O"t ~,
% EayJ no ~ TL ''' sc t'Se oS
'S' Ss'J ~ -leSOSI"
J, M "a ln,;' T'''o, ~ 'P'"-
;ua 1'~ p''''''0' "''" 10'' '''S 'e'o"'
w., w.
AZ lehgtl' aller TWO weeks OF suspense,
am ehapieu 70 give you Sdiue cheerl"S news
IFoth tnIs department, anu II ahoruS me as
much pleasure 10 chronicle II as 1t VIII tile
northern people TO read II. General Foster
mas oeeh reviewed ny coup dc mum, and his
rehef releVes US all. Inns morning l re-
celVed a nasty note from our correspondent
on the Fallnco river, giving the details OF al
lars there; put as he says ne was unable to
arrange the 1actS IN puDllshable form, owing
10 the limited ume allowed nm before the
despatch boat would leave am obliged to
.re"lte them' ana dowel In some other mat
tefs OF "hlch me- OF course, could know moth
ing In my former letters L have given you
journal vi all tue events IN tins department
as they nave transplred, ana Will not devate
now. 90 commencing where my last letter
cioseu on SATURDAY last, with the return OF
UeheFai oplholas eXpeduon, VIII resume.
VA saturday night last, immediately upon
the return OF the ABOVE mentioned expedition,
and before the exhausted troops had had time
TO COOK their ilrst warm meal for four days or
get the North Carolina soil rubbed from their
seedy uniforms, some OF the officers OF the
gallant 9th Rhode Island regiment (this regi-
ment was one OF the fourteen under SplnOla)
waited upon Gen. Palmer and stated that that
body Of veterans had en- masse requested per-
mission to either lun past the batteries on the
river below Washington, or land and capture
them bodily. 1t is unnecessary to state that
the offer was accepted, and the staunch trans
port Escort, Capt. Wall, was brought up to
the dock to receive them. They came on
board at midnight, SO nolselesSly that not
dozenapeople knew Of it until the next day,
when they mad arrived in the vicinity OF oper-
ationS. SO completely exhausted were the
men with their four hours hard marching and
lighting that when they found themselves on
board the steamer they sank down to rest and
sleep upon the bare decks, only as tired war
rioIs can rest under the sprnllling cano-
Ply of heaven. a run of seventeen hours
brought them to the fleet OF gunboats, five
miles below the battery lit Hills Point. Gen.
Palmer was with them, were also Lieut..
Col. Hoffman, acting adjutant general on
Gen. Fosters staff, and Col. McChesney, Of
the LIST North Carolina Union volunteers.
The brave Rhode Islanders were clamOrous
to be put through the ordeal that night; but
the commandant felt 1t his duty, as il was, to
study well the position and weigh carefully
the chances. The commandant OF the naval
fleet was to be consulted, and Joint plans ar
ranged all oil which took time; so that when
all was ready It was so near morning, and the
moon was shining brightly, it WAS wisely
concluded to defer the hazardous enterprise
until Monday night.
THE EXPLOIT OF THE ESCORT.
About ten o'clock on Monday night the
gunboats, which had taken position just be-
low the Hills Point battery, opened brisk
fire upon the rebel works, but were unable to
elicit any reply. During the Cannonade the
Escort, loaded with supplies and troops,
steamed up past the gunboats and, before the
rebels could realize the fact, was abreast of
the battery and entering the gap OF the block
AIDE, which had been buoyed out by Capt. Nc
Dermott of the Ceres, through which she
passed in safety. The Hills Point battery
did not modest her in passing, owing to the
fact that the gunboats kept up such an inces-
SAINT and well-directed fire upon the forts as
to make 1t impossible for the rebels to get
their guns into position. But after the steam
er had passed the blockade her trip was de-
cidedly an exciting one. The rebels had
posted sharpshooters on RATS in the river
and in the bushes on the shore, and they also
had planted light field batteries along the
south bank of the river, near which the chan
mel runs, from which they kept up a continu-
Gus firing of volley after volley Of musketry
and roar upon roar OF artillery, until the craft
was lost in the distance For six miles she
ran the fiery gauntlet, a part of the time be-
ing within three hundred Yards of a shore
which swarmed with grav-backed rihemen
and butternut-colored artillersts, whose eve
nv word OF command and shout of defiance
could be distinctly heard bv those on board
When she arrived opposite the battery on
Rodman's farm. the Guns which had so nearly
demolished the gunboat Commodore Hull
beIched forth their hostile welcome and for
twenty minutes the thunder from the rebel
guns was continued like one nrolonoed neal
Of loves own artillery. The nigbt was as calm
andstilI as overnight was. not breath ofair. ex-
cent the gushing bursts set in motion by the
rehpl Guns and the steamers own advance.
stirred the smoke as if fell like nall unon
the water. and rendered the darkness doubly
sombra Gpided only bv the firing upon the
shore the brave nilot headed her on until the
last DISCHARGES Of cannon and musketry were
heard far asiern and he knew he was close
,1,nn tVasLinuton Tbnn bn esniad the low
binnl, mil ~ nno 81 omc rrnbnats and NO
hoard Tho otch hol, ,1ron tho dnclx falling ont
fine bo,,r If tha ni[rbt I thon bn cow the dim
Tghts in the hack windows If the houses in
town. and heard the half snpnressed Voices If
onr mon on shoro ond 10 IhI,,hI,, roaiizod tbot
fine immediate dancer ,yas ovo. 81 wish I
could write the scene of tho 1ond;pg NJ our
troops in Washinoton - saws tbo s.T1coosonaI,,
of the Herald, who Went tbrongb on rho ~