, 1863-04-22
FROM NORTH CAROLINA,
How General Foster was
Reinforced.
The Exploit Of the Escort.
Correspondence y. T. Herald.1

General Foster, Lieutenant Coloncl Hoff
man, Captain Gour:tud and Lieutenant Ed
Ea1d ? Peters, Abide Camp, arrived here ut
nine o'clock last night, on the steamer Escort,
IN safety, from Washington. having. success
fully run the batteries i'll R3dman's Point,
and that at HIS Point.
On Saturday night last, some Of the officers
of tue gallant 5th Rhode leland regiment {this
regiment was one uf the fourteen under Spf-
nola) waited upon Gen. Palmer, and stated
questcd permission to either run past the bat
1cric6 upon the river below Washington, or
land and capture them bodily. It Ia unncccs-
Eary to state that the offer was accepted, and
the stauch transport Escort, Capt. Nall, was
brought up to the dock tn receive them,
They came on board ut midnight, SO noise
lessly thatnot dozen people knew Of It until
late the next day, whtn they had arrived in
the vicinity Of operations. So completely ex-
haustea were the men with their four days
hard mar ching and fighting that when they
found Themselves on board The steamer they
Eank down to res: and sleep upon the bare
decks only as tired warriors can rest under the
dew sprinkling canopy Of heaven. 4 run Of
Seventeen hours brought them to the fleet Of
EMntoAte, five miles below the battery at
Hill's Point. General Palmer was with them,
as were also Lieutenant Colonel Hoffman,
Acting Adjutant General On General Fosters
staG. and Colonel McChesney, Of lst North
Carolina Union volunteers. The brave Rhode
1sNNucTb Ntlc c4aHlolouS 10 Ut put through
tie ordeal that night; but the commandant
felt It his duty-as it was-to study well the
position and weigh carefully the chances. The
Con1Iiandant Of the naval feet w'as to be
consulted, and joint plans arranged, all of
which took time; 80 that when all was ready
it was 50 near morning, and the moon was
shining SC brightly. 1t WIS wisely concluded
to defer the hazardous enterprise until Non
day night.
About ten o'clock on Monday night the
Eunhoats. which had taken position Just be-
low tho Hin's Point Battery, opened = brisk
fire upon The rebel works, but were unable TO
Glieis any reply. During the connonadc the
Steamed up past The gunboats, and, before
Inc rebels could realize the fact, was abreast
blockade, which Ind been buoyed out by Cap
tain McDcrmot, Of the Ceres, through which
Ehc Passed in safcty. The unl's Polnt Bate.
r did not mi, ,n.lest t, her in passing, owing
kept up such an incessant and we'll
directed fire upon the fort rs to make it impos
eible for the rebels to get their guns into posi-
tion. But after the steamer had passed tn.
blockade her trip Was 4 decidedly exciting
one The rebels had posted sharpshooters OF
RATS in tie river and in the bushes on tht
shore, and they also had planted light ielt
Batteries along the fouth bank Of the river
0car which the clnnncl runs, from which the,
kept up continuous firing Of volley atee
yolicy Of muekctrT and roar upon roar OF ar
1llc1v until the craft was lost in tue distance
For six miles she ran the tery gauntlet, par
of tho time being within three hundred yard
81 shore Which swarmed with gray backed
Flhemeu and buttc1uut colorea artillerlsts
whose every word Of command and shout o
oennnce could be distinctly heard by thos4
p ooa1a; When she arrived opposite
lie guns Pas WHICH 9a Rsaman's esd IS ns51I, asa%
aemolsatd the gunboat Commodore Hui
oelehco forth their hostile welcome. and fo
tNcnts minutes the thunder from the rebc
guns & WAS continued likenne prolonged pea
calm aud still MS ever night was-not , I,so,tI
Of air, except the gushing bursts set IN M
ton By the rebel guns and the steamers oT,
advance, stirred the smoke as It fell like Tai
npon the water, and rendered the darknes
donbly eombre. Guided only by the 1I1in
upen the shore, the brave pilot headed her O
: until the last discharges Of cannon and mu
kerry were heard far nstcru, and he knew
was close upon Washington. Then he espic
the low, black huu OF one Of our gunboat
and he heard the watch bell upon the dee
to1ling ont the hour Of the night; then be 50
the dim lights In the back Windows Of Il
houses in town, md heard the half-supp1ess,
voices Of onr men on shore, and he doub
realized that the Immediate danger was oye
stI wish could write the scene Of the lanlii
of our troops In Washington" saye the IS Q
casional' Of the Herald, who went through
the Escort, and who furnishes me these item
It would be useless for me to attempt
describe the appearance Or the Escort, as g.
lies at her wharf, hack Of ". G. Hamilton
Cots warehouses, an object Of wonder nj
curiosity to thousands line OF the shots
fhe' ensny-a tKcllc.pounder Wh1tNorta