Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1864-05-07

NEwBENN, April 24.--The capture Of Ply
mouth, including General VESSELS and his
command, is confirmed. Nothing is known
here of the movements of the Rebels; but it
is reporced that they have gone to Virginia.
Should they attack Little Washington or
Newborn, their punishment would be fearful.
The success OF the Rebels at Plymouth
will not compensate them for the loss they
sustained. From all accounts General YVES
Sells and his little band of fifteen hundred
veterans fought like heroes for four days
and nights, leaving in every street heaps of
Rebel dead which they admit will number
seventeen hundred We hear all sorts of re-
ports in regard to the Rebel ram on the
| Neusc River, above the city.
! The Newbcrn Times of the 9th inst, says
that on Friday last, Aprt 22d, large Rebel
! force appeared in front of Little Washing
ton, but their lines were deserted, and it is
said vigorous stampede towards Richmond
commenced
A military gentleman direct from New
! bern, 9th inst. furnishes the following ad-
ditional particulars from North Carolina: -
/ 1t appears that the Rebel ram Roanoke,
which sunk some of our best gun boats. and
which assisted so materially in capturing
! Plymouth was injured in the fight, hut as
soon Us she is prepared, which will not take
! long, the enemy say that they will assert
their authority over the rivers and sounds
of North Carolina, including all the towns
! now in our possession. They expect to act
in connection with their other ram on the
Neuse River, which is reported ready to
move down on Newbern.
The Ncwbcrn Times of the 27th inst. con.
tains the following additional particulars of
the capture of Plymouth
hp RAJ, Il
of Brigadier- General HoKE, and was much
larger than we supposed. 1t must have
amounted to at least tyenty thousand men.
The Rebel cavalry was under the command
of Brigadier- General RANSOM. The first. at
tack was made ou Fort Gray, which was
situated about one mile from the town, on
the Roanoke River The Rebel battery
which commanded this fort. it is said. was
planted on Folks Island, about a mile dis
TAM.
"On Wednesday morning the Rebels pre-
pared to storm our works in Plymouth.
They accordingly massed their forces and
precipitated them upon Fort Vessels, Bat
terry Worth, Fort Gray and Fort Williams.
These places were taken in detail, and after
several repulscs, were finally captured. But
even then, is is said that General VESSELS
still held out, and fought the Rebels in the
streets of Plymouth, throwing up ritic-pits
for the protection of his men. and was only
oycrpowered by sheer force of numbers. be-
ing nearly twenty Rebels to one Federal
soldier.
at is also said that General VESSELS pull
led off his coat and went into the work
! himself with the most indomitablc energy,
throwing hand grcnades. On the surrender
of the place the colorcd soldiers and Second
/ ntrn1 NArtl .l.,,l IL.
swamps. Most of the negroes, we regret to
hear, are said to have been massacred. The
conduct of the Rebel soldiery or the officers,
or both, is said to have been barbarous III
the extrme, and that they even went so far
as to threaten personal violence to the gal
liant old soldier who had commanded for so
nobly Furnishing them. 1t is reported That
the Rebel loss was between sixteen hundred
and two thousand killed and wounded,
while sour iosss was comparatively small.
All honor to the heroes of Plymouth.
THE sword, sash and belt presented to
General VESSEL by his veteran brigade were
not captured. They were deposited by him
with General PECK for safe keeping, and
are here in Newbcrn. Some twenty colorcd
soldiers, recruited at plymonth, escaped
from here at the time of the surrender, and
and reached here on Sunday morning.
The following members of company L,
Second North Carolina Union Volunteers,
also escaped from the enemy Mt the sur
render OF Plymouth, and have reached our
lines safely, viz: JESSE HouGARD, NATHA-
MEL z. OvERToS, MITCHELL HOWARD, and
MARCUS CUTTIFoFD.
"The ram still lies in Roanoke River,
prepared to ram anything that attempts to
enter the river. We venture to predict that
ram will not be the long.
Most of the citizens have left Plymouth
for Roanoke Island
The Times remarks cditoriallN:-
THE past two months have left impress
sions on the minds of thousands of people
in Eastern North Carolina, which long years
to come will scarcely eiiace. These two
months encompass II period of deep anxiety,
naturally produced by passing events, and
our close proximity to our Rebel enemies
Ever since the tormidaby Confederate raid
on the first of February last. there has been
ut intervals, the clearcst evidence of de-
termination on the part o. The enemy to re-
take Eastern North Carolina. Time and
again the most positive testimony has come
within our lines that at least two irod-clad
rams were preparing by the enemy on the
Ncuse ane Roanoke rivers, with view of
decending the same and making an stack
whenever circumstances seemed TO indicate
favorable moment.
"Ihc fact that these iron clacls were vigo-
rously preparing was published in the most
conspicuous manner in the dispatches sent
to the Associated Press, and other rep at d
warnings. There seems to have been at the
North nothing but doubt and distrust on
the subject All these representation seem
to have been treated rs faDricaiions too IA
grant TO require moments attention, and
the devoted town of Plymouth and this city
have been left to meet the onset as best they
could.
"The thrilling events Of the past week
have furnished the most ovcrw helming testi
mOny that the views entertained here By
General PECK and other vigiant, intelligent
officers, as to the designs of the enemy, have
been well and completely founded"