EARLY COAST OPERATIONS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

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before we passed out of range the low guards, wheel-house, and masts ofthe Delaware were riddled. My descent from the cross-trees, with only themast to protect my body, was rapid and not graceful; ratlines and shroudswere cut by bullets as I went down, and my escape without injury was oneof the every-day miracles of war.

The Union forces withdrew down the river and anchored. Early the next

morning we returned, and after some pre-liminary shelling, my regiment with twoboat-howitzers were landed, the enemywas driven out, and the town was occu-pied. We soon discovered that the court-house and several other buildings were inuse for barracks and store-houses forarmy supplies. They were all fired.Then the expedition returned to RoanokeIsland .

The Winton expedition was, for thetime being, the last of active operationshaving Roanoke Island for a base. Thearmy forces on shore were enjoying aperiod of luxurious rest, while the navalvessels were making pleasant excursionsto the towns on the shores of the soundsbefore embarking in an enterprise secondonly in importance to the capture of Roanoke Island . It was an open secretthat the next move would be against New Berne , a small city on the NeuseRiver.

The morning of the 10th of March j) a letter was handed to me from GeneralBurnside containing the information that a new brigade, composed of the 9thand 89th New York and the 6th New Hampshire , and designated as the Fourth,had been formed for duty at Roanoke Island , which was to be left under mycommand for the protection of that post. The formation of this new brigadewas the culmination of preparations for the departure of the New Berne expedition.

THE BATTLE OF NEW BEENE.

The morning of the 11th the force detailed for the attack upon that cityembarked and that night, with the naval forces, rendezvoused at Hatteras Inlet.On the 12th an early start was made, and that evening the whole fleet anchoredoff the mouth of Slocum’s Greek, about sixteen miles below New Berne.

The next morning was as unpleasant as a cold penetrating rain and dark skycould make it, but, notwithstanding, at 6:30, after some preliminary shellingof woods near the landing, the troops began to disembark, the majority

j) The 9th of March had been clear and sunny, quite distinctly, the roar of the guns engaged inwith a light breeze from the north. Although Iwas the action between the Merrimac and the Unionat Roanoke Island , some eighty miles away, Iheard, fleet, including the Monitor.— R. C. H.

VICE-ADMIRAL S. C. ROWAN.