Burnside's Advance On Beaufort

The New York Herald contains a letter from Newbern of the 27th of March, giving the particulars of Gen. Burnside’s advance on Washington and Beaufort.  On the 20th ult. six companies of troops left Newbern for Washington, under command of Col. Stevenson, in the transport Guide, under convoy of three gunboats.  They went down the Neuse river to Pimlico Sound, and thence up to Washington.  On Thursday night they anchored below the city, and the next morning, on reaching a point about seven miles from their destination, found the river so thoroughly obstructed that only one of the gunboats succeeded in getting past.  A portion of the troops went up on her and landed.  They were most cordially received by the inhabitants, among whom Union sentiments predominated.  On the same day the third brigade, under Gen. Parks, sailed to Slocum’s Creek, and thence went toward Beaufort by means of handcars on the railroad.  The brigade stopped at Morehead city, some little distance from Beaufort and Fort Macon, and dispatched a flag of truce to the Fort, demanding an unconditional surrender.  The commander, however, decided to fight a little before giving up, and accordingly refused compliance.  The result of this was, the Fort was to be immediately invested.  Gen. Burnside left for the scene of operations on the 25th, and it was expected that after the labor of transplanting and placing the ordnance in position, which would occupy several days, had been completed, the fort would soon be taken.

– Published in the Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, April 12, 1862, p. 2