NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE. No. CLXXV. DECEMBER, 1864.-VOL. XXX. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1864, by Harper and Brothers, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York. VOL. XXX.-No. 175.-A Never again call "Comrade" To the men who were comrades for years; Never to hear the bugles, Thrilling, and sweet, and solemn ; Never again call "Brother" To the men we think of with tears; In the dust of the marching column. Never again be a sharer In the chilly hour of the strife When, at dawn, the skirmish-rifles Never to feel our manhood Kindle up into ruddy life 'Mid the hell of scenes and noises Crippled, forlorn and useless, The glory of life grown dim, Brooding alone o'er the memory Of the bright, glad days gone by; Nursing a bitter fancy, And nursing a shattered limb: Oh, comrades, resigning is harder- Never again on the jacket To see our knightly bars; To see our lordly leaves; Never again to follow The flag of the Stripes and Stars; That young ambition weaves! artillery. There was one queer stern-wheeled I.-A MILITARY ADVENTURE. craft, which went puffing about among the fleet, Putting to Sea.-Entering the Inlet.-Conquest of Roa- attracting much attention. It had come from noke Island.-The Slaves.-Destruction of the Rebel the shoal waters of the Kennebec River. The Fleet.-Extending the Conquest.-Expedition to the Neuse. Decisive Battle.-Anecdotes.-Capture of New- sailors called it "the wheel-barrow." Its draught bern.-Secret Expedition.-Bivouac.-Battle of Kings- was so light that they insisted it could run wherton.-Daily Marchings.-Battle at Whitehall.-Heroism ever there was a heavy dew. Sixteen thousand of Butler.-Successful Raid.-Battle of Goldsborough.-men-infantry, artillery, and cavalry-were emSuccess of the Expedition.-The Return. ON the 11th of January, 1862, a vast fleet of General Burnside. barked in this fleet, under the chieftainship of The troops were divided into three brigades, under Generals Foster, Reno, and Parke; all experienced officers of the regular army. Commodore Goldsborough, a veteran of fifty years' service, commanded the fleet. gun-boats and transports was assembled at Hampton Roads, Old Point Comfort, for a secret expedition. Spectators on the shore counted one hundred and twenty-five boats of all sizes and patterns. There were formidable vessels It was a bright, mild winter's day. Just after of war, powerfully armed and nobly manned. the sun had gone down and the stars had come There were ferry-boats extemporized into gun-out, those on the shore observed an unusual comboats, and peaceful merchantmen frowning with motion in the fleet. Lights were flashing and tug the rigging of the ships, gazing with admiration upon the golden sunset, and the forest-crowned shore fringed with its long line of snow-white beach, upon which the billows of the wide Atlantic dashed almost mast-head high, and with thunder roar. boats moving rapidly in all directions, and it | sands of men were clustered on the decks and in was evident that every ship was getting up its steam. Just at midnight some signal rockets pierced the sky from the flag-ship, and almost instantly every paddle-wheel was in motion, and the majestic squadron swept down the bay. It was a brilliant night, serene, cloudless; with the moon near the full. It was very manifest to all on board that hard work was to be done by both fleet and army; but when, where, how, none but a few of the highest officers could tell, and they were silent. At noon the next day, Sunday, January 12, the fleet was entirely out of sight of land, enveloped in fog, steaming rapidly down the southern coast. At length the fog lifted, and the leading ships caught sight of the shores of Hatteras, and, followed by the whole squadron, turned toward the Inlet. It was a gorgeous afternoon of autumnal beauty. The scene was magnificent. Thou It was too late to enter the Inlet. The next morning was cold and wintry. Clouds were gathering; the ocean looked black; and angry billows with foaming crests pursued each other. It was difficult to cross the bar in a storm, as smooth water was very necessary for the passage. Yet it was not safe for a fleet to attempt to ride out a Hatteras gale on that open sea. About seventy of the ships succeeded in safely getting within the Inlet. One of the transports, laden with horses, struck the bar, plunging her keel into the sand, and remained immovable. The waves dashed over the ship, hurling the horses PUTTING TO SEA. into the sea, where they all perished. The seamen lashed themselves to the rigging, and there, without food or sleep, and drenched to the skin, remained for forty-eight hours until the storm abated. Every endeavor which was made to send them assistance was fruitless. Two heroic men, Colonel Allen and Dr. Wellar, perished in the attempt. During the continuance of the gale nearly every vessel was injured, both those within and those without the Inlet. Many were badly shattered, and four entirely wrecked; the crews generally escaping. A calm succeeded this fearful storm; yet it was two weeks before the fleet, crippled and dis persed, was collected and refitted at a safe anchorage in Pamlico Sound. As A comparatively small strait separates the two majestic Sounds called Pamlico and Albemarle. In the centre of this strait you find Roanoke Island, twelve miles long and three broad. the channel on either side is narrow and tortuons, the island effectually commands the passage between the two Sounds. Here the rebels were in force with batteries, intrenchments, and gunboats. Wednesday morning, the 6th of February, dawned cold, and wet, and gloomy. Groping through the fog our fleet approached the island, and, anchoring for the night, prepared for |