FROM NEWBERN.
NEW YORK, February 6.
The Times' Newbern letter of the 2d, says: Our loss is not heavy.
Perhaps one hundred will cover the killed, wounded and missing. Lieut
Col. Fellows, 10th Massachusetts, with several other officers, have not
been heard from.
The gunboat Underwriter, captured under the guns of our fort, which shelled her, set her on fire and she blew up. The Tribune's Newbern letter of the 1st, says: Our pickets were driven in Sunday night at Batcheldors Creek, Deep Gully.
Lieut. Col. Fellows, 17th Massachusetts, with 115 men and a
detachment of the 77th
New York, a section of Captain Churchill's battery, went out on the
Washington road. This morning another section went out on the Trent
road, and was captured entire.
Only 50 of the 115 of the 17th Massachusetts came back. The enemy
came on them in overwhelming numbers, but our troops held them in check
till the baggage and camp equipage
could be removed or burned.
CoL Fellows, Surgeon Galoupe, Captain Lloyd, Lieuts. Dory, Comins,
Hill and Mann
are missing. A detachment of the 17th Massachusetts, Lieut' Conn, got to
the camp of Colonel Classon with some of the 182d New York, at
Bacheldor's Creek, in time to help burn
the camp and hospital stores.
Lieut. Conn saved the garrison flag, which in the confusion had been left flying. The enemy followed our men closely until they were under the guns of the fort. Our total loss is probably 20 or 30 killed and wounded and perhaps 100 captured. The enemy's loss is supposed to be 10 or 12 killed and 40 or 60 wounded.
This morning at 3 o'clock (Tuesday, 3d) the enemy in barges boarded
the gunboat Underwriter, which covered a portion of our fortifications
between Fort Anderson and Fort Stearns, and after a terrible struggle
she was captured, with her officers and a large number of her crew.
Fortunately the Underwriter was hard aground, and this alone saved her
from
being earned off by the rebels. The rebels who boarded the Underwriter
consisted of some 250 officers and sailors from Savannah, Ga , from
whence they brought their barges by railroad. The rebels being unable to
move the Under water from her position, set her on fire
and the flames communicating to her magazine, she was blown into
fragments.
Later Newbern, Tuesday, Feb. 2d, 4 p.m.. Nearly two-thirds of the crew of the Underwriter are safe. Acting master Allen and all the officers of the vessel except the third assistant Engineer, Mr. Allen, are captured.
The Richmond Enquirer of yesterday says that 120 Yankee prisoners from Newbern arrived yesterday. They were probably the crew of the gunboat Underwriter.