On Saturday, the 31st of January, 1863, the steamer 'S.R. Spaulding,'
flagship of General Foster's fleet, left the harbor of Morehead City, N.
C., on a supposed expedition to some point on the Southern coast. For
two days we had watched from her deck the long procession of vessels
moving slowly round Fort Macon, and then, with all sails set, or under
full head of steam, passing proudly on in their southward course. Only
those who have witnessed such scenes can realize the eager interest and
intense excitement which attend the preparation for a naval expedition.
Then, too, there were glories of the past to kindle hope and stimulate
ambition. The successes of Burnside, Du Pont, and Farragut were fresh in
memory, and why should not we win new laurels for the old flag, and
place our commander's name high on the list of fame? And so, with
feelings of pride and expectation, we gladly saw the shores of North
Carolina with their forests of pines recede from sight, as, under a
cloudless sky and over a waveless sea, we glided on toward the hated
mother State of the rebellion.
The sequel of the 'Foster Expedition' is well known. We anchored, on the
2d of February, in the capacious harbor of Port Royal, and were flagship
no longer. Fortunately, the long interval between our arrival and the
final departure for Charleston under another commander, gave abundant
opportunities for studying new phases of life and character, and for
learning something of the 15,000 freedmen who compose the loyal
population of the Sea islands.