The battle resulted in the failure of Confederate forces trying to recapture the coastal town of New Bern which had been lost to the Union Army in 1862.

Brigadier General Robert F. Hoke’s brigade first made contact on February 1 along Bachelor's Creek where he hoped to surprise the Union outpost[3] under Col. Peter Claassen of the 132nd New York Infantry.

Both sides brought forward artillery as the fight began to grow and Claassen ordered his men back into New Bern.

Gen. Seth Barton which moved across the Trent River against the 17th Massachusetts Infantry under Col. Thomas I. C. Amory supported by the 3rd New York Light Artillery.

The majority of the Underwriter’s crew escaped but Wood's Confederates seized the ship and set about to sail her downriver and attack the Union Navy Yard.

The North Carolina Supreme Court had ruled such acts to be unconstitutional, and the 20 men had left before seeing any actual army service.