Chapter XVII: Front Matter (17)

On the afternoon of the eighth he commenced his march for the interior of the State, his army moving in three columns, which were commanded by Colonels Barton, Hawley, and Henry. Colonel Barton moved on the main road, while the commands of Colonels Hawley and Henry marched on parallel roads to the right of Colonel Barton, which united, at a distance of only three miles, where the infantry camps were spread for the night; while a battalion of cavalry, Elder’s horse Battery B, First artillery, and the Fourth Massachusetts infantry, under Colonel Guy V. Henry, pushed forward on a reconnoissance toward Lake City, through a dense pine forest, and over a low, marshy soil. After riding a distance of eight miles, they surprised and captured an artillery camp of the rebels, containing four guns, with the camp equipage and officers’ baggage. Only three prisoners were taken, the rest of the force effecting their escape. The advance of the army reached Baldwin the next morning, capturing some army stores, and Generals Gilmore and Seymour arrived at that place in the evening.

Colonel Henry’s command still continued in advance, and on the tenth captured one thousand barrels of turpentine and a quantity of bacon. A reconnoitering party was then advanced to ascertain whether the enemy purposed to defend the south fork of the St. Mary’s river, while the main body followed with due caution. A skirmish ensued at the fork, in which four of the Federals were killed and thirteen wounded, when the enemy retired, losing five of their men. Colonel Henry reached Sanderson, forty miles from Jacksonville, at six P. M. The place had been abandoned by the enemy, and a large amount of stores committed to the flames. On the eleventh the command encamped five miles from Lake City, which was held by the enemy but evacuated during the night. This was unknown to Colonel Henry, and, as he was without infantry, he retraced his steps to Sanderson. The most important property captured was as follows: Two twelve-pounder rifled guns, two six-pounder guns, one three-inch gun, two other guns, five caissons, a large quantity of ammunition, an immense supply of camp and garrison equipage, four railroad cars, one hundred and thirteen bales of cotton, four army wagons, one hundred and five horses and mules, a large stock of saddlery, tanning machinery, three thousand and eighty-three barrels turpentine, and six thousand bushels corn. Three large warehouses were destroyed.

On the eleventh telegraphic communication was established between Jacksonville and Baldwin, and on that day General Gilmore sent instructions to General Seymour not to risk a repulse in advancing upon Lake City, and also in case his advance met with serious opposition to concentrate at Sanderson and the south fork of the St. Mary’s. On the thirteenth General Seymour was further instructed to concentrate at Baldwin without delay. This was done at once. Meantime, Colonel Henry was sent toward the left to capture some railroad trains on the Fernandina and Cedar Keys railroad, which resulted in a skirmish with a battalion of cavalry from East Florida, who were repulsed. A reconnoissance was made at that time by Colonel Scammon along the Georgia State line, and several small works of the enemy were destroyed.

General Gilmore now departed for Hilton Head, after admonishing General Seymour to avoid a general engagement with the enemy until he should receive further instructions, and until the defences at Jacksonville, Baldwin, and the south fork of the St. Mary’s should be further advanced.

On the eighteenth of February, however, General Seymour again took the field, and marched from Jacksonville with a force of five thousand men, with ten days’ rations, and advanced sixteen miles on the line of the railroad the first day. On the second day he moved seventeen miles, and reached Barber’s Station, his men much exhausted by marching over bad roads. The twentieth proved to be a beautiful day, and the army started at an early hour, with the cavalry in advance. The line of march was now across the south fork of the St. Mary’s and towards Sanderson, nine miles distant, which place they reached without halting. The sky was clear, and the savannahs, stretching on either side of the sandy road winding through the pine woods were warm with the sunshine. The infantry now made a short halt, but the cavalry kept its position about two miles in advance. The march was resumed at midday toward Lake City. General Seymour’s force moved in three columns, Colonel Hawley’s brigade on the left, Colonel Barton’s in the centre, and Colonel Scammon’s regiment on the extreme right. The cavalry in advance were led by Colonel Henry with Elder’s battery. In the rear was the colored brigade led by Colonel Montgomery.

BATTLE OF OLUSTEE.
FEBRUARY 20, 1864.

About six miles from Sanderson the enemy’s mounted pickets, thirty or forty in number, were met and driven in after exchanging shots. The main body hurried forward a distance of two miles, when three or four cannon shot of the enemy fell among the head of the column. Skirmishing commenced immediately. The artillery dashed into position on the gallop, the infantry on the double-quick step, and in a brief period of time a severe battle was progressing. Elder’s battery unlimbered at the head of the road, Hamilton’s to the left, and Langdon’s on the extreme left, opening at short range with canister shot. The artillery of the enemy consisted of four or five guns, and was badly served at first, being fired too high to do injury. General Seymour’s line of infantry was well formed for the position. With the exception of a small field of a few acres, it was in the woods, amid a heavy growth of pine timber, and with swampy ground intervening between it and the enemy, of whose position nothing was known. The battle lasted for three hours. Two of the Federal batteries were disabled early in the action. The Seventh New Hampshire broke, but was rallied again. The Eighth United States colored fought well until the loss of their leader, when they fled. The contest closed at dusk, when General Seymour, finding his force repulsed with some loss, and the colored reserve unequal to the emergency, retired from the field, leaving his dead and wounded. The retreat, for a short distance, was conducted in successive lines of battle, but finding the enemy were not disposed to follow, the line was changed, and the force retired in column, Barton’s brigade bringing up the rear, covered by the cavalry and Elder’s battery. A halt was made at Sanderson, where coffee was cooked, and some attention given to the wounded. From Sanderson to Barber’s Station, says a writer, “ten miles, we wended or crawled along, the wounded filling the night air with lamentations, the crippled horses neighing in pain, and a full moon kissing the cold, clammy lips of the dying.” On the next morning the retreat was continued to Baldwin, where the cavalry of the enemy made their appearance. Many of the wounded were here sent on cars drawn by mules to Jacksonville, and General Seymour, knowing that the enemy was following in force, ordered the commissary stores, worth about sixty thousand dollars, to be destroyed, and resumed his march to Jacksonville. His loss in killed, wounded, and missing, in this disastrous and ill-advised expedition, was about twelve hundred.

The following dispatch from the Governor of Florida presents the enemy’s account of the battle:

“TALLAHASSEE, FLA., February 21.

“TO PRESIDENT DAVIS: I have just received the following dispatch from
General Finegan, dated yesterday:

“‘I met the enemy in full force to-day, under General Seymour, and
defeated him with great loss. I captured five pieces of artillery,
hold possession of the battle-field, and the killed and wounded of the
enemy. My cavalry are in pursuit. I don’t know precisely the number of
prisoners, as they are being brought in constantly. My whole loss, I
think, will not exceed two hundred and fifty killed and wounded. Among
them I mourn the loss of many brave officers and men.’

“I understand that General Finegan also captured many small arms.

(Signed) JOHN MILTON, Governor.”

General Seymour was allowed to occupy Jacksonville unmolested, and that place remained in undisputed possession of the Federals for the remainder of the year, while the rebel commander went into winter quarters at Camp Finegan, eight miles distant towards Baldwin.

* * * * *

General Seymour was relieved from command of the Federal forces in the State, and shortly after, Major-General Foster was assigned to command the Department of the South, in place of General Gilmore, who was appointed to the command of the Tenth army corps, in Virginia.

On the 20th of July General Birney was dispatched from Jacksonville with a small force to the mouth of the Trent creek, where he destroyed two bridges, and then advancing to Callohan station on the Fernandina railroad, he destroyed a telegraph office, some cars, and other property. Returning to Jacksonville, a few days thereafter, he embarked on transports to Whitesville, on the north fork of the Black Creek, where a slight skirmish ensued. Baldwin and Camp Milton were afterwards occupied by Federal troops, but no military movements of importance occurred in Florida during the remainder of the year.

BATTLE AT BACHELOR’S CREEK, N. C.
FEBRUARY 1, 1864.

Before daylight on the 1st of February, a Federal outpost at Bachelor’s Creek, eight miles from Newbern, was attacked by a Confederate force under General Picket, consisting of a portion of Hoke’s, Corse’s and Clingman’s brigades. The Federal force was surprised by a superior force, and after a gallant resistance were defeated, with a loss of about one hundred in killed, wounded and missing, and three hundred taken prisoners. The Confederate loss was about forty in killed and wounded. While it was yet dark, the same force of rebels descended the creek in barges, and captured and burned the United States gunboat Underwriter, which was aground between Forts Anderson and Stephen, within a mile and a half of Newbern.

CAPTURE OF PLYMOUTH, N. C.
APRIL 19, 1864.

A serious misfortune befell the Federal arms on the above date in the capture of Plymouth, an important town on the Roanoke river, eight miles from its mouth. This town had been in possession of the Union forces for about two years, by whom it had been almost destroyed at the time of its capture. It had since been strongly fortified, and placed in charge of a brave and competent officer, who added new lustre to his well earned reputation, by a skillful and soldierly defence. The town was on the south bank of the river. A breastwork, with several strong forts along its line, had been constructed, while about a mile up the river, another defence, called Fort Gray, had been built, which was protected on the water front by a triple row of piles, with a number of torpedoes attached.

The rebels had constructed a powerful iron-clad ram, called the Albemarle, in the river above, which had been equipped for some time, and was now only waiting the cooperation of land forces to join in assailing the Federal defences.

Two Union gunboats, the Southfield and Miami, were anchored in the river opposite the town. General Wessels’ garrison consisted of two thousand five hundred men, and was composed of the One Hundred and First, and the One Hundred and Third Pennsylvania infantry, the Eighty-fifth New York, the Sixteenth Connecticut, two companies of Massachusetts heavy artillery, two companies of North Carolina volunteers, and the Twelfth New York cavalry.

About three P. M. on the 17th, the enemy made known his presence by a fierce artillery fire upon Fort Gray, which continued till midnight, and was commenced with increased force at daylight the next morning. Before noon two charges were made on the works, which were repulsed. The gunboats took position on either side of the town, and did effective service in driving back the enemy. But now a formidable opponent was approaching to attack them on their own element. A picket boat stationed up the river gave warning that the ram was coming down, and preparations were made to meet the dreaded enemy. The two boats were lashed together, and thus awaited the onset. When within one hundred yards the gunboats opened fire, but made no impression on the iron-clad. The ram now bore down on the Miami, upon whom she inflicted a slight blow, and gliding off, struck the Southfield on her left side, crushing in her timbers for a space of six or eight feet square. A shell thrown from the Miami now struck the ram on her invulnerable sides, and rebounding to the deck of the gunboat, killed her captain, Flusser, and wounded eight persons. The boats were torn asunder by their concussion with the ram, and as the Southfield was rapidly sinking, her crew escaped in the boats; while the Miami, swinging round with the current, was glad to make her escape from the unequal contest.

The Albemarle now came down to the mouth of the river, and in that position held complete command of the town and its approaches, and effectually shut off all hope of reinforcements or supplies to the beleaguered garrison, who surrendered to Brigadier-General Hoke, commander of the Confederate forces, on the ensuing day. General Peck, the commander of the department, thus eloquently conveyed the intelligence to his companions in-arms.

“HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY AND DISTRICT OF }
NORTH CAROLINA, NEWBERN, N. C., APRIL 21, 1864. }

“With feelings of the deepest sorrow the commanding general announces
the fall of Plymouth, N. C., and the capture of its gallant commander,
Brigadier-General H. W. Wessels, and his command. This result,
however, did not obtain until after the most gallant and determined
resistance had been made. Five times the enemy stormed the lines of
the general, and as many times were they repulsed with great
slaughter; and but for the powerful assistance of the rebel iron-clad
ram, and the floating sharpshooter battery, the Cotton Plant, Plymouth
would still have been in our hands. For their noble defence the
gallant General Wessels and his brave band have, and deserve the
warmest thanks of the whole country, while all will sympathize with
them in their misfortune.

“To the officers and men of the navy the commanding general tenders
his thanks for their hearty cooperation with the army, and the
bravery, determination, and courage that marked their part of the
unequal contest. With sorrow he records the death of the noble sailor
and gallant patriot, Lieutenant-Commander C. W. Flusser, U. S. Navy,
who in the heat of battle fell dead on the deck of his ship, with the
lanyard of his gun in his hand.

“The commanding general believes that these misfortunes will tend, not
to discourage, but to nerve the army of North Carolina to equal deeds
of bravery and gallantry hereafter.”

Sixteen hundred men, and twenty-five pieces of artillery were captured. The rebel loss in the attack nearly equalled the number of prisoners taken.

* * * * *

The town of Washington, on the Tar river, was burned in the month of April, at the time it was evacuated by the Federal forces, by unknown persons. This act of vandalism, uncalled for and inhuman, was condemned in unmeasured terms by General Palmer, the Federal commander. The majority of the inhabitants were loyal in their sentiments, and many had enlisted in the Federal army.

Captain Melancthon Smith, who was shortly afterwards appointed to command the navy in the waters of the Sound, adopted vigorous measures of preparation to meet and subdue the Albemarle, which for the space of one month had held undisputed possession of the inner waters. On the 5th of May, with the Sassacus, the Wyalusing, and four other vessels, he appeared at the mouth of the Roanoke river, when the Albemarle, followed by a small tender, named the Bombshell, came out to attack the Union gunboats. It was the design of Captain Smith that the larger gunboats should get alongside their antagonist, and fire upon her ports or roof, which were her most vulnerable parts; but the eagerness of the smaller vessels to engage rendered a near approach dangerous for some time, despite the signals of the commander; and for half an hour the contest was without result. The gunboats eluded the efforts of the Albemarle to ram them, while their fire in turn was harmless to the enemy. But the Sassacus, watching a favorable opportunity, struck the ram squarely across her starboard beam, which caused her to careen until the water washed over her deck and casemates, while from the close proximity of the vessels, the crew of the Sassacus were enabled to throw hand-grenades down the deck-hatch of the ram, while they also made fruitless efforts to get powder into her smoke-stack. But the Albemarle soon swung clear of her opponent, and in parting sent a hundred-pounder rifle shot through her starboard boiler, enveloping the Federal vessel in clouds of steam, and compelling her to withdraw from the contest. The Bombshell was captured by the Federal vessels, and the engagement closed without further result, and with no serious injury.

DESTRUCTION OF THE ALBEMARLE.

On the night of the 27th of October, Lieutenant W. B. Cushing, a young naval officer who had already evinced great coolness and daring in hazardous enterprises, was selected to take charge of a small launch to which was attached a torpedo, and sent on the dangerous mission of attempting the destruction of the Albemarle. Selecting a crew of thirteen officers and men who volunteered for the service, he passed several miles of the enemy’s pickets unobserved, and arrived within twenty yards of the Albemarle before being hailed by her lookouts. The torpedo boat was then steered under a full head of steam direct for the ram, which lay at her wharf at Plymouth, protected by a raft of logs extending outwards about thirty feet. Upon the alarm being given by the lookouts, a confused fire of musketry was opened by the rebels, which had little effect. “Passing her closely,” says Lieutenant Cushing, “we made a complete circle, so as to strike her fairly, and went into her bows on. By this time the enemy’s fire was very severe, but a dose of canister at short range served to moderate their zeal, and disturb their aim. In a moment we had struck the logs, just abreast of the quarter-port, breasting them in some feet, and our bows resting on them. The torpedo boom was then lowered, and by a vigorous pull I succeeded in driving the torpedo under the overhang, and exploded it at the same time the Albemarle’s gun was fired. A shot seemed to go crashing through my boat, and a dense mass of water rushed in from the torpedo, filling the launch, and completely disabling her. The enemy then continued to fire at fifteen feet range and demanded our surrender, which I twice refused, ordering the men to save themselves, and removing my own coat and shoes. Springing into the river, I swam with others into the middle of the stream, the rebels failing to hit us.” Lieutenant Cushing succeeded in reaching the opposite shore, and during the next day made his way by stealth through the surrounding swamps to a creek some distance below Plymouth, where he found a skiff belonging to a rebel picket, in which he effected his escape to the fleet. Only one other of his party succeeded in escaping, the rest being either captured, killed, or drowned. The Albemarle was completely submerged by the explosion of the torpedo, and so remained long subsequent to the evacuation of Plymouth by the rebels. This daring feat excited the admiration of the rebel no less than of the Federal authorities, and obtained for Lieutenant Cushing the thanks of Congress, and promotion to the next highest grade in the service.

CAPTURE OF PLYMOUTH—The main rebel defence of Plymouth being thus removed, Commander Macomb, the senior naval officer in the Sounds, with the vessels under his command immediately pushed up the river to Plymouth, drove the rebels from their rifle-pits and batteries, and on October 31st retook the town, capturing a few prisoners, besides cannon, small arms, and ammunition.

CAPTURE OF FORT FISHER, AND WILMINGTON, N. C.
DECEMBER 24, 1864-JANUARY 22, 1865.

During the earlier years of the rebellion, an extensive trade was carried on through the port of Wilmington, N. C., and her merchants were growing rich through a traffic with foreign nations, which the most vigilant efforts of the numerous vessels employed on the blockade were insufficient to prevent. The many shoals and inlets which traversed and intersected her coast, the foggy and dark nights, and the experienced eyes of the native pilots, combined to enable the fleet steamers of light draught, which were employed in the trade, to make many successful voyages, with but little risk; while the State government was in receipt of handsome revenues, her perquisites in a commerce of vast profit and extent.

Wilmington was the most important sea-coast port left to the enemy, and besides was a point of great strategic value for army movements, which had been long coveted by the Federal Government. The navy had been making strenuous exertions to seal the harbor of Wilmington, but with only partial effect. The nature of the outlet of Cape Fear river was such that it required watching for so great a distance, that, without possession of the land north of New Inlet, or Fort Fisher, it was impossible for the navy to entirely close the harbor against the entrance of blockade-runners.

The Federal Government had long sought an opportunity to break up this trade, but it was not until September, 1864, that the exigencies of the war permitted the equipment of an expedition adapted to the capture and occupation of Fort Fisher and Wilmington. A large fleet was collected in Hampton Roads, in the earlier part of that month, under the command of Admiral D. D. Porter, but it was late in December before all the vessels and transports connected with the enterprise were prepared to sail for their destination.

General Grant, in his report of this campaign, gives the following details of the preliminary operation:

“To secure the possession of these places required the cooperation of
a land force, which I agreed to furnish. Immediately commenced the
assemblage in Hampton Roads, under Admiral D. D. Porter, of the most
formidable armada ever collected for concentration upon one given
point. This necessarily attracted the attention of the enemy, as well
as that of the loyal North; and through the imprudence of the public
press, and very likely of officers of both branches of service, the
exact object of the expedition became a common subject of discussion
in the newspapers both north and south. The enemy, thus warned,
prepared to meet it. This caused a postponement of the expedition
until the latter part of November, when being again called upon by
Honorable G. V. Fox, Assistant-Secretary of the Navy, I agreed to
furnish the men required at once, and went myself, in company with
Major-General Butler, to Hampton Roads, where we had a conference with
Admiral Porter as to the force required and the time of starting. A
force of six thousand five hundred men was regarded as sufficient. The
time of starting was not definitely arranged, but it was thought all
would be ready by the 6th December, if not before. Learning on the
30th November that Bragg had gone to Georgia, taking with him most of
the forces about Wilmington, I deemed it of the utmost importance that
the expedition should reach its destination before the return of
Bragg, and directed General Butler to make all arrangements for the
departure of Major-General Weitzel, who had been designated to command
the land forces, so that the navy might not be detained one moment.

“On the 6th of December the following instructions were given:

“‘CITY POINT, VA., December 6, 1864.

“‘GENERAL: The first object of the expedition under General Weitzel is
to close to the enemy the port of Wilmington. If successful in this,
the second will be to capture Wilmington itself. There are reasonable
grounds to hope for success, if advantage can be taken of the absence
of the greater part of the enemy’s forces now looking after Sherman in
Georgia. The directions you have given for the numbers and equipment
of the expedition are all right, except in the unimportant matter of
where they embark and the amount of intrenchment tools to be taken.
The object of the expedition will be gained by effecting a landing on
the main land between Cape Fear river and the Atlantic, north of the
north entrance to the river. Should such landing be effected while the
enemy still holds Fort Fisher, and the batteries guarding the entrance
to the river, then the troops should entrench themselves, and, by
cooperating with the navy, effect the reduction and capture of those
places. These in our hands, the navy could enter the harbor, and the
port of Wilmington would be scaled. Should Fort Fisher and the point
of land on which it is built fall into the hands of our troops
immediately on landing, then it will be worth the attempt to capture
Wilmington by a forced march and surprise. If time is consumed in
gaining the first object of the expedition, the second will become a
matter of after consideration.

“‘The details for execution are intrusted to you and the officer
immediately in command of the troops.

“‘Should the troops under General Weitzel fail to effect a landing at
or near Fort Fisher, they will be returned to the armies operating
against Richmond without delay.

“‘U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General.

“‘Major-General B. F. BUTLER.’”

“General Butler commanding the army from which the troops were taken for this enterprise, and the territory within which they were to operate, military courtesy required that all orders and instructions should go through him. They were so sent; but General Weitzel has since officially informed me that he never received the foregoing instructions, nor was he aware of their existence until he read General Butler’s published official report of the Fort Fisher failure, with my endorsement and papers accompanying it. I had no idea of General Butler’s accompanying the expedition until the evening before it got off from Bermuda Hundreds, and then did not dream but that General Weitzel had received all the instructions, and would be in command. I rather formed the idea that General Butler was actuated by a desire to witness the effect of the explosion of the powder-boat. The expedition was detained several days at Hampton Roads, awaiting the loading of the powder-boat.

“The importance of getting the Wilmington expedition off without any delay, with or without the powder-boat, had been urged upon General Butler, and he advised to so notify Admiral Porter.

“The expedition finally got off on the 13th of December, and arrived at the place of rendezvous, off New Inlet, near Fort Fisher, on the evening of the 15th. Admiral Porter arrived on the evening of the 18th, having put in at Beaufort to get ammunition for the monitors. The sea becoming rough, making it difficult to land troops, and the supply of water and coal being about exhausted, the transport fleet put back to Beaufort to replenish; this, with the state of the weather, delayed the return to the place of rendezvous until the 24th.”

On the 25th a landing was effected without opposition, and a reconnoissance, under Brevet Brigadier-General Curtis, pushed up toward the fort.

The army consisted of General Ames’s division of the Twenty-fourth corps, and of General Paine’s colored division of the Twenty-fifth corps, numbering together six thousand five hundred effective men.

The attacking force of Admiral Porter consisted of thirty-seven vessels, five of which were iron-clads, with a reserve of thirteen vessels, while the transports and smaller vessels were seventy in number.

Colonel Comstock, chief military engineer of the expedition, thus describes the defences of the inlet and Fort Fisher:

“The land front consists of a half bastion on the left or Cape Fear river side, connected by a curtain with a bastion on the ocean side. The parapet is twenty-five feet thick, averages twenty feet in height, with traverses rising ten feet above it and running back on their tops, which are from eight to twelve feet in thickness, to a distance of from thirty to forty feet from the interior crest. The traverses on the left half bastion are about twenty-five feet in length on top. The earth for this heavy parapet and the enormous traverses at their inner ends, more than thirty feet in height, was obtained partly from a shallow exterior ditch, but mainly from the interior of the work. Between each pair of traverses there was one or two guns. The traverses on the right of this front were only partially completed. A palisade, which is loopholed and has a banquette, runs in front of this face, at a distance of fifty feet in front of the exterior slope, from the Cape Fear river to the ocean, with a position for a gun between the left of the front and the river, and another between the right of the front and the ocean. Through the middle traverse on the curtain is a bomb-proof postern whose exterior opening is covered by a small redan for two field-pieces, to give flank fire along the curtain. The traverses are generally bomb-proofed for men or magazines. The slopes of the work appear to have been revetted with marsh sod or covered with grass, and have an inclination of forty-five degrees or a little less. * * * There were originally on this front twenty-one guns and three mortars. * * * The sea front consists of a series of batteries, mounting in all twenty-four guns, the different batteries being connected by a strong infantry parapet so as to form a continuous line. The same system of heavy traverses for the protection of the guns is used as on the land front, and these traverses are also generally bomb-proofed.” There was also a rebel battery, commanding the channel, on Zeeke’s island, two miles southeast of Fort Fisher, and several miles north of the latter were the Flag Pond Hill and Half Moon batteries, serving as outworks to it.

* * * * *

The expedition was delayed two days waiting for the equipment of a powder-boat, on which two hundred and fifteen tons of powder were stored, with the hope of destroying the face of Fort Fisher, by its explosion on the edge of the beach opposite the works. The gunboat Louisiana was selected for the purpose, and disguised as a blockade-runner, she approached the fort before daylight on the morning of December 24th, was anchored four hundred yards from the works without observation, and there exploded, producing no sensible effect on the works. The rebels were not aware of the object of this expedition, until informed through the northern papers.

At noon on the same day, the fleet got into position, and bombarded the fort until dark. They renewed fire on the next morning, and continued it without intermission all day. More than twenty thousand shots were thrown from fifty vessels of war, while the rebel response numbered only about twelve hundred shots. Under cover of this tremendous fire, a body of troops was landed, on the afternoon of the 25th, with the intention of storming the fort. The ground in front and rear of the fort was torn up with shells, and some of the guns dismounted; but a careful reconnoissance, under the eyes of General Weitzel, revealed the fact that the fort was uninjured, and that an attempt to storm the place with the force and material then at the disposal of the commander-in-chief, could not be undertaken with any probability of success. This view was sustained by other engineer officers attached to the expedition, and was confirmed by the evidence of the rebel commander of the fort. The troops were accordingly reembarked on the transports, and returned to their former position in the army of the James. The Committee on the Conduct of the War, after a rigid examination of General Butler’s conduct in this affair, acquitted him of all blame in the matter.

Almost from the first inception of the enterprise, there was a want of harmony between General Butler and Admiral Porter, which destroyed all unity of action, and contributed in great measure, to the failure of the expedition. General Butler also incurred the severe displeasure of General Grant, first in accompanying the expedition as its commander, and finally by his conduct in withdrawing the troops, which General Grant regarded as a breach of orders, for which General Butler was immediately relieved from command.

The embarkation was accomplished on the morning of the 27th. General Grant thus details the preliminaries of a subsequent expedition in which Major-General A. H. Terry was appointed to command the land forces:

“Soon after the return of the expedition, I received a dispatch from
the Secretary of the Navy, and a letter from Admiral Porter, informing
me that the fleet was still off Fort Fisher, and expressing the
conviction that, under a proper leader, the place could be taken. The
natural supposition with me was that, when the troops abandoned the
expedition, the navy would do so also. Finding it had not, however, I
answered on the 30th of December, advising Admiral Porter to hold on,
and that I would send a force, and make another attempt to take the
place. This time I selected Brevet Major-General (now Major-General)
A. H. Terry to command the expedition. The troops composing it
consisted of the same that composed the former, with the addition of a
small brigade, numbering about fifteen hundred, and a small siege
train. The latter it was never found necessary to land. I communicated
direct to the commander of the expedition, the following instructions:

“CITY POINT, VA., January 3, 1865.

“GENERAL: The expedition entrusted to your command has been fitted out
to renew the attempt to capture Fort Fisher, N. C., and Wilmington
ultimately, if the fort falls. You will, then, proceed with as little
delay as possible to the naval fleet lying off Cape Fear river, and
report the arrival of yourself and command to Admiral D. D. Porter,
commanding North Atlantic blockading Squadron.

“It is exceedingly desirable that the most complete understanding
should exist between yourself and the naval commander. I suggest,
therefore, that you consult with Admiral Porter freely and get from
him the part to be performed by each branch of the public service, so
that there may be unity of action. It would be well to have the whole
programme laid down in writing. I have served with Admiral Porter, and
know that you can rely on his judgment and his nerve to undertake what
he proposes. I would, therefore, defer to him as much as is consistent
with your own responsibilities. The first object to be attained is to
get a firm position on the spit of land on which Fort Fisher is built,
from which you can operate against that fort. You want to look to the
practicability of receiving your supplies, and to defending yourself
against superior forces sent against you by any of the avenues left
open to the enemy. If such a position can be obtained, the siege of
Fort Fisher will not be abandoned until its reduction is accomplished,
or another plan of campaign is ordered from these headquarters.

“My own views are that, if you effect a landing, the navy ought to run
a portion of their fleet into Cape Fear river, while the balance of it
operates on the outside. Land forces cannot invest Fort Fisher or cut
it off from supplies or reinforcements, while the river is in
possession of the enemy.

“A siege train will be loaded on vessels and sent to Fort Monroe, in
readiness to be sent to you if required. All other supplies can be
drawn from Beaufort as you need them.

“Keep the fleet of vessels with you until your position is assured.
When you find they can be spared, order them back, or such of them as
you can spare, to Fort Monroe, to report for orders.

“In case of failure to effect a lauding, bring your command back to
Beaufort, and report to these headquarters for further instructions.
You will not debark at Beaufort until so directed.

“General Sheridan has been ordered to send a division of troops to
Baltimore, and place them on sea-going vessels. These troops will be
brought to Fort Monroe and kept there on the vessels until you are
heard from. Should you require them they will be sent to you.

“U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General.

“Brevet Major-General A. H. TERRY.”

“Lieutenant-Colonel C. B. Comstock, aide-de-camp (now brevet brigadier general), who accompanied the former expedition, was assigned in orders as chief engineer to this.

“It will be seen that these instructions did not differ materially from those given for the first expedition; and that in neither instance was there an order to assault Fort Fisher. This was a matter left entirely to the discretion of the commanding officer.”

The expedition sailed from Fort Monroe on the morning of the 6th, arriving on the rendezvous, off Beaufort, on the 8th, where, owing to the difficulties of the weather, it lay until the morning of the 12th, when it got under way and reached its destination that evening.

The severity of the storm had scattered the vessels of the fleet, as well as the transports, but on the 12th, the combined force was slowly wending its way up the widely-expanded mouth of Cape Fear river. Admiral Porter, in his flagship, the Malvern, took his station at the head of the gunboat fleet, while the flag of General Terry was waving from the McClellan. The ships in the long line were lost to view beneath the roll of the waves, while the whole surface of the water, far as the eye could reach, was dotted at short intervals by the transports, in regular order, preceded and flanked by the guardian gunboats.

Signal lights were rapidly interchanged between the squadron and the blockade vessels near the shore, while an immense bonfire in the rear of Fort Fisher, gave warning to the inhabitants of Wilmington of the approach of the fleet.

On the morning of the 13th, the frigate Brooklyn, followed by other vessels, skirted the shore, at the distance of a mile, throwing enormous shells into the forest at intervals, and into every spot where it was possible a rebel force or battery might be concealed. After this effectual reconnoissance, preparations were made to land the troops, and at three P. M. it was completed without loss. While this was in progress, the New Ironsides, accompanied by the monitors, took position within point-blank range of Fort Fisher, and opened a terrific fire. The landing was effected upon a strip of hard beach about two hundred feet in width, five miles above Fort Fisher.

Early in the afternoon the rebel fleet came down to Fort Fisher from Wilmington, bringing reinforcements and supplies. At half past four Admiral Porter signaled for the rest of the fleet to come forward and take part in the bombardment. The fire of the ships was so incessant that they soon became enveloped in their own smoke, and beneath the power of the immense missiles hurled into the fort and against its walls, the solid embankment began to crumble, and the garrison to forsake their guns.

The troops had, meantime, slowly advanced towards the works, hoping that a breach might soon be effected, sufficient to warrant an assault. All night long a slow but constant fire was kept up by the monitors, affording the garrison no opportunity of repose. At daylight it was discovered that the flagstaff had been shot away, but at eight o’clock it was replaced by another, showing the determination of the garrison still to resist the tremendous force that was arrayed against them.

The troops had now thrown up two lines of breastworks across the peninsula, extending from the ocean to Cape Fear river, and had advanced their line to within a mile of the fort.

During the morning of Sunday, the 15th, the bombardment still continued, eliciting but feeble and occasional response from the enemy, while the immense shots from the fleet were striking the fort, for some time, at the rate of three or four a minute. By noon the sea face of the fort was so battered that it was thought a successful charge might be made. Under cover of the fire of the fleet, one thousand six hundred sailors, armed with cutlasses, revolvers, and carbines, and four hundred marines, the whole commanded by Fleet Captain K. R. Breese, were landed on the beach, and by digging rifle-pits worked their way up within two hundred yards of the fort. The troops selected for the assault were Ames’s division, comprising the brigades of Curtis, Pennypacker and Bell, while Paine’s division of colored troops and Abbott’s brigade held the intrenchments facing Wilmington, against which Hoke’s troops, estimated at five thousand strong, had begun to demonstrate. At 3.30 P. M. signal was made from the shore to the fleet to change the direction of the fire, in order that the troops might assault; and soon afterwards the sailors rushed with reckless energy toward the parapet of the fort, which at once swarmed with rebel soldiers, who poured in upon them a murderous fire of musketry. The marines, who were to have covered the assaulting party, for some unexplained reason failed to fire upon the rebels on the parapet, all of whom, in the opinion of Admiral Porter, might have been killed. “I saw,” he said, “how recklessly the rebels exposed themselves, and what an advantage they gave our sharpshooters, whose guns were scarcely fired, or fired with no precision. Notwithstanding the hot fire, officers and sailors in the lead rushed on, and some even reached the parapet, a large number having entered the ditch. The advance was swept from the parapet like chaff, and, notwithstanding all the efforts made by the commanders of companies to stay them, the men in the rear, seeing the slaughter in front, and that they were not covered by the marines, commenced to retreat; and, as there is no stopping a sailor, if he fails on such an occasion on the first rush, I saw the whole thing had to be given up.” The attack on this part of the fort, though a failure, diverted a part of the enemy’s attention, and rendered the work laid out for the main storming column of troops much easier.

At the word of command, the division of General Ames, which had been gradually drawn forward under the shelter of hastily formed breastworks, rushed toward the fort, the brigade of Curtis taking the lead. The palisades had been so much injured by the fire of the fleet that a few vigorous strokes from the axemen sufficed to clear gaps for the passage of the troops, and, in the face of a severe enfilading fire, a lodgment was soon effected on the west end of the land front. Pennypacker’s and Bell’s brigades followed in rapid succession, the latter moving between the work and the river. “On this side,” says General Terry, “there was no regular parapet, but there was an abundance of cover afforded to the enemy by cavities, from which sand had been taken for the parapet, the ruins of barracks and storehouses, the large magazine, and by traverses behind which they stubbornly resisted our advance. Hand-to-hand fighting of the most desperate character ensued. The first brigade dashed forward with a run, and reaching the parapet near the western extremity of the north face, gained a foothold within the enclosed space of the fort, by entering within through the gaps of the palisades. They had now not only to maintain the position they had obtained, but to advance, in the face of a determined foe, to the succeeding traverses, over thirty feet in height, and were compelled to capture nine or ten in succession before the rebel forces yielded to the repeated assaults.

Each traverse was in reality an independent fort, enclosing within its dense walls, a room entered by a passage so narrow that two men could easily defend it against a large force. During the assault, General Ames’ men were exposed to a galling fire of artillery and musketry, while Fort Buchanan on the southwest also opened fire on the Federal columns. Abbott’s brigade and a regiment of colored troops, dispatched by General Terry, reinforced General Ames before dark, followed soon after by the general-in-chief and his staff. Generals Curtis and Pennybacker were badly wounded in the assault, and Colonel Bell received mortal injuries.

It was not until after ten o’clock at night that all resistance ceased, and the star-spangled banner floated out in the bright moonlight unchallenged over the crumbled ramparts. When General Terry telegraphed to Admiral Porter the final result, “we stopped fire,” says the Admiral, “and gave them three of the heartiest cheers I ever heard. It was the most terrific struggle I ever saw. The troops have covered themselves with glory; and General Terry is my beau-ideal of a general.” The garrison consisted of two thousand three hundred men, of whom one thousand nine hundred and seventy-one, with one hundred and twelve officers, were captured. The rest were killed and wounded. Their commanders, General Whiting and Colonel Lamb, were both captured, badly wounded.

The loss of the Federal army was one hundred and ten killed, and five hundred and thirty-six wounded. That of the navy was between two and three hundred in killed and wounded, principally in the assaulting, column of sailors, and by the explosion of two fifteen-inch guns on board the monitors. The ships sustained but trifling damage.

The greater part of the guns of the fort were dismounted, or otherwise injured by the fire of the fleet, but the work itself received no damage which was not susceptible of immediate repair, its strength being about the same as before the bombardment. According to Admiral Porter, who had visited the Malakoff during the siege of Sebastopol, Fort Fisher was a much more formidable work than that celebrated stronghold. Its capture caused an almost unprecedented rejoicing throughout the United States. The capture of the fort sealed the fate of the rebel supremacy in Cape Fear river.

On the 16th and 17th the enemy abandoned and blew up Fort Caswell and the works on Smith’s island, which were immediately occupied by the Federal forces.

The advance up the river was a continuous battle. On the night of the 21st, the rebels commenced destroying their materials and stores in Wilmington. Fifteen thousand barrels of resin, and one thousand bales of cotton were destroyed, and extensive cotton sheds, steam-mills and turpentine works were consumed. At daylight on the morning of the 22d, General Terry’s troops entered the city, and the reign of the rebellion in that important city was at an end.

KILPATRICK’S CAVALRY RAID TOWARD RICHMOND.
FEBRUARY 28-MARCH 5, 1864.

A very daring and successful expedition was undertaken by this intrepid leader on the 28th of February, in which much damage was inflicted on the two principal railroads on which General Lee received supplies for his army, and a great deal of public property was destroyed. The command left Stevensburgh, Virginia, on Sunday night, March 28, and crossing Fly’s Ford, on the Rapidan, proceeded thence by rapid marches to Spottsylvania, Beaver Dam Station, on the Virginia Central railroad, to the fortifications of Richmond, crossing the Virginia Central railroad and the Chickahominy river near the Meadows, and the White House railroad, a little east of Tunstall’s Station, thence to New Kent Court-House and Williamsburgh Court-House.

General Kilpatrick was not without hopes of entering Richmond by a surprise movement, and also of liberating many Federal prisoners, who were confined in that city and its environs.

In order to divert the attention of the rebel commanders from the proposed raid, and also to attract the bulk of their cavalry in other directions, fifteen hundred cavalry, led by General Custer, under cover of an advance by the Sixth and Third corps to Madison Court-House, left Culpepper Court-House simultaneously with the departure of Kilpatrick from Stevensburgh. General Custer, after advancing to within a few miles of Charlottesville, found the Confederates in very heavy force, and hopeful of cutting off his command, which had now advanced twenty miles beyond infantry support. In order to avoid the enemy, he led his men through Luray Valley, by one of the gaps of the Blue Ridge, thus avoiding a very formidable force that was waiting to intercept him at the road by which he went out. Several small bodies of the enemy were encountered, and sixty prisoners taken. Ten or twelve of the Federals were wounded in these encounters, but no lives were lost, and General Custer reached the infantry lines at Madison, in safety.

General Kilpatrick’s force consisted of his own division, a portion of Merritt’s and Gregg’s divisions, and a light battery of six guns, in all nearly eight thousand men. The troops reached Spottsylvania late at night, and a detachment headed by Captain Estes, of Kilpatrick’s staff, one of the bravest men in the army, moved rapidly forward to Beaver Dam on the Virginia Central railroad, reaching that place at five p. m on Monday, when the work of destruction commenced. Small parties were sent up and down the railroad to tear up the track, burn the bridges, and destroy the rails by heating and bending them; this was comparatively an easy task, for there were thousands of cords of pine wood piled along the track. A large new brick freight-house, the telegraph office, passenger-depot, engine-house, water-tank, several cars, and a number of outbuildings, were all set on fire. While engaged in this work, a train loaded with troops appeared, and a portion of them disembarked. A charge was made by the cavalry, in which thirty-two of the rebels were captured.

At Frederickshall, a “court martial” was captured, consisting of a colonel, five captains and two lieutenants.

Detachments were now sent out in various directions, in order to destroy the railroad at other points, while the main body moved forward, and on Monday night crossed the South Anna river. The detached parties encountered small bodies of the enemy in all directions, and skirmished with varied success.

Tuesday morning, at half-past ten, found the command passing the outer earthworks on the Brook turnpike, within three and a half miles of Richmond. Several citizen soldiers were here captured, and many of the inhabitants encountered, who were unsuspicious of the character of the Federal cavalry. When within the second line of defences, the skirmishers encountered the first shots from Battery No. 9, near the third line. Skirmishing was here kept up until between four and five o’clock, General Kilpatrick anxiously awaiting some tidings from Colonel Dahlgren’s command; when relinquishing hopes of the success of that officer in his attempt to reach Richmond by way of the James river canal, General Kilpatrick withdrew in the direction of Mechanicsville, burning the trestle-work of the railroad across the Chickahominy on his route.

Colonel Dahlgren, with five hundred men, was detached at Frederickshall, with instructions to move to the right of Richmond, and destroy as much of the James river canal as possible, and attempt the deliverance of the prisoners at Belle Isle.

Colonel Dahlgren had taken a negro to pilot him to Richmond. His detachment had rapidly moved across the country, destroying barns, forage and everything which could possibly be of service to the enemy. He soon discovered that his negro guide had betrayed him, and led him toward Goochland instead of to Richmond, and on Tuesday night he found himself miles in the opposite direction from that which he wished to take. Exasperated by this treachery, the men burned the barns and outbuildings of John A. Seddons, the rebel Secretary-of-War. Retracing his steps, Colonel Dahlgren marched down the river road, destroying the Dover flour mills, and several flouring establishments and saw mills. His force also did considerable injury to the James river canal, burning canal boats and seriously damaging one or two locks. They did not reach the immediate vicinity of Richmond till afternoon, when everybody was on the alert, Kilpatrick having already made his attack.

Colonel Dahlgren’s detachment was divided into several parties for the accomplishment of different objects, keeping together, however. One party attempted to cross the river, but were repulsed. A very sharp fight ensued, and, finding the enemy in superior numbers and confronting them on every road, the force was compelled to fall back.

In attempting to cut their way out, Colonel Dahlgren and Major Cook of the Second New York, with about one hundred and fifty men were separated from the rest, and Colonel Cook was taken prisoner. The other detachments succeeded in rejoining General Kilpatrick.

A Confederate correspondent thus describes the tragic close of Colonel Dahlgren’s expedition: