Part 1 (2/2)
m., the cavalry pickets on the Was.h.i.+ngton road were driven in, and the Corporal, named Geo. Wilc.o.x, came tearing through the company quarters of the 85th New York down to cavalry headquarters, with the nose bag still on his horse, which he had not had time to exchange for his bridle, swinging his hat and shouting: ”The Rebs are coming! the Rebs are coming!”
By the absence of Capt. Roach, of Company A, and the sickness of Capt.
Hock, of Company F, I was in command of the detachment of cavalry, and at once ordered a bugler who happened to be standing near, to sound BOOTS AND SADDLES; sent Lieutenant Russel, who was mounted, having just rode up, to headquarters, to notify General Wessels that our pickets had been driven in and ask for orders for the cavalry. He returned just as I had formed the two companies into line with orders to make a reconnoissance on the Was.h.i.+ngton road, and, without getting into a fight, ascertain, as near as I could, the strength of the enemy in our front.
I ascertained by a careful reconnoissance that Maj. Gen. Hoke was in front with about eight thousand troops. In this reconnoissance I lost one man, ”Amos Fancher,” killed, and one, ”Lieut. Russell,” severely wounded. Hoke formed his line and threw out his skirmishers, but made no further demonstrations that night, a few sh.e.l.ls from Fort Williams having the effect of checking any further movement.
At 11 o'clock that night, Gen. Wessels sent the steamer Ma.s.sasoit, carrying the women and other non-combatants, and the wounded, to Newbern.
Among the women were Mrs. George H. Hastings, Mrs. Dr. Frick, Mrs. Capt.
Hock, Mrs. Bell, Mrs. and Miss Freeman and Mrs. A. Cooper (who had been with me from the 7th of February), and others. Preparations were made for a stout resistance by Gen. Wessels, who was a gallant officer. He established a strong skirmish line nearly two miles in length along our entire front and had everything in readiness to repel any attack that might be made; but the night pa.s.sed without any further demonstration.
Early on the morning of the 18th there was slight skirmis.h.i.+ng commenced along our entire front, and a bombardment was commenced upon Fort Gray, which was our extreme right and about one and one-half miles up the river.
In this bombardment the gunboat Bombsh.e.l.l, which had been sent to the a.s.sistance of the fort, was so crippled that she sank immediately upon reaching the wharf.
The attack on Fort Gray was repulsed, and our skirmish line in front maintained its position all day. At 5:30 p. m. I received orders to take the two companies of cavalry, dismounted, up to the breastworks near Fort Williams.
Fortunately I was mounted at the time, and rode up to the front, where, sitting on my horse, I had a splendid view of the battle that ensued.
We had just arrived at the breastworks when the skirmis.h.i.+ng became brisk, our boys pus.h.i.+ng the enemy's skirmishers back some distance, when suddenly, as if by magic, a line of battle over a mile in length seemed to spring up out of the ground and charged our skirmish line, driving them back towards the works. As they fell back, firing as they retired, Fort Williams opened with her entire armament, which, in a moment, was joined in by Comphor and Coneby redoubts, Fort Wessels, Cady's Independent Battery and the entire fleet of gunboats in the river.
Hoke opened on the town with forty-two pieces of artillery; Wessels replied with just about the same number of pieces, but of heavier calibre.
From 6 until 8.30 p. m. was kept up a most terrific cannonade, which presented a spectacle awfully grand and magnificent. The gunboats, which were supplied with an armament of very heavy guns, sending immense sh.e.l.l shrieking and bursting over our heads as they were hurled into the lines of the enemy, the forts on our right and left keeping up an incessant roar, a stream of fire belching from the hot throats of Hoke's forty-two pieces in our front, the comet-like trail of fire from his sh.e.l.ls as they hurried on their mission of death towards us, the rattle of grape and cannister as they were hurled against the wooden buildings in our rear, or the woodwork of the forts and earthworks along the line, the loud bray of an immense number of mules, with which Hoke's artillery was supplied, the groans and shrieks of the wounded, combined to give me such a picture of ”grim visaged war” as I had never before beheld.
Several a.s.saults were made on our works, which were repulsed with heavy loss to the enemy. The heaviest fighting occurred on our right centre, where were stationed the 85th New York; but to quote from the gallant Phil. Kearny--”There was illegant fighting all along the line.” A fearful a.s.sault was made on Fort Wessels, which was isolated from the line of works, and was a quarter of a mile distant on our right. This small fort or redoubt was defended by Lieut. H. Lee Clark, with part of a company of the 2d Ma.s.sachusetts Heavy Artillery. It was protected by a deep ditch, twelve feet wide, with an abattis of pine limbs outside, with a draw bridge, which, when raised, formed a door to the entrance. It mounted four or five guns and was well supplied with hand grenades from one-half to two pounds. A number of determined a.s.saults were made upon this work, and in one about sixty of the enemy got inside the abattis and surrounded the ditches; but Lieut. Clark used the hand grenades so effectually, the boys tossing them over with such precision, and at the same time keeping up such a succession of explosions at the sallyport, that they all surrendered, laid down their arms and were taken inside. Thus Lieut. Clark had twice the number of prisoners he had men under his command.
The small garrison of this fort were finally overcome by vastly superior numbers, but not until the enemy had lost in killed over triple the number of its brave defenders. The capture of this small redoubt was all they had gained in two day's persistent fighting, and then only after a fearful loss in killed and wounded. At 8.30 in the evening Hoke withdrew, having been defeated at every point with the exception of the capture of this small redoubt. Our loss was insignificant, as we were behind good works.
During the engagement I was struck on the leg by a bullet out of a spherical case shot, but as my pants and drawers were inside of a heavy cavalry boot leg, and owing to the fact that the force of the ball was nearly spent, it only made a black and blue spot on the side of my leg.
We lay at the breastworks all night, but no further demonstrations were made in our front that night. Before daylight the next morning, however, we were aroused by a shot from the two hundred pound Parrot gun in Battery Worth, and soon the gunboats opened their batteries and a terrific canonading on the river apprised us of the fact that the long expected ram Albemarle had come down and encountered our fleet. Within twenty minutes all was again still, and we anxiously awaited the dawn to learn what had been the result. When the dawn finally came we were both mortified and surprised to find that there was no fleet in sight and that the powerful iron-clad ram Albemarle had full possession of the river, cutting off both our retreat and re-inforcements.
CHAPTER III.
A DESCRIPTION OF THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE ALBEMARLE AND OUR GUN BOATS--DEATH OF CAPTAIN FLUSSER--CAPTAIN FRENCH CUTS LOOSE FROM THE SINKING SOUTHFIELD AND RUNS AWAY.
With the reader's permission I will stop here to narrate the struggle between our gun boats and this ram, as it was detailed to me while a prisoner, by one of the crew of the Southfield, which, if correct, shows how the death of one brave officer and the cowardice and incompetency of another, served to make prisoners of two thousand brave men, and by the fall of Plymouth supply the Confederacy with an immense amount of artillery, ammunition and supplies of all kinds, of which they stood greatly in need.
Lieut. Commander Flusser, as I have said, was one of the most gallant and efficient Commanders in the U. S. naval service, and was fully resolved to either sink that ram or sink every gunboat under his command. As I have before stated, the Miama was a large double-ender, and she was also a very high boat, being a double-decker as well. This was Flusser's flags.h.i.+p, and she and the Southfield, which as I said, was an old New York ferry boat, with wales reaching ten or twelve feet over the water, were fastened together fore and aft with heavy cables, and lay out in the channel with steam up and lights out, intending to let the ram drop in between them and then push her ash.o.r.e, or sink her. It was three a. m., when the ram pa.s.sed battery Worth, where a two hundred pound Parrot gun, all shotted and waiting her appearance, was located. But when the ram pa.s.sed battery Worth, she was so low in the water and came down so still, and the night was so very dark, that the lookout at battery Worth failed to see her until she had pa.s.sed the work, although the gunboat Whitehead, Capt.
Barret, dropped down just ahead of her, having been stationed up the river on picket, and notified Lieutenant Hoppins, who was in command of battery Worth, of the approach of the ram. Only one shot was fired at her, and this after she had pa.s.sed the redoubt, but as she had got by, the aim of the gun was inaccurate, so she pa.s.sed on uninjured.
She ran between the Miama and Southfield, striking the latter with her horn on the forward quarter, just at the water line. The bow of the ram had pa.s.sed under the forward cable and her horn was, of course, under the wide spreading wales of the Southfield. This boat was now rapidly sinking, while both she and the Miama were all the time sending solid shot in quick succession against her iron-clad deck and sides. The ram was trying to disengage her horn from the fast settling Southfield, which was drawing her down with her as she settled, making it every minute more difficult for her to extricate herself. The water was pouring into the forward ports of the iron monster, when unfortunately Capt. Flusser was struck in the breast by a piece of a sh.e.l.l, that had by some mistake been placed in one of his guns, and exploded as it struck the ram at short range, killing him instantly.
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