nt eta tn ll eet a NN ln ea Ri ELAS AED DLR A LEA ALLEL LLL LL ALLELE ALE ASAE NAP AEN Nia et Ee IE At aA MB aan ai las Ne eis tit ete catalan celal aaa - ahaa enema ies eee eee fod = Se ee : omens apeyccer ~ ~— -. Aa ll 8 eat 5 Sata ce i aa i INS a tit ts EE in nln DS iit Sin TEE SE cena cent ctat etic trap ahh er ana nerceaiaeanitateinati tsa cata LL Le ethane ~ ern en a ee ne RR NTN A BRR ee id ? oe egg e a ee es 384 Chronicles of the Cape Fear River sault of unprecedented fury, both by sea and land, lasting from Friday morning until Sunday night, says: “On Thursday night the enemy’s fleet was reported off the fort. On Friday morning the fleet opened very heavily. On Friday and Saturday, during the furious bombardment of the fort, the enemy was allowed to land without molestation and to throw up a light line of field-works from Battery Ramseur to the river, thus securing his position from molestation and mak- ing the fate of Fort Fisher, under the circumstances, but a question of time. “On Sunday, the fire on the fort reached a pitch of fury to which no language can do justice. It was concentrated on the land face and front. In a short time nearly every gun was dis- mounted or disabled, and the garrison suffered severely by the fire. At three o’clock the enemy’s land force, which had been gradually and slowly advancing, formed in two columns for assault. The garrison, during the fierce bombardment, was not able to stand to the parapets, and many of the reinforcements were obliged to be kept a great distance from the fort. As the enemy slackened his fire to allow the assault to take place, the men hastily manned the ramparts and gallantly repulsed the right column of assault. A portion of the troops on the left had also repulsed the first rush to the left of the work. The greater portion of the garrison being, however, engaged on the right, and not being able to man the entire works, the enemy succeeded in making a lodgment on the left flank, planting two of his regi- mental flags in the traverses. From this point we could not dis- lodge him, our own traverses protecting him from the fire of our most distant guns. From this time it was a succession of fight- ing from traverse to traverse, and from line to line until nine o’clock at night, when we were overpowered and all resistance ceased. “The fall both of the general and the colonel commanding the fort—one about four and the other about four-thirty o’clock p. m.—had a perceptible effect upon the men, and no doubt hastened greatly the result; but we were overpowered, and no skill or gallantry could have saved the place after the enemy effected a lodgment, except attack in the rear. The enemy’s loss was very heavy, and so, also, was our own. Of the latter, as a prisoner, I have not been able to ascertain. “At nine o’clock, p. m., the gallant Major Reilly, who had aU AN NIRS SSSA WARE AEE EROS Se NL Rigs eae = bere NRT Sar The War Between the States 385 fought the fort after the fall of his superiors, reported the enemy in possession of the sally-port. The brave Captain Van Benthuysen, of the marines, though himself badly wounded, with a squad of his men picked up the general and the colonel and endeavored to make his way to Battery Buchanan, followed by Reilly, with the remnant of the forces. On reaching there, it was found to be evacuated, by whose order and by what author- ity I know not. No boats were there. The garrison of Fort Fisher had been coolly abandoned to its fate. Thus fell Fort Fisher after three days’ battle unparalleled in the annals of the war. Nothing was left but to await the approach of the enemy, who took us about 10 p.m. The fleet surpassed its tremendous efforts in the previous attack. The fort had fallen in precisely the manner indicated so often by myself, and to which your attention has been so frequently called, and in the presence of the ample force provided by you to meet the contingency.” Colonel Lamb, in his report, says he had half a mile of land face to defend with 1,900 men. He knew every company pres- ent and its strength. ‘This included the killed, wounded, and sick. 3 To capture Fort Fisher, the enemy lost, by their own state- ment, 1,445 killed, wounded, and missing. Nineteen hundred Confederates with 44 guns contended against 10,000 men on shore and 600 heavy guns afloat, killing and wounding almost as many of the enemy as there were soldiers in the fort, and not surrendering until the last shot was expended. The garrison consisted of two companies of the Tenth North Carolina under Major Reilly; the Thirty-sixth North Carolina, Col. William Lamb, ten companies; four companies of the For- tieth North Carolina; Company D, First North Carolina Artil- lery Battalion; Company C, Third North Carolina Artillery Battalion; Company D, Thirteenth North Carolina Artillery | Battalion, and the naval detachment under Captain Van Ben- thuysen. 3 General Whiting had been assigned to no duty by General Bragg, although it was his right to command the supporting troops. He determined to go to the fort and share its fate. The commander, Colonel Lamb, offered to relinquish the control, but General Whiting declined to take away the glory of the defense from him. He remained with him, however, and fought as a volunteer. It is related that during the fight, when one hundred 25 rh epee rs eer te ee ae a ee eee A ee EE A ee ee me ame