618 NortH CaroLina Troops, 1861-’65.

feet wide, with a stockade in the center of pine poles ten and
twelve inches in diameter, joined together by iron cables, and
the entrance protected by a massive iron door.

General Ransom now signalled for the Albemarle to come
up, which was below the town, having attacked and destroyed
or driven off all the gunboats in the river, killing Lieutenant
Commander Flusser of the gunboat Miami, and sinking the
gunboat Southfield.

The Albemarle steamed up to the foot of the main street
leading from the river to the entrance of the fort and opened
fire.

The first shot falling short, killed and wounded several
of the Thirty-fifth regiment, which lay across the street a
short distance from the fort, awaiting the order to assault.
This regiment was withdrawn nearer the river an@ the Albe-
marle again opened on Fort Williams.

After exploding three or four shells inside the work, Gen-
eral Ransom sent Colonel Dearing, acting on his staff, to de-
mand its unconditional surrender.

General Wessels desired to see the officer in command. Gen-
eral Hoke was sent for, and after a brief interview between
them, General Wessels, satisfied that further resistance was
in vain, hoisted the white flag. General Wessels says his loss
in killed, wounded and missing was 2,834.

General Wessels in his official report of the battle, enumer-
ating his forces, says: ‘There were also present portions of
two companies Second North Carolina volunteers, native
troops, under Captains Johnson and Haggard. * * *
During its siege and in the night a considerable number of
North Carolina soldiers (many of them deserters from the
enemy, and all of them fearing bad treatment in the event
of capture), left their companies without authority, escaping
in canoes, being picked up, as I have understood, by our
boats in the sound.”

This was one of the most brilliant minor victories of the
war. Brigadier-General Hoke was telegraphed by President
Davis his promotion to be Major-General. The Legislature

of North Carolina, by formal resolution, thanked Generals
Hoke and Ransom and Commander J. W. Cooke, of the

Tutrty-FirtH REGIMENT. 619

“Albemarle,” and the officers and men of their commands
for this great feat of arms, and the Confederate Congress
passed similar resolutions.

General Hoke moving at once on Washington, N. C., the
Federal commander, General Palmer, hastily evacuated the
place, setting fire to the town. :

General Hoke then pushed on to New Bern; at once in-
vested the city, captured its outer works and was preparing
for assault with every prospect of success when, under per-
emptory orders from President Davis and Generals Lee and
Beauregard to return to Virginia, he withdrew his command,
and, making one of the most rapid marches on record, reached
Petersburg on 10 May, 1864.

BATTLE OF DREWRY'S BLUFF.

On 13 May, 1864, while occupying the outer line of works
defending Drewry’s Bluff, Ransom’s Brigade was attacked
by Butler’s advance with overwhelming force.

After gallantly repulsing these attacks, though flanked on
the right and in the rear, the brigade held its own and during
the night withdrew to the main line of defenses. In this
fight Captain Cicero Durham, commanding a battalion of
sharpshooters and known as the “fighting quartermaster of
the Forty-ninth,” was killed, and Lieutenant Waverly John-
ston, of General Ransom’s staff, painfully wounded. On
the next day while rallying his line of sharpshooters, General
Ransom was badly wounded in the left arm.

The Surgeons at first advised that the limb be amputated,
as the ball had shattered both the bones of the forearm. Gen-
eral Ransom submitted himself to the Surgeons with the in-
junction to save his arm even at the risk of his life. Sur-
geon O’Hagan contended that the arm could be saved. Cut-
ting off the injured ends of the bones he left to nature to
unite the separated ends; and in due time the Surgeon’s prog-
nosis was verified, and though shorter than before, the arm
became serviceable and the use of the hand retained.

Colonel Ransom never displayed his good j udgment of men
in a greater degree than when he selected this gentleman as