760 NortH CaRo.ina TRouops, 1861-65.

Regiment, embarked on the steamer Pettaway, and arrived
at Confederate Point about dark, where we landed by wading
waist deep in water to reach the beach, under fire from the
fleet, and took our position at the guns and palisades on the
land face of the fort, where firing was kept up at short inter-
vals, until daylight, when the whole fleet drew up in line and
opened fire on the fort which returned the fire. This was kept
up all day; at night we formed a picket line on the beach,
where we kept up a fire with the enemy until about 4 o’clock
a.m. A most furious enfilading fire of shot and shell from the
fleet caused us to fall back inside the fort. The bombardment
continued to increase, and about 8 o’clock Sunday morning,
the 15th, the whole fleet opened a more terrific fire upon the
fort. From about 11 a. m. until 3 p. m. the booming of
cannon and bursting of,shells was like the roar of heavy peals
of thunder. All the guns on the land face of the fort
were disabled, but two, and the palisades were demolished,
which left our garrison, of about 1,500 men, almost helpless
when the assault was made upon the fort. This occurred
about 3 o’clock Sunday evening on the right and left both, at
the same time. We were on the right where the marines and
sailors, 2,000 strong, charged, who were repulsed with
heavy loss, after which we were ordered to the left to drive
back the enemy, who had made lodgment on the fort. We
rushed in that direction, led by General Whiting, who com-
manded the troops in person, and drove the enemy from the
traverse and parapet in front and recaptured one gun cham-
ber with great loss, and on the parapet and traverse of the
next gun chamber, the contestants were firing into each oth-
er’s faces, and in some éases clubbing their guns, being too
near to load and fire. It was in this charge that General
Whiting was wounded. The fight continued after the en-
emy entered the fort until about 10 o’clock p. m., when the
last traverse was taken and firing ceased. Thus ended the
greatest bombardment ever known in modern warfare. It
was the largest hand-to-hand fight during our civil war, and
the struggle inside the fort was unsurpassed in stubbornness.
Our casualties were not known as the roll was never again
called. Captain Buchan, of Company G, was seriously

FortTietH REGIMENT. 761

wounded and captured at Battery Buchanan at the point of
beach, and was carried to Point Lookout, thence to John-
son’s Island, Ohio, where he remained a prisoner until the
close of the war. Major-General W. H. C. Whiting was
mortally wounded, fell into the hands of the enemy and
died soon afterwards in prison on Governor’s Island, N. Y.
Colonel Lamb, of the Thirty-sixth Regiment, was also
wounded and captured. The enemy’s killed and wounded
lay thick upon the battlefield, especially in the front
of the Fortieth Regiment, which was in the hardest of the
fight. Surely the valor displayed by North Carolinians in
that effort to hold the last gateway of the South against such
overwhelming numbers, both on land and sea, is glory enough
to perpetuate their names in the annals of this State for all
time. After the battle was over, seeing so many of our com-
rades alive and able for duty, was a cause of deep gratitude
to Almighty God. The next morning (the 16th) the maga-
zine in the fort exploded and killed about two hundred of
the enemy, which was a scene of inexpressible horror. That
evening we were put on board the steamships De Mollay and
General Lyon, and carried to Northern prisons, the sick and
wounded to Point Lookout, and those able for duty to New
York City, thence transported by railroad to Elmira, N. Y.,
where they remained until after the war, when they were
paroled and sent home. The officers were carried to Gov-
ernor’s Island, N. Y., and released on parole there. During
our stay in prison many of our men died from starvation and
exposure.

On 16 January, 1865, Companies B, C, H, and I, of the
Fortieth Regiment, evacuated Fort Holmes and Fort Hed-
rick, on Bald Head, and Company F evacuated Fort Camp-
bell, on Oak Island beach, above Fort Caswell, and were
transported by steamer to Smithville, which was reached
about daylight, remained in the town that day and went out
about two miles from town at night. The next day (the 17th)
they joined Company A, of the regiment, at Fort Anderson,
about ten miles above Smithville, on the Cape Fear river.
The garrison was then composed of six companies of the For-
tieth Regiment and the command from Fort Caswell, number-