eae “hanicntasenmsnasncatetocns a

 

he

178 Norra Carotina Troops, 1861-65.

were sent off to Roanoke Island Sunday night. During the
night and next morning Hoke’s Brigade is moved entirely to
the left of the Washington road and all his skirmishers in
front of Ransom’s Brigade are relieved by the Twenty-fifth
and companies from the other regiments. <A detail of 250 men
has been engaged during the night, under Colonel Faison, in
building works near the Washington road from which our ar-
tillery can play upon Fort Sanderson (or Wessels). These
are so far finished next morning that one company at a time
is left to complete the work, and three guns were placed in
position.

The enemy can now see what has been done, and open upon
them. The fire is returned, but slowly at first, Company H,
of the Fifty-sixth Regiment, still continuing the work for
other guns, and some of them being wounded by a shell.

After a while our pieces began in earnest and nearly
silenced Fort Sanderson, though receiving a hot fire from
Fort Williams. The day is passed in shelling by our artil-
lery at different points, our cavalry being around on the Co-
lumbia road to watch any movements in that direction.

In the afternoon Dearing and Reid, with field artillery
had opened a brisk fire on Fort Warren on the river above the
town at 1,500 yards, with marked effect, soon cutting down
the garrison flag staff.

The gun boats steamed up to the assistance of the fort, but
one was so seriously disabled that she sank on her return
down the river. Late in the afternoon we learn that General
Hoke, with his brigade, will assault Fort Sanderson, while
Ransom’s Brigade with fourteen pieces of artillery under
Lieutenant-Colonel Branch, will make a demonstration on
the enemy’s left center (that part of the works on the long
side of the parallelogram, on the enemy’s left east of Fort
Williams.) About 5 p. m., Ransom’s Brigade moves to the
right through some woods, and at the open space in front
skirmishers are thrown forward from the different regiments
to relieve the Twenty-fifth, which now assembles to the left,
and connects with Hoke’s right, distant about three-fourths of

a mile from Ransom’s left. See
Four companies of the Fifty-sixth on its right, B, I, E and

THE CapTuRE oF PLyMmourH. 179

A (Captains Roberts, Harrill, Lockhart and Hughes), go
forward as skirmishers, and the brigade (Ransom’s) now
moves by the right flank and at the edge of the woods forms
line of battle in the following order: the Twenty-fourth on
the right, next the Eighth, Fifty-sixth and Thirty-fifth.

The line is now in full view of the enemy, as for a mile
out from the fortifications everything had been cleared up,
and targets planted to indicate distance, upon which frequent
practice had been made.

The skirmishers, under Captain Jno. C. Pegram and Lieu-
tenant Applewhite, of the brigade staff, rush forward, those
of the enemy giving way after a slight resistance. Our ar-
tillery, consisting of Pegram’s, Bradford’s, Miller’s and other
batteries, gallop to the front and quickly unlimber. It is
now that we learn that our demonstration is to march behind
these batteries, and receive the fire of the enemy from more
than twenty pieces of artillery, besides two gun boats, throw-
ing every grade of shell from the 200-pound gun to the 12-
pound Napoleon.

Steadily our line advances, lying down at every halt, the
iron bolts falling thickly in front and rear, and sometimes
in the line itself. Our skirmishers have run those of the
enemy over their breastworks, and are now lving down to
avoid as far as possible the heavy shower of grape with which
they are greeted. ‘The demonstration is kept up from 6 until
nearly 10 p. m., our guns having fired rapidly and the cais-
sons several times bringing up new supplies of ammunition, ©
and our line has advanced three-fourths of a mile and within
800 yards of Fort Williams, the infantry being ordered to
reserve their fire.

A correspondent of the Richmond Examiner signed “R.”
on 24 April, 1864, says: “The action commenced about
sunset, the night being perfectly clear with a fuli moon, every
object was visible. The sight was magnificent—the scream-
ing, hissing shells meeting and passing each other through
the sulphurous air, appeared like blazing comets with their
burning fuses, and would burst with frightful noise, scatter-
ing their fragments as thick as hail.” To show how deadly
were some of these missiles, I quote from the sketch of the