USA > New Hampshire > The Third New Hampshire and all about it, pt 2 > Part 11
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THE SECOND ATTACK.
The account of the first attack, with its results, such as they were, has been given, and the troops have returned to Virginia; and the reader must be gently led, by ways that he knows not, to the second and, happily, the successful assault which gave ns the fort, the river, Wilmington, and cut off the only substantial means of sup- ply of the Confederacy. Admiral Porter, after the capture, very feelingly wrote the Department that all he'd got to do now was to lay there, off the Inlet, and see the Confederates starve.
Secretary Welles of the Navy Department telegraphed Gen. Grant on 29 Dec., urging him to furnish a sufficient force to insure the fall of Fort Fisher, and says that the telegram " is sent at the sugges- tion of the President." Says finally, "if the requisite force cannot be furnished, the fleet will have to disperse and cannot be again assembled."
On the 20th, Admiral Porter wrote the Navy Department that he had sent most of his fleet, for deceptive purposes. to Beaufort, one or two at a time, to look as if going away for repairs. Says, further, could he depend on the sailors, he would ask no army force. Says a large part of the crews are green, and that sailors cannot stand the concentrated fire of regular troops. He refers to his origi- nal proposition for 12,000 men. In concluding, he begs that the fleet be not broken up, but permitted to remain till found impossible to take the fort.
Saturday, 31 Dec., Secretary Welles informed Admiral Porter that a competent force, properly commanded, was to be sent im- mediately by Grant, and would probably be ready to leave Hampton Roads the following Monday or Tuesday.
THE SUCCESSFUL ASSAULT.
The universal regard for Gen. Terry, shared in by the writer, induees him to insert Gen. Terry's report as a leader - for he was a leader in every sense of the word : -
General : I have the honor to submit the following detailed report of the operations which resulted in the capture of Fort Fisher and the recapture of Fort Caswell and the other works at the month of Cape Fear River.
On the 2d inst. I received from the Lieutenant-General, in person, orders to take command of the troops destined for the movement. They were: 3,300 picked men from the Second Division of the Twenty-fourth Army
40
594
THIRD NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
[Jan. '65.
Corps, under Brig .- Gen. (now Brevet Maj .- Gen. ) Adelbert Ames; the same number from the Third Division of the Twenty-fifth Army Corps, under command of Brig .- Gen. Chas. J. Paine; 1,400 men from the Second Brigade of the First Division of the Twenty-fourth Army Corps, under Col. (now Brevet Brig .- Gen.) J. C. Abbott, Seventh New Hampshire Volunteers; the Sixteenth New York Independent Battery with 4 3-inch guns; and Light Battery E, Third United States Artillery, with 6 light 12-pounder guns. I was instructed to move them from their positions in the lines on the north side of the James River to Bermuda Landing, in time to commence their embarkation on transport vessels at sunrise on the 4th inst. In obedience to these orders. the movement commenced at noon of the 3d inst. The troops arrived at the landing at sunset, and there bivonacked for the night. The transports did not arrive as soon as they were expected. The first of these made its appearance late in the afternoon of the 4th. One of thein, the Atlantic, was of too heavy draught to come up the James. Curtis' brigade, of Ames' division, was therefore placed on river steamboats and sent down the river to be transferred to her. The embarkation of the re- mainder of the foree commenced at sunset of the 4th, and was completed at noon of the 5th inst. Each vessel, as soon as it was loaded, was sent to Fort Monroe, and at 9 p.M. of the 5th the whole fleet was collected in Hampton Roads. The troops were all in heavy marching order, with four days' rations (from the morning of the 4th inst. ) in their haversacks and 40 rounds of ammunition in their boxes. No horses, wagons or ambulances were taken and the cassions of the artillery were left behind ; but in addition to the ammunition in the limber chests, 150 rounds per gun in packing boxes were embarked.
I went down the river personally with the Lieutenant-General, and on the way received from him additional instructions and the information that orders had been given for the embarkation of a siege train, to consist of 24 34-pounder Parrotts and 20 Cochorn mortars, with a detail of artillerists and company of engineers, so that in case siege operations should become neces- sary, the men and materials for it might be at hand. These troops, under command of Brig .- Gen. H. L. Abbott, were to follow me to Beaufort, N. C .. and await orders. It was not until this time that I was informed that Fort Fisher was the point against which we were to operate. During the even- ing of the 5th, orders were given for the transports to proceed to sea at + o'clock next morning; and accompanying these orders were sealed letters to be opened when off Cape Henry, directing them to rendezvous, in case of separation from the flag-ship, at a point 25 miles off Beaufort, N. C. The vessels sailed at the appointed hour. During the 6th inst. a severe storm arose, which so much impeded our progress that it was not until the moru- ing of the 8th inst. that my own vessel arrived at the rendezvous. All the others, excepting the flag-ship of Gen. Paine, were still behind. Leaving Brig .- Gen. Paine to assemble the other vessels as they should arrive, I went to Beanfort harbor to communicate with Rear Admiral Porter, commanding the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, with whose fleet the forces under my command were destined to co-operate.
During the sth inst., nearly all the vessels arrived at the rendezvous : some of them required repairs to their hulls, damaged by the gale; some repairs to their machinery; others needed coal or water. These vessels were brought into the harbor or to the outer anchorage. where their wants were supplied. All the others remained, until the final sailing of the ex- pedition, some 20 or 25 miles off the land.
The weather continued so unfavorable as to afford no prospect that we would be able to make a landing on the open beach of Federal Point un- til Wednesday, the 11th inst. On that day Admiral Porter proposed to start; but at high water there was still so much surf on the bar that the iron-clads and other vessels of heavy draught could not be gotten over it. Our departure was therefore delayed till the next day. On the morning tide of the 12th, the vessels in the harbor passed out, and the whole fleet of naval vessels and transports got under way for this place. As we were leaving, the vessels of Gen. Abbott's command came in sight, and orders
594
THIRD NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
[Jan. '65.
Corps, under Brig .- Gen. (now Brevet Maj .- Gen.) Adelbert Ames; the same number from the Third Division of the Twenty-fifth Army Corps, under command of Brig .- Gen. Chas. J. Paine; 1,400 men from the Second Brigade of the First Division of the Twenty-fourth Army Corps, under Col. (now Brevet Brig .- Gen.) J. C. Abbott, Seventh New Hampshire Volunteers; the Sixteenth New York Independent Battery with 4 3-inch guns; and Light Battery E, Third United States Artillery, with 6 light 12-pounder guns. I was instructed to move them from their positions in the lines on the north side of the James River to Bermuda Landing, in time to commence their embarkation on transport vessels at sunrise on the 4th inst. In obedience to these orders, the movement commenced at noon of the 3d inst. The troops arrived at the landing at sunset, and there bivouacked for the night. The transports did not arrive as soon as they were expected. The first of these made its appearance late in the afternoon of the 4th. One of them, the Atlantic, was of too heavy draught to come up the James. Curtis' brigade, of Ames' division, was therefore placed on river steamboats and sent down the river to be transferred to her. The embarkation of the re- mainder of the force commenced at sunset of the 4th, and was completed at noon of the 5th inst. Each vessel, as soon as it was loaded, was sent to Fort Monroe, and at 9 P.M. of the 5th the whole fleet was collected in Hampton Roads. The troops were all in heavy marching order, with four days' rations (from the morning of the 4th inst. ) in their haversacks and 40 rounds of ammunition in their boxes. No horses, wagons or ambulances were taken and the cassions of the artillery were left behind ; but in addition to the ammunition in the limber chests, 150 rounds per gun in packing boxes were embarked.
I went down the river personally with the Lieutenant-General, and on the way received from him additional instructions and the information that orders had been given for the embarkation of a siege train, to consist of 24 34-pounder Parrotts and 20 Coehorn mortars, with a detail of artillerists and company of engineers, so that in case siege operations should become neces- sary, the men and materials for it might be at hand. These troops, under command of Brig .- Gen. H. L. Abbott, were to follow me to Beaufort, N. C., and await orders. It was not until this time that I was informed that Fort Fisher was the point against which we were to operate. During the even- ing of the 5th, orders were given for the transports to proceed to sea at 4 o'clock next morning; and accompanying these orders were sealed letters to be opened when off Cape Henry, directing them to rendezvous, in case of separation from the flag-ship, at a point 25 miles off Beaufort, N. C. The vessels sailed at the appointed hour. During the 6th inst. a severe storm arose, which so much impeded our progress that it was not until the morn- ing of the 8th inst. that my own vessel arrived at the rendezvous. All the others, excepting the flag-ship of Gen. Paine, were still behind. Leaving Brig .- Gen. Paine to assemble the other vessels as they should arrive, I went to Beaufort harbor to communicate with Rear Admiral Porter, commanding the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, with whose fleet the forces under my command were destined to co-operate.
During the &th inst., nearly all the vessels arrived at the rendezvous : some of them required repairs to their hulls, damaged by the gale; some repairs to their machinery ; others needed coal or water. These vessels were brought into the harbor or to the outer anchorage, where their wants were supplied. All the others remained, until the final sailing of the ex- pedition, some 20 or 25 miles off the land.
The weather continued so unfavorable as to afford no prospect that we would be able to make a landing on the open beach of Federal Point un- til Wednesday, the IIth inst. On that day Admiral Porter proposed to start; but at high water there was still so much surf on the bar that the iron-elads and other vessels of heavy dranght could not be gotten over it. Our departure was therefore delayed till the next day. On the morning tide of the 12th, the vessels in the harbor passed out, and the whole fleet of naval vessels and transports got under way for this place. As we were leaving, the vessels of Gen. Abbott's command came in sight, and orders
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596
THIRD NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
[Jan. '65.
were sent to them to follow us. We did not arrive off Federal Point till nearly nightfall; consequently, and in accordance with the decision of the Admiral, the disembarkation of the troops was not commenced until the next morning. Our subsequent experience fully justified the delay. It would have been extremely difficult to land the men at night.
At 4 A.M. of the 13th, the Inshore division of naval vessels stood in close to the beach to cover the landing. The transports followed them, and took position as nearly as possible in a line parallel to and about 200 yards outside of them. The ironclads moved down to within range of the fort and opened fire upon it. Another division was placed to the northward of the landing, placed so as to protect our men from any attack from the direction of Masonboro Inlet. At 8 o'clock nearly 200 boats, beside steam- tugs, were sent from the navy to the transports: and the disembarkation of men, provisions, tools and ammunition simultaneously commenced. At 3 P.M., nearly 8,000 men, with 3 days' rations in their haversacks and 40 rounds of ammimition in their boxes, 6 days' supply of hard-bread in bulk, 300,000 additional rounds of small arm ammunition and a sufficient number of intrenelring tools, had been safely landed. The surf on the beach was still quite high, notwithstanding the weather had become very pleasant ; and owing to it some of the men had their rations and ammunition ruined by water. With this exception, no accident of any kind occurred. As soon as the troops had commenced landing, pickets were thrown out. They immediately encountered outposts of the enemy. and shots were exchanged with them ; but no serions engagment occurred. A few prisoners were taken. from whom I learned that Hoke's rebel division, which it was supposed had been sent further South, was still here, and that it was his outposts which we were meeting.
The first object I had in view after landing was to throw a strong de- fensive line across the peninsula from the Cape Fear River to the sea facing Wilmington, so as to protect our rear from an attack while we should be engaged in operating against Fisher. Our maps indicated that a good posi- tion for such a line would be found a short distance above the head of Myrtle Sound, which is a long, shallow piece of water separated from the ocean by a sand-pit of about 100 yards in width, and communicates with it by Masonboro Inlet. It was supposed that the right flank of a line at that point would be protected by the Sound; and being above its bend, that we should be able to land supplies in quiet water there. Our landing place was selected with reference to this idea, An examination made after we landed showed that the Sound for a long distance above its bend was so shal- low as to offer no obstacle to the passage of troops at low tide; and. as the further down the peninsula we should go the shorter would be our line across it, it was determined to take up a position where the maps showed a large pond occupying nearly one-third of the width of the peninsula, at about three miles from the fort. Shortly before 5 o'clock, leaving Abbott's brigade to cover our stores. the troops were put in motion for the last-named point. On arriving at it, the " pond" was found to be a sand-flat, some- times covered with water, giving no assistance to the defence of a line established behind it. Nevertheless it was determined to get a line across at this place, and Paine's division, followed by two of Ames', brigades, made their way through. The night was very dark. Much of the ground was a marsh, and illy adapted to the construction of works, and the distance was found to be too great to be properly defended by the troops which could be spared from the direct attack upon the fort. It was not until 9 P.M. that Paine succeeded in reaching the river. The ground still nearer the fort was then encountered and found to be much better adapted to our purposes ; and accordingly the troops were withdrawn from their last position and estab- lished on a line about two miles from the work. They reached their final position at 2 A.M. of the 14th inst. Tools were immediately brought up and intrenchments were commeneed. At s o'clock a good breastwork, reaching from the river to the sea, and partially covered by abattis. had been con- structed and was in a defensible condition. It was much improved after- wards; but from this time our foothold on the peninsula was secured.
597
THIRD NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
Jan. '65.]
Early in the morning of the 14th the landing of the artillery was com- menced, and by sunset all the light guns were gotten on shore. During the following night they were placed in the line, most of them near the river, where the enemy in case he should attack us would be at least exposed to the fire of the gunboats. Curtis' brigade of Ames' division was moved down toward Fisher during the morning; and at noon his skirmishers, after capturing on their way a small steamer which had come down the river with shells and forage for the garrison of the fort, reached a small unfin- ished ontwork in front of the west end of the land front of the work. Gen. Curtis, Lieut .- Col. (now Brevet Brig .- Gen. ) Comstock, the Chief Engineer of the expedition, and myself, under the protection of the fire of the fleet, made a careful reconnoissance of the work, getting within 600 yards of it. The report of Gen. Comstock, which, with its accompanying map, is appended hereto, gives a full description of it and its condition at that time. As a result of the reconnoissance, and in view of the extreme difficulty which might be expected in landing supplies and the material for a siege on the open and often tempestuous beach, it was decided to attenipt an assault the next day, provided that in the meantime the fire of the navy should so far destroy the palisades as to make one practicable. This decision was communicated to Admiral Porter, who at once placed a division of his vessels in a position to accomplish this last-named object. It was arranged, in consultation with him, that a heavy bombardment from all the vessels should commence early in the morning and continue up to the moment of the assault ; and that even then it should not cease, but should be directed from the point of attack to other parts of the work. It was decided that the assault should be made at 3 p.M .; that the army should attack on the western half of the land face, and that a column of sailors and marines should assault at the northeast bastion. The fire of the navy continued during the night.
At 8 A.M. of the 15th, all of the vessels except a division left to aid in the defence of our northern line, moved into position, and a fire, magnificent alike for its power and accuracy, was opened. Ames' division had been selected for the assault. Paine was placed in command of the defensive line, having with him Abbott's brigade in addition to his own division. Ames' first brigade (Curtis) was already at the outwork already mentioned. and in trenches elose around it his other two brigades (Pennypacker's and Bell's) were moved at noon to within supporting distance of him. At 2 P.M. preparations for the assault were commenced. Sixty sharpshooters from the Thirteenth Indiana Volunteers, armed with the Spencer repeating car- bine, and forty others, volunteers from Curtis' brigade, the whole number under command of Lieut .- Col. Lent of the Thirteenth Indiana Volunteers, were thrown forward at a run to within 175 yards of the work.' They were provided with shovels and soon dug pits for shelter, and commenced firing at the parapet. As soon as this movement commenced, the parapet of the fort was manned and the enemy's fire, both of musketry and artillery, opened. As soon as the sharpshooters were in position, Curtis' brigade was moved forward by regiment at the double-quick into line at about 475 yards from the work. The men there laid down. This was accomplished under a sharp fire of insketry and artillery. from which however, they soon sheltered themselves by digging shallow trenches. When Curtis moved from the ontwork. Pennypacker was brought up to it. Bell was brought into line 200 yards in his rear. Finding that a good cover for Curtis' men could be found on the reverse slope of a crest 50 yards in the rear of the sharp- shooters, they were again moved forward, one regiment at a time. and again covered themselves in trenches. Pennypacker followed Curtis and occupied the ground vacated by him, and Bell was brought up to the outwork. It had been proposed to blow up and ent down the palisades. Bags of powder with fuses attached had been prepared, and a party of volunteer axemen organized : but the tire of the navy had been so effective during the preceding night and morning that it was thought unnecessary to use the powder. The axemen, however, were sent in with the leading brigade and did good service by making openings in portions of the palisading which the fire of the navy had been unable to reach.
598
THIRD NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
[Jan. '65.
At 3.25 r.M. all the preparations were completed, the order to move for- ward was given to Ames and a concerted signal was made to Admiral Porter to change the direction of his fire. Curtis' brigade at once sprang from their trenches and dashed forward in line. Its left was exposed to a severe enfilading fire, and it obliqued to the right so as to envelop the left of the land front. The ground on which it moved was marshy and difficult; but it soon reached the palisades, passed through them and affected a lodgment on the parapet. At the same time the column of sailors and marines, under Fleet-Capt. K. R. Breeze, advanced up the beach in the most gallant manner and attacked the northeast bastion ; but, exposed to a murderous fire, they were unable to get up the parapet. After a severe struggle and a heavy loss of valuable officers and men, it became apparent that nothing could be affected at that point, and they were withdrawn. When Curtis moved forward, Ames directed Pennypacker to move up to the rear of the sharpshooters,and brought Bell up to Pennypacker's last position ; and as soon as Curtis got a foothold on the parapet, sent Pennypacker in to his support. He advanced, overlap- ping Curtis' right, and drove the enemy from the heavy palisades, which ex- tended from the west end of the land face to the river, capturing a considerable number of prisoners. Then, pushing forward to their left, the two brigades together drove the enemy from about one-quarter of the land face. Ames then brought up Bell's brigade and moved it between the work and the river. On this side there was no regular parapet, but there was abundance of cover afforded to the enemy by cavities from which sand had been taken for the parapet, the ruins of barracks and storehouses, the large magazines, and . by traverses, behind which they- stubbornly resisted our advance .. Hand- to-hand fighting of the most desperate character ensued, the huge traverses of the land face being used successively by the enemy as breastworks over the tops of which the contending parties fired in each other's faces. Nine of these were carried, one after the other. by our men.
When Bell's brigade was ordered into action, I foresaw that more troops would probably be needed, and sent an order for Abbott's brigade to move down from the north line, at the same time requesting Capt. Breeze to replace them with his sailors and marines. I also directed Gen. Paine to send me one of the strongest regiments of his own division. These troops arrived at dusk, and reported to Gen. Ames. At 6 o'clock Abbott's brigade went into the fort. The regiment from Paine's division - the Twenty- seventh United States (Colored), Brevet Brig .- Gen. A. M. Blackman com- manding - was brought up to the rear of the work, where it remained under fire for some time and was then withdrawn.
Until G o'clock the fire of the navy continued upon that portion of the work not occupied by ns : after that time it was directed on the beach. to prevent the coming up of reinforcements, which it was thought might pos- sibly be thrown over from the right bank of the river to Battery Buchanan. The fighting for the traverses continned till nearly nine o'clock, two more of them being carried. Then a portion of Abbott's brigade drove the enemy from their last remaining stronghold, and the occupation of the work was completed. The same brigade, with Gen. Blackman's regiment, was im- mediately pushed down the Point to Battery Buchanan, whither many of the garrison had fled. On reaching the battery, all of the enemy who had not been previously captured were made prisoners. Among them were Maj .- Gen. Whiting and Col. Lamb, the commandant of the fort. Abont 4 P.M. Hoke advanced against our north line, apparently with the design of at- tacking it; but if anch was his intention, he abandoned it after a skirmish with our pickets. During the day Brevet Brig .- Gen. HI. L. AAbbott, Chief- of-Artillery, was busily engaged in landing artillery and annmunition, so that if, the assault failed. siege operations might at once be commenced. Con- sequent to the fall of Fort Fisher, the enemy during the night of the 16th and 17th blew up Fort Caswell and abandoned both it and their very exten- sive works on Smith's Island, at Smithville and Reeves Point, thus placing in our hands all the works erected to defend the month of the Cape Fear River. In all the works were found 169 pieces of artillery, nearly all of which are heavy, over 2.000 stands of small arms, considerable quantities of commissary stores and full supplies of ammunition. Our prisoners numbered 112 commissioned officers and 1,971 enlisted men.
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