USA > New York > Cayuga in the field : a record of the 19th N. Y. Volunteers, all the batteries of the 3d New York Artillery, and 75th New York Volunteers > Part 12
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125
SURRENDER OF FORT MACON.
By eight o'clock the mortar firing became very accurate, and nearly every shell was neatly dropped in the besieged fort. Some, falling on the parapets, buried themselves deep, and then ex- ploding heaved up on high great black clouds and columns of wood, brick, sand and debris, completely hiding, as they fell, the rebel guns. Others dropping into the interior annoyed and wounded the garrison.
The rebels at first outnumbered us in guns. To our twelve they replied with eighteen, and among these was one great 128- pounder Columbiad. The crash of this gun was so distinct and deep that it dominated over the pealing of the 32-pounders and could be told every time it was fired. About 9 o'clock, the Federal redoubts received the assistance of the gunboats Day- light, Chippewa, Albatross, and State of Georgia, who came near the Spit and sent in an enfilading fire, but the water was rough, and they early had to retire.
The commotion created in Ammon's redoubt by the firing was terrific. It now began to work evil consequences. Rebel shot tore up the parapet and began to disintegrate it, throwing showers of sand over into the redoubt, while the blast and con- cussion of the mortars shook down the crumbling rampart. The men were actually uncovered, and about 11 o'clock were forced to lay down, and for a while take the storm of rebel shot with- out replying to it. The redoubt was rebuilt again, however, and before long again sent in a heavy fire, with great persistence and excellence of aim. The guns of the fort were now being grad- ually knocked down and deserted. By 3 P. M. all had been si- lenced but one. That was the great 128-pounder, which could not be seen and could not be searched out by our balls. It kept up a slow fire till the last moment.
At 4 o'clock our triumph came and the Fort displayed a white flag. Our batteries ceased firing at once, and a flag of truce coming out, Capt. Pell, of Burnside's staff, Lieut. Prouty, of the Ordnance department, Capt. Ammon, Lieut. Thomas, and Lieut. Hill, of Parke's staff, went forward to meet it. On the way they passed the regiment, which had been placed on our picket line. It lay half buried in the sand tossed upon it by the bound- ing cannon shot. Gen. Parke being signaled. thereupon, gave his consent to an armistice, and one was agreed upon till 9 A. M. next day, at which time the Fort surrendered. Gen. Parke had hoped that it would be the first of the great United States forts reclaimed from the rebels. But Fort Pulaski had been captured by Gen. Gilmore April 11th, two weeks before. It was, how- ever, the second captured work, Forts Jackson and St. Philip not being taken by Butler till the 27th, two days later.
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3D NEW-YORK VOLUNTEER ARTILLERY.
One man only was killed among the United States forces in this siege. This was William Dart of Ammon's battery. When the fire of the Fort had somewhat slackened, the men of the bat- tery had braved danger freely, and looked over the parapet to see the bombs burst in the fort. When a puff of smoke showed the discharge of a rebel cannon, the men would look against the sky for the ball, and dodge below the parapet in time to avoid it. Once two guns had been fired from the fort, which Dart failed to observe. While bravely exposing himself to danger, and driving a range stake for his mortar, a solid shot struck him in the breast, killing him instantly.
Two men received wounds during the siege, in Capt. Morris's battery.
The rebel loss was 8 killed, 20 wounded, and 430 prisoners, besides 50 guns, 20,000 pounds of powder, 400 stand of arms, and 20 horses.
Our forces took possession of the fort on the morning of April 26th, the 5th Rhode Island marching in with colors flying. The effect of our shot and shell was regarded with curious eyes. It was terrible. The ramparts, the ground inside, the ditches, were strewn with thousands of iron fragments of exploded shells. The parapets were ploughed and rent, the inner walls gashed in a hundred places, chimneys were knocked flat, guns dismounted and gun carriages were knocked to pieces and their splinters scattered in every direction. One 30-1b. Parrot shot, meeting some railroad iron, set up to protect a doorway, cut four rails square off, and buried itself its length in brick masonry. Dur- ing the firing Battery I threw into the fort 560 effective shells.
Col. Rodman took command of the captured fortress tempo- rarily, Capt. Ammon's battery, in honor of the share borne by it in its reduction, being given the Colonel for artillery gar- rison. On the 26th, Gen. Burnside issued the following order : "The General commanding takes peculiar pleasure in express- ing his thankfulness to Gen. Parke and his brave command for their patient labor, fortitude, and courage, displayed in the in- vestment and reduction of Fort Macon. Every patriot heart will be filled with gratitude to God for having given to our be- loved country such soldiers."
Burnside then ordered the 4th Rhode Island, 5th Rhode Island and 8th Connecticut Volunteers, Capt. Ammon's Battery and Capt. Morris's Battery, to inscribe on their banners, "Fort Macon, 26th April, 1862." This was the first victory written on the flag of the 3d New York Artillery.
The success of Battery I was hailed with delight at Newbern.
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127
PRESENTATION TO BATTERY I.
The brother officers of Capt. Ammon sent at once to Tiffany, the jeweler, in New York, for a beautiful guidon flag of crimson and white silk, fringed with yellow, hung on a black walnut staff with a solid silver spear head, with an inscription commemorat- ing the victory. The letter accompanying its presentation was as follows :
" HEADQUARTERS 3D NEW YORK ARTILLERY, -
NEWBERN, N. C., August 19, 1862. 5
Captain :- In behalf of the field and staff of this regiment, I have the honor to present to you, as the representative of Com- pany I, 3d New York Artillery, a guidon inscribed, "Fort Ma- con, April 26th, 1862," which inscription you won the right to wear on your colors by the fine endurance displayed by your command during the long days and nights of preparation, (being constantly exposed to the fire of a watchful and untiring enemy,) and by heroic valor at the bombardment of Fort Macon, which was won also by the blood of one of your brave men. It is grat- ifying to know, that, though exposed to the terrible hail which fell around incessantly for ten long hours, not a man of your command faltered ; but all fought like heroes until the white flag upon the epaulment announced that Fort Macon had fallen. Hoping you may win new laurels and that other inscriptions may grace your colors, I have the honor to be,
Yours Very Truly, JAMES H. LEDLIE, Colonel 3d New York Artillery."
Upon the staff of the guidon a silver plate was lettered thus : " Presented by Colonel Ledlie, Lieut .- Col. Stewart, Major Stone, Major Giles, Chaplain Hart, Q. M. Chedell, Surgeon Dimon, Adj. Dennis, Asst. Surg. Knight."
Col. Rodman remained in command at Macon a short time only, a day or two. Capt. Ammon succeeded him and was commandant until May 27th, when he was ordered home on re- cruiting service. Battery I remained at the Fort till December. It was ordered to Newbern then to take part in an expedition. It arrived there December 3d.
Major Giles was commandant at Macon in January, 1863. and Major Stone was commandant there from June, 1863, to May 15, 1864.
June 27th, 1862, Battery G, Capt. John Wall, 3d New York Artillery, about ninety strong, equipped with muskets as heavy artillery, was ordered by Col. Ledlie to go to Washington, N. C.,
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3D NEW-YORK VOLUNTEER ARTILLERY. ·
to garrison the fortifications then being built for the defense of that town. It was to take with it five brass and one iron six pound field pieces, captured by the rebels from us at the battle of Bull Run and retaken at the battle of Newbern. The Battery arrived at Washington on the North river ferry boat Curlewo, at 4 P. M. of the 28th, going into barracks on the wharf for the night. Next day it was quartered in buildings in the town.
Washington, familiarly called by our troops Little Washing- ton to distinguish it in speech from the Capital of the United States, boasting, in 1862, 3,000 inhabitants, occupies a site on the north bank of the Tar River, which is wide and ten feet deep here and is crossed by a long bridge. Its garrison on the arrival of Battery G consisted of the Ist North Carolina Union Volunteers, Col. Potter commanding ; 24th Masschusetts Vol- unteers ; a company of Marine Artillery, and a company of the 3d New York Cavalry,-the whole under command of Col. Potter. In the stream lay the Union gunboats Pickett and Louisiana. The greater part of the 24th Massachusetts, with its splendid band, (Gilmore's,) was ordered to Newbern the day Battery G arrived, and the Marine Artillery went away July Ist.
The defenses of Washington were as yet in embryo ; but a force of 300 contrabands were stoutly at work upon them. The points chiefly to be guarded were the roads, of which there were three, viz : the Greenville road, running out of the town, along the river, westward ; the Jamestown road, running out to the north-west ; the Plymouth road, striking off to the north- east. Between the first two there was being built a square, bastioned field fort, called Fort Washington, the profiles for which were given by Sidney W. Palmer, and on each road a block-house of logs and a redoubt. A fourth block-house and a redoubt were on the bank of the river below the town. Our engineers designed that these works should be joined by a line of good breastworks, or rifle trenches, clear around the place, except on the east. That side was protected by a marsh, grown over with woods, an arm of the great Alligator Swamp, which occupies the whole peninsula between the Pamlico and Albe- marle rivers, and here comes to almost the very edge of the town. These works were well under way when Battery G arrived.
Early in July the Battery received orders to move out of town, which it did. A detachment with a section, two guns, was posted on each road, the men camping near by in pleasant fields.
Things went on very quietly in July and August. The time
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PREVALENCE OF MALARIA,
was improved in finishing Fort Washington and the block houses and in drilling. A foray of some of Battery G's boys on a farmer's honey, one night, is remembered as making a ripple of excitement. Such an uproar of dogs and men arose therefrom, that the drums of the post beat to arms under the idea that there was an attack.
During August sickness prevailed to an alarming extent. Miasma from the swamps entailed fevers. At one time, in Bat- tery G, sixty-two men were in hospital, leaving only thirty-two fit for duty. There were several deaths. The faithful attention of the Surgeon of the gun boat Louisiana to the sick men is re- , membered with gratitude. Battery G was so weakened by sick- ness that two sections (four guns) were sent into the town, Sept. Ist, and the guns parked in the hospital yard. There were not men enough to work them. The hospital was a large academy building, near the heart of the town, on a corner where two streets crossed. A smaller building, on a corner diagonally op- posite from the academy, was also used as a hospital, and was full of sick men at the time of the occurrence about to be described.
Gov. Clark, of North Carolina, wanted to signalize the close of his administration by some brilliant passage of arms. The fruit of his anxiety was brought forth about September Ist, in an attack by 1,400 rebels at Plymouth, about thirty-five miles north of Washington, which, however, was beaten off easily. The prevalence of sickness in Washington, having been reported to the rebel forces, presented to them their opportunity, and next tempted an attack on that post.
Gen. Foster at this time had planned a cavalry expedition to Rainbow Bluff, on the Roanoke river, to look after some threat- ening rebel preparations said to be going on there, and on the night of September 5th, four companies of the 3d New York Cavalry, under command of Lieut .- Col. Mix, and Battery H. 3d New York Artillery, four guns, under Capt. Wm. J. Riggs, landed in Washington from transports from Newbern, and bi- vouacked on the dock. At 4 A. M. of the 6th of September, the detachment formed in column on the street, marched through the place, and moved rapidly out on the Plymouth road north- eastward. A dense fog hung over the river and town and com- pletely veiled the movement.
At precisely the same hour, a rebel raiding party of 500 in- fantry, with two companies of cavalry, was stealing up towards the town, on the opposite side, under cover of the same fog. It came up on the Greenville road and entered the town be-
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tween the road and river, through the corn field and private grounds of James Ghrist, a wealthy rebel, who is supposed to have led the party in in person. The cavalry came in on a gallop, capturing our videttes, and awakening the town and gar- rison by their yells and firing. The 24th Massachusetts and Ist North Carolina Volunteers, in their barracks, down by the river, promptly sprang to arms. At the academy, the firing was simultaneously heard, and the men on guard ran in shouting to the convalescents, "Turn out, boys, the rebs are here !" All who were able turned out pell mell and ran down into the yard and street, and stood for a moment in the gray mist listening to the din that came from the west and the river.' .
It was plain that serious business was afoot. On the impulse of the moment, Quick, Agnew, Graham, Foster and other con- valescents hurriedly dragged one of the guns out of the academy yard into the street. A charge of cannister was rammed home, and the gun pointed up the street, running westwards to the Greenville road. Suddenly a piratical looking crew of rebel cavalry came galloping through the fog up from the river straight for the academy. One of the men cried, "Those are rebels." The old brass gun was swung rapidly around, and Quick thrust the friction fuse into the vent and was trying to hook on to it the lanyard, by which it was to be discharged, when, with terrific yells, the rebels charged right over him and slashing and firing at his comrades who were running in every direction for cover. Some managed to escape. But Agnew was shot dead, others were wounded and the rest were driven into the hospital. The rebel infantry came up a moment after and placed a guard over the academy and hospital. That the attacking party was well informed of the position of things in Washington is clear, from the directness with which their cavalry charged for the academy, and from their bringing spare horses to draw off the captured guns.
Meanwhile, the sounds of battle had assailed the ears of Lieut .- Col. Mix and Capt. Riggs, en route for the north. "Left about " was the word, and the expedition came thundering into town on a full run. Riggs's pieces were planted at the corners of two streets, pointing westward, under Lieuts. Mercer, Field and O'Neill ; one piece being sent down to the docks to help out the infantry which was making a stand there. Lieut. O'Neill's gun was placed in position to sweep the street that ran by the academy, and loaded with cannister. Through the fog a company of infantry could be seen drawn up across the street. Lieut. Gourand, of the 3d Cavalry, went forward to reconnoiter
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LIEUT. FIELD'S ANSWER.
and got back with word that they were rebels, just in time for O'Neill to open fire before the enemy's charge had reached him. Before the terrible blast of iron hail that he sent tearing through it, the gray line advancing on him broke and retreated in con- fusion behind the corner. It formed and charged again, and again was driven back with cannister. The vain attempt was repeated a third time with a like result. But now the rebel sharp-shooters got behind trees and concentrated upon the de- voted band serving the gun such a withering fire, that every man upon it was either killed or wounded. Among the latter was Arthur Millard, of Battery G, who served as a volunteer on this gun and with the utmost intrepidity ; Corp'l Smith loaded and fired this piece twice alone. O'Neill now brought off his piece and took it down to the river where it afterwards did fur- ther good service.
The sudden onslaught of Lieut .- Col. Mix's party considera- bly astonished the butternuts, who were utterly unaware of their presence in the vicinity till that moment. When Riggs opened fire the rebels were staggered decidedly, but they recovered and renewed the fight with Battery G's captured pieces, which they brought to bear on the new assailants. Lieut. Field en- gaged two of them hotly for two hours. During the fight, a party of Confederates rode up to this officer and called out to know whether he was a "Yank" or "Johnny," the fog and smoke rendering it almost impossible to tell friend from foe. Field replied with a fire of cannister which mowed a lane of death through their ranks, and they fled precipitately.
The gun boats Pickett and Louisiana, lying in the river, cleared the decks for action, early in the fight. The Pickett went out of the fight at the first discharge. Her magazine ex- ploded, killing Capt. Nichols, her commander, and nineteen men. The cause has ever remained a mystery, but it is thought that some sailor went into the magazine with a candle and let it fall. This sad affair was the principal loss of the day. The Louisiana, however, did splendid execution. Her big guns raked the street in front of the academy, where the rebels made their principal stand and were trying to work the captured bat- tery, with huge shells, and the tremendous concussion of the guns, and the strange hum of the great shells as they flew by and burst, carried panic among the rebels at every discharge. The locality of the academy was now a pandemonium, such as few men live to hear. The air was filled with the yells of the enemy, the shrieks and curses of the wounded who strewed the ground, the sharp whang of round shot, the crash of shells. and
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3D NEW-YORK VOLUNTEER ARTILLERY.
whirr of falling fragments, the sighing and rushing of canister, while artillery vollied on all sides, and a constant rattling of musketry and whistling of bullets combined to make up a chorus of horror. The rebels fought with desperate and admirable courage, and when the roar of the Louisiana's guns broke out they charged down several times to take them, thinking them to be a new field battery brought into action. But human nature could not endure the trial of fire to which they were subjected, and they always came back in confusion, scattering into the door yards.
The academy was terribly shattered by the iron storm that whirled around it, being completely riddled by the shells. The rebels got behind it for shelter, and Battery G's men saw two of them stricken down by the fall of a chimney, toppled over by a shell.
Capt. Wall was in the fight and did good service. His quar- ters were on the east side of the town. He repaired at once to the docks and fought with a company of North Carolina vol- unteers. During the day, he was separated from his command and was collared by a rebel Captain, but he took the rebel a prisoner and brought him in to the lines.
Lieut. Robinson, with twenty-eight men, was at his fort at one · of the block houses.
At last, after four hours of hard and bloody battle, the Con- federates gave up the town in disgust and fled hastily off by the Greenville road, pursued by our cavalry. They left their guard over the academy standing, and the Battery G's convalescents, jumping out of bed, seized their muskets .and took the guard prisoners.
The total Union loss in this affair was nine killed, forty-one wounded, and about twenty prisoners. The loss of the 3d Ar- tillery was four killed, eight wounded and nine prisoners, besides the four guns, viz :
BATTERY G.
Killed-Samuel S. Andrews, Frank Agnew, Artemus 'A. Dresser.
Wounded-Arthur D. Millard, hip.
BATTERY H.
Killed-Anthony Legger.
Wounded-Corp. Wilson Smith, knee, seriously ; C. Mer- chant, shoulder ; Albert Mott, leg; Geo. Olcott, back ; J. McCrane, hand ; John Malone, hip ; Frank Rase, hip.
The missing were of Battery G, viz : Wm. W. Bush, Augustus
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COMPLIMENTING BATTERY H.
R. Leonard, James B. Benson, Irwin Castleton, Milan Burns, James W. Chapman, Wm. Emerson, Alvius Jockquett, Abijah H. Loveland. They were carried off under guard and were in captivity several months, but were all ultimately exchanged.
The rebels suffered severely. The streets around the academy were strewn with their gory bodies, and in the roads everywhere and in the fields were scores of others. Their loss was over ro in killed and wounded and forty prisoners. The canteens of some of the dead were found to contain mixed whiskey and gunpowder. Both infantry and cavalry were dressed in butter- nut colored clothes with slouched hats.
September 8th, Gen. Foster and Col. Ledlie arrived from Newbern to view the ground of the action. The brave conduct of Battery G's men was highly complimented by both officers. For Battery H was reserved the honor of a General Order in testimony of its gallantry. This compliment was as follows :
" HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF NORTH CAROLINA. NEWBERN, N. C., September 20th, 1862.
General Order, No. 37 :- The General commanding this de- partment desires to express his approbation of the conduct of Capt. Riggs's Battery of light artillery of the 3d New York Vol- unteers, in the attack on Washington, N. C .; and particularly commends the conduct of Corporal Wilson Smith and the gun- ners manning the gun, stationed at the intersection of First and Bridge streets, who stood to their guns until every man was shot down. The General accepts this as an augury of what may be expected of the battery on future occasions.
By command of Maj .- Gen. J. G. FOSTER.
JAS. H. STRONG, Lieut. and Act. Asst .- Adj .- Gen."
·Battery G and Battery H both inscribed "Washington, N. C., Sept. 6, 1862," on their guidons.
As soon as possible after the fight, the infantry garrison of Washington was strengthened by three companies of the 7th Massachusetts. The sick men of Battery G were sent to New- bern, and a large number of new recruits were assigned to Capt. Wall to replenish his ranks. The defenses of the town were rapidly perfected. Battery G was ordered into Fort Washing- ton as its garrison. It remained in the fort some time, acting both as heavy and light artillery, sometimes guarding the fort, sometimes the block houses, where 6-1b. guns were posted, and doing picket duty on the roads leading out of the town. During November and December, and through the winter, rebels lurked in the vicinity constantly, and at times skirmished with our pick-
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3D NEW-YORK VOLUNTEER ARTILLERY.
ets. In February, '63, they ventured so near that some shells were thrown at them from the fort.
When Burnside left North Carolina to go to the relief of McClellan, he placed the Department under the command of Brig .- Gen. J. G. Foster.
Gen. Foster came of good old Revolutionary stock and was a bold and enterprising commander. He graduated at West Point in 1842 in the Engineers. He fought in Mexico under Scott, taking part in every battle from Vera Cruz to Molino del Rey. At the latter he received a wound in the knee while leading a division of the storming party on Casa Mata. The severity of the wound nearly cost him his leg ; but he stoutly refused ampu- tation. The wound, however, never fully healed and gave him much trouble in after years. It was still a distress to him dur- ing the Rebellion. He received three brevets during the Mexican War. In 1859 he was made Engineer in charge of the forts at Charleston, and was one of the garrison of Sumter at its capture in April, 1861.
Foster was a bold and enterprising commander. The small- ness of the force left to him by Burnside compelled caution, yet, during the summer and fall of 1862 he constantly harassed the enemy by expeditions in small force and kept them ever in such apprehension of attack that he made North Carolina a perpetual worry to the Confederate Government. The rebel element in the whole eastern and central part of the State was so paralyzed that Jeff. Davis sneeringly remarked to Gov. Vance, that "North Carolina was a dead weight on the Confederacy." Gen. Foster's operations brought on the fights of Bachelor's Creek, near Newbern ; Trater's Creek, between Washington and Plymouth ; Rainbow Bluff, Plymouth and Washington,-the latter being the one which we have just recorded at length.
Several regiments, mostly from Massachusetts, being sent to Foster in the course of the summer and autumn, the General determined on a bold enterprise. The Army of the Potomac was about to advance on Fredericksburg. To create a diver- sion, an expedition was organized to cut the Weldon railroad, and also to destroy two rebel gun boats reported to be in pro- cess of construction in the Roanoke at Williamston.
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