The Sun.
London, England, 1865-03-18 00:00:00

Capture of Fort Fisher,

GENERAL TERRY'S, OFFICIAL REPORT.
Headquarters United States Forces on
FJan. 25, 1865.
General,—l haveedeT thel Point,on o
N.C"
ur to submit the fol-
owing detailed report of the operations which re-
h
sulted in the capture of Fort Fisher and the occupa-
tion of Fort Caswell, and the other works at the
mouth of the Cape Fear later :
On the 2d inst. I received from the Lieut.-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 Corps, under Brigadier-General (now Brevet
Major-General) Adelbert Ames, the same number
from the Third Division of the Twenty-fifth Army
Corps, under command of Brig.-General Charles J.
Paine, 1,400 men from the Second Brigade of the
First Division of the Twenty-fourth Army Corps,
tunder 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 six 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 sunriso-on the 4th inst.
In obedience to these orders, the movement com-
menced 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 them made its appear-
ance late in the afternoon of the fourth. One of
them, the Atlantic, was of too heavy craft 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 remainder of the force
commenced at sunset of the 4th, and was completed
at noon of the sth inst. ; each vessel, as soon as it
was loaded, was sent to Fort Nonroe, and at nine
o'clock p.m. of the sth the whcle fleet way collected
in Hampton Roads. The troops were all n heavy
marching order, with four days' rations trom the
morning of the 4th in their haversacks, and 40
rounds of ammunition in their boxes. No horses,
waggons, or ambulances were taken. The caissons
of the artillery were left behind ; but addition to
the ammunition in the Haber chests, 150 rounds
per gun in packing-boxes were embarked.
I went down the river Personally with the Lieu-
tenant-General, and on the vay received from him
additional instructions, and the information that
orders had been given for the embarkation of a siege
train, to consist of 20 30-pounder Parrott guns,
four 100-pounder Parrotts, and 20 Coehorn mortars,
with a detail of artillerists and a company of engi-
neers, so that in case siege operations should become
necessary, the men and material for it might be at
hand.

These troops, under the command of Brevet-
Brigadier-General H. L.
Abbott, were to follow me
to Beaufort, N, C., and await orders. It was not
until this time Oat I was informed Fort Fisher was
the point against which we mere to
operate.
During the evening of the sth orders were given
for the transports to proceed to sea at four o'clock
•• the next morning, and accompanying these orders
sealed letters, to be opened when off Cape Henry,
directing them to rendezvous, in case of separation
from the flagship, at a point 25 miles off Beaufort,
North Carolina.
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
morning of the Bth that my own vessel arrived at
the rendezvous ; all the others excepting the flagship
of General Paine, were still behind. Leaving
Brigadier-General Paine to assemble the other ves-
sels as they should arrive, I went into Beaufort
Harbour to communicate with Rear-Admiral Porter,
commanding the North Atlantic blockading
squadron, with whose fleet the forces under my
command were destined to-operate.
During the Bth nearly all of 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 harbour or to the outer
anchorage, where their wants were supplied ; all the
others remained, until the final sailing of the expe-
dition, some twenty to twenty-five miles off the land.
The weather continued so unfavourable as to afford
no prospect that we would be able to make a landing
on the open beach of Federal Point until Wednes-
day, the 11th. On that day Admiral Porter proposed
o start, but at high water there_ was still so much
surf on the bar that the ironclads 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 harbour passed out, and the whole fleet of naval
vessels and transports got under weigh for this place.
As we were leaving, the vessels containing General
Abbott's command, came in sight ; orders were sent
to them to follow us.
We did not arrive off Federal point until nearly
night-fall, 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 o'clock a.m. of the 13th, the inshore division