Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1861-09-19
Confederate Account Of the Hat.eras Fight.

WARD, (ARTENUs)
Confederate Account Of the Hat.eras Fight
OFFICIAL REPORTS OF COM BARRON, MAJOR AN
DREws AND COL. MARTIN.
The Rebel officers have requested Commodore
Stringham to forward their report
Major Andrews in his report says:
At 10 O'Clock a. m. Of the 29th the enemy
opened hre on US from the steam-frigate Minneso-
ta (43 guns), Wabash (43 gunsl, Susquehanna us
Pawnee no guns), and Harriet Lane Is guns) and
rihed battery Of three guns erected in the sand
hills three miles east Of Fort Clark. Thus you
will see they brought 70 guns OF the most ap-
proved kind and heaviest metal to bear on us-the
shells thrown being 9-inch, 1O.iRch, and 1l-inch
Dahlgreen, Paixhan and Columbaid; while, from
the position taken, we were unable to reach them
with the greatest elevation. The men Of the
channel battery were ordered to leave their guns
and protect themselves well as possible the
council OF the commanding officers having de-
cided that IL was TO be an action of endurance un-
III our reinfOrcements came up. After few shots
had been fred, and 1t was ascertained that we
could not reach them, our guns ceased hre and
only answered the fire Of the enemy occasionalIy
to show had not surrendered. The shower Of
shell In half an hour became literally Tremendous
as we had falling into and Immediately around
the work not less, on an average than ten each
was remarkably accurate.
One officer counted 2s shells az falling 30 az TO
damage us in one minute, and several others
| O'Clock
a council Of officers was held, and IL was deter
mined to surrender. white flag was raised and
the firing ceased at IL o'clock Thus for three
hours and twenty minutes fort Hatteras resisted
storm OF shells perhaps more terrible than ever
fell upon any other works. At the time the coun-
ell determined to surrender two Of our guns were
dismOunted, four men were reported killed and
between 25 and 30 badly wounded One she'll had
fallen into a room adjoining the magazine and
the magazine was reported on FIRE II in useless
to attempt further description. The men gen.
orally behaved well Nearly every commits ssioned
officer, from the Commodore down, was more or
less wounded, and so or 60 Of the nOR-commis-
stoned officers and men, who would not report to
the surgeon.
From the report Of Commodore Barron we take
the following:
was requested by Colonel Martin and Major
Andrews, commanding the post, to assume com.
mand Of the Fort, TO which assented Colonel
Bradford volunteering to assist me In the duties
Of defence In assuming this grave responsibility
was not unaware that We could be shelled out
Of the fort; but expecting the arrival from New
bern Of a regiment Of North Carolina Volunteers
at or before midnight. (the feet having put to
sea, and appears noes indicating bad weather we
designed an assault on Fort CLARK. three ouay.
tiers OF q mile distant from Fort Hatteras which
bad been taken possession Of by party landed
from the shipping; but, unfortunately, the repi-
ment did not arrive until the following day after
the bombardment had commenced and when the
time came that deemed evacuation O. surrender
unavoidable, the means Of escape were not at nv
command On the next day at 7.4O, m, the
feet, consisting Of the Minnesota, Wabash, Sus-
Quehanna, Cumberland, Pawnee, and Harriet
Lane, (other steamers being In company,) took
their position and opened fire. In addition TO the
batteries Of the ships the enemy had, during the
night, erected battery Of rifed guns near Fort
Clark, which also opened upon rs
During the frst hour the shells OF the ships fell
short, we only firing occasionally, to ascertain
whether our shot would reach them, and wishing
10 reserve our very limited supply of ammunition
TIL the vessels might find II necessary to come
nearer In, but they after some practice, got the
exact range Of their 9, 10, and ll-inch guns aud
did not fnd It ssary to alter their positions.
while not a shot from our battery reached them,
with the greatest elevation we could get This
state Of things, shells bursting In and the fort
every few seconds, having continued for about
three hours the men were directed to take shelter
under the parapet and 1averses, and | called a
council Of officers, at which IL was unanimously
agreed that holding out longer could only result
10 greater loss Of life, without the ability 70
damage our adversarles, and, Just at this time the
magazine being reported on fire. a shell having
fallen through the ventilator of the "bomb PROOF
into the room adjoining the principal magazine,
] ordered a white flag to be shown when the
firing ceased and the surrender was made upon
tne conditions OF the accompanying "articles of
capituationo -
The personnel Of this command are now Chris
oners OF war" on board this ship 1.-THE Minnesota),
where everything 10 done to make them as COM
Portable as possible under the circumstances Flag
Omcer string ham, Captain Van Brunt, and Com
mander Case extending to u. Characteristic cour-
tesy and kindness We are to be landed at Fort
Hamilton, New York harbor.
COLONEL MARTINS REPORT
Colonel Martin writes to the Governor of North
Carolina asking that the families of the prisoners
may be cared for, and that money aud clothing
may be sent them
Co'Onel Martin refers to the reports Of Major
Andrews and Commodore Barron for particulars
OF the second days operations-merely remarking
that Fort Hatteras had not sufficient armament
to compete at all with the enemy, and the fortih-
cations were not sufficiently we'll constructed to
enable US to lie still and endure the fire Of the
enemy" or the operations of the first day, he
says that Fort Clark was xposed to a "hood Of
Shells" which poured upon IL and upon all the
little skirts Of wood where an enemy might pos
slbly be concealed, for several hours FIRE
promptly returned until every charge Of powder
and every primer was exhausted, when retreat
10 Fort Hatteras was ordered -
There are also reports from the Tar River and
other Captains.
FoRT LAFAYErTE.-The New York CONNER.