Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1861-12-26
TIE PENSACOLA FIGHT.
OmeiGy ssepo,, Of Colonel Bro.e.
HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF FLORIDA, I
FORT PICKENs, Nov. IS. IS6l. !


OmciaE Report Of CoEoHeI BrOsrn.
HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF FLORIDA, I
FoRT PIcKENs, Nov. IS, ls6L
GENERAL: That Fort Pickens has been be-
leagured by the rebels for the last nine months,
and that it was daily threatened with the fate OF
Sumter, is a fact notorious to the whole world
Since its occupancy by Lieut. Stem Ier the reb-
els have been surrounding it with batteries, and
daily arming them with the heaviest and most
efficient guns known to our servic gums stolen
from the United States-until they considered
this fort as virtually their own, its occupaneyb be-
ing only a question of time.
/ have been in command since the 10Th Of
April, and during the whole of that time their
force has averaged, so far as l can learn, from
eight to ten times the number of mine. The
position in which | have thus been placed has
been sufficiently trying, and / have at three sep
arate times intended I. free myself from it, hv
opening my batteries on them, but imperiOS5
circumstances. over which | had no control, has
Unexpectedly in each instance prevented.
Affairs were in this state on the morning Of the
9th of October, when the enemy, fifteen hundred
strong, attacked by surprise, a portion of my
command on an intensely dark night. They
were defeated and driven from the island with
great loss byless than two hundred regulars and
| MY NulNlsCtIb-tl lut tillClGlL IOECt / nhQ us
possible for the purpose. An insult to the flag of
my country could not by m e be passed unnoticed,
and l designed Immediately to take appropriate
notice of it but, as said before, circumstances
over which l had no control prevented. l make
these PREDATORY remarks to explain why / have
now opened my batteries on the enemy, when,
from the smallest of my forces, about One-sixth.
of his, thirteen hundred to eight thousand, | have
not the means of producing any decisive results,
and as evidence of my having accomplished what
| designed-the furnishing the perpetrators of an
insult of my country's flag.
Having invited flag officer Mexican to CO..
operate with me in attacking the rebels, and to
which he gave a ready and cordial assent, l, on
the morning of the 22d, opened my batteries on
the enemy, to which, in the course of half an
hour, he responded from his numerous forts aud
batteries extending from the navy yard to Fort
McRae, a distance of about four miles, the whole
nearly nearly equi-distant from this fort, and on
which line he has two fOrts-McRae and Barran-
cas-and fourteen separate batteries, containing
from one to four guns, many Of them being ten
inch coiumbiads and some twelve and thirteen
inch sea-eOast mOTtaTs, the distance varying from
two thousand one hundred to two thousand nine
hundred yards from this fort. At the sam time
Of my opening, flag officer Mexican, in the Ma
CARA, and Capt. Ellison, in the Richmond, took
BOoAtA1A 90 AAlAA ~ Il " AAtAEaE as tHt AEUNu VI
water would permit, but which unfortunately
was not sufficiently deep TO give full effect to
their powerful batteries. They, however, kept
up a spirited IRE on the fort and adjacent bat
terles during the whole day. Ny fire was inces-
SAINT from the time Of opening until it was too
dark to see, at the rate Of a Shot for each gun
every fifteen or twenty minutes, the fire of the
enemy being somewhat slower. By noon, the
guns OF Fort MeRae were all silenced but one,
and three hours before sunset this fort and the
adjoining battery ceased fire. l directed the
guns of batteries Lincoln, Cameron and Totfen
principally on the batteries adjacent to the navy
yard, those Of battery Scott to Fort MeRae. and
the Lighthouse batteries and those of the fort to
all. We reduced very perceptibly the fire of
BarTancas, entirely silenced that in the navy
yard, and in one or two of the other batteries;
the efficiency of our fire, at the close Of the day
not being the least impaired.
The next morning l again opened about the
same hour, the navy, unfortunately, owing to q
reduction in the depth of water, caused by a
change OF wind, not being able to get so near as
yesterday, consequently tie distance was too
great to be @eflectual. My fire this day was less
rapid, and | think more efficient, than that of
yesterday. Fort McRae, so effectually silenced
yesterday, did nOtfTe again to-day. We silenced
entirely one or two guns, and had one of ours
@@-IA ohN ttAAA NlAUuZnt ~ EailUl doNIEa
About three o'clock fire was communicated to
one of the houses in Warrington, and shortly af
forwards to the church steeple, the church and
the whole village being Immediately in the rear
OF some OF the rebel batteries, they apparently
having placed them purposely directly in front Of
the largest and most valuable buildings. The
ire rapidly communicated TO other buildings
along the street until probably twO-shrds Of it
was consumed; and about the same time fire was
discovered issuing from the back part of the Navy
Yard, probably ia WolcOtt, a village to the north
and Immediately adjoining the yard, as Warning
ton does on the west. Finally it penetrated to
the yard, and as it continued to burn brightly all
night, l concluded that either in it or in Woleott
many buildings were destroyed. Very heavy
damage was also done to the buildings of the
yard by the avalanche of shot, shell and splin-
tiers showeTed u~ncesingly on them for two days,
and being nearly iireproof, being built ofbrick
and covered with slate, l could not succeed in
firing them, my hot shot nor shell not having
any power of igniting them.
The steamer Time, which was at the wharf at
the time, was abandoned on the first day and
exposed to our fire, which probably entirely dis
abled her. The IRE was again continued till
dark, and with mortars occasionally until two
o'clock next morning, when the combat ceased.
This fort, at its conclusion. though it has re-
ceiyed a great many shot and shell, is, in every
respect, save the disabling of one gun-carriage
and the loss of service of six men, as efficient as
it was at the commencement Of the combat, but
the ends / proposed in commencing having been
attained, except one, which l find to be imprac-
ticable with my present means, l do not deem
it advisable further to continue it unless the enc
my think 1t proper to do so, when l shall meet
him with alacTity.
The attack on "Billy Wilson's camp, the
attempted attack on my batteries, and the Insult
to our gloriour flag, have been fully and fearfully
avenged. l have no means of knowing the loss
of the enemy, and have no disposition to guess
at it. The firing on his batteries was very heavy,
well directed, and continued for two days, and
could hardly fail of having important results.
Our loss would have been heavy but for the
foresight which, with great labor, caused us to
erect elaborate means Of protection, and which
saved many lives. | lost one private killed, one
sergeant, one corporal, and four men (privates)
wounded, only one severely.
| am, general, very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,