The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-09-07
Fart ssaEtaraf.

Fort Eastcras.
RTcaHoED, VA, Sept. 4th, 1861.
To the Editors Of tie DiSpptch The Mill
tary Board of North Carolina is not respoa-
sibie for the HatterRs disaster, rs can be easily
demon trate6 Under its direc tion the forts
at Oregon, Ocracoke and Hatteras were built
provided with all the ordnance, Sc at the
command Of the State and then handed over
was not under the control Of the Military
Board at the time OF the attack, the formal
trar sfer of the work having been com pieted
on the 20th of August. and hence il was y.ot
the duty OF the Governor Of North Carolina
and his advisors 70 make reQuisiJi0ns for ord d.
nance, &c, as you seeTn to imply. Ycu will
thus perceive that il there be any 3UIpabiiity
in thisEregard, it cannot By any possibility
rest upon the Military Board CT E0rth Caro-
lina.
SO far from deserving censpra this Board
has meritsd the gratitude or the public
Whatever OF service tie State has rendered
| To the Southern cause within the last few
! months, has really been effected through is
| instrumeG taii.V. Under the sagaciOus and
efficient policy inauEL~ltEd by il. the for Is
have been built at great expense and infinite
trouble, upon the most barren OF beaches Mt
q long distance from the mqln land, and in To-
CalitieS 10 which 1t was necessary 10 transport
| every thing save the sand used ia the con-
| struction. regiment has likewise been
raised for the coast defence in the Eas tern
| section of the State, composed of the very
Hover OF Cardinals chiyalry. and every eff
| fort made to perfect it in the heavy artillery
| drill, so as TO prepare for emergencies. Nor
| is this all Forts Macon, Uaswan and John
| ston have been repaired, strepa athened, rein
] forced and rendered impregnable--a work OF
| herculean labor, all must admit who are
| acquainted with the facts Of the case.
In addition to these thirgs, let me point you
to the splendid regiments which this Board
has raised, equipped, and sent to Virginia, to
| fight the battles OF The ConfederaoY. In a
| word, sirs, much OK the praise which, ny uni
| versal consent, is lavished upon Nor h Caro-.
1 If hp +ciI 4 che,
| to her sister States in their hour Of peril be-
| longs Il matter OF necessity to this B 1ard
| since it has been the agency through which
| the good work has been planned, de yeloued
| and executed.
| To the Honorable Warren Winslow. the
able and patriotic S5cre ary Of this Board, the
State, and indeed the whole country is un-
der special obtigatiCCs and When the his tory
| of these stirring times are written by some
| impartial historian, it will be found that 10
| Sou thern man has prouder, purer, or more
| honorable record.
| Fort Hatteras is g small but well con-
| strncted work, built during the spring ard
| summer months. upon that narrow strir, of
| sand beach which separates the various
| sounds of North Carolina from the Atlantic
| Ocean. 1t commands Hatteras lniet--an in
| let which was opened in the great storm of
| 1916, almost 70 miles south of Roanoke Island.
six miles below the cape OF that name. and 10
| miles north Of Ooracoke, and is distant from
| the main land (Hvde eountyi about 20 miles
| When visited about q month sinca, by the
| writer of this. there were only eight
| thirty-two's mounted. though preparations
| We're then being made to place some
| guns Of a larger range and larger ca!ih~e
| in position 1t was then commanded by
| Major Andrews, of Go'dsborough, N. O..
| and garrisoned by two companies from the
| county of Martin and one from the county OF
| Pasquotak making i, ail about three huudred
| men. Among the officers stationed there
| were Captains Clemmons, Lamb and Cohocn:
Lieuts. Citizen. Bggs; (son Of Judge Biggs, j
l md N n tNcn Dft tI.a Z
| gineers, (the construc tor of the forty ard DR.
| Brown, late of the United States Navy,-aU
| of whom, with the exception of I.ieut Citi.
| Zan, have been taken prisoners. At that time
| Col Martin was stationed at Fort Oregon
| about forty miles distant, ard sincerely hone
| that he was not present at the time Of the a :.
| tack as the State can iilaford TO lose the ser.
| yicas of so admirable an Officar.
Fort CLARK is smaller work, of much mora
| recent construction, erected as n sort of out
post to Fort HAttaras, and comm anding the
| approach TO the inlet from The seq. It is dis.
| tant about tn ree- fonrths of mile from Fort
| Hatteras On tha same inlet With that fort, n nd
mounted at the period of my visit, only fou,
| guns-32- FOUNDERS.
| ABOUT fifteen miles to the southward is Fort
Ocracoke. q much stronger and more impor.
tant work, and which, in my OPINION, will
| offer q more effectuat resistanca 70 the en- a
| my. It is sincerely to he hoped that thu eff.
GERS stationed there, a-nov whom ara Lieu.
| Col Johnston and Major Gillian Of Martin,s
Regiment, did not participate in he engage.
ment. aud have been saved the hard fate o.
| their friends.
It is impossible for the enemy to obtain
water or provisions at Hattaras, or in its vi
cinity, and they will consequently be com
PEELED TO bring them from dis.anoe---a worb
! of MI uch trouble and expense. rs oar au thori
ties have faund for the last three months
The location is n healthy one, bat il is rep
dered almost uninhs bitsh'e by reason of ths
immense number of mosquitoes which fufes,
it, at this season especially. It is alrnaxt IN,
possible to eat sleep. or do Ggytting else win
| ont first securing the services OF n friend .,
servant TO keep the blood thirsty fnsscts n
bay The fsce and hands of every man sa a
there looked as if the smallpox v,ps in
breaking out upon them and notwythstand
ing the use of all the remedies nv ma,Iiea
friend couid suggest, ii was many 6ays ate
leaving Hatteras before the penetrating sou
veDirs Of its inhabitan Is could DO forgotten
The IDEA OF the impossibility of retakins
the for II preposteious, and 1t Is a matter Of
great import rtance that It should be done a
once fotslhough the large steamers cannot
navigate the Sound, smaller ones eau, ana
may do mischief. l.. w.
| r. 5 Since writing the above, 1 hay,
been grievad to learn that Col Maria is Ger
talnly among the prisoners. There wer
heavy guns IN the fort, but not ia position
from tns want of proper earriages-a fac
which should have been made known to u,
Confederate authorities by some one OF tn
several officers sent there at various times b.
them 70 inspect tho works. i. w.