The national Republican., 1861-09-19
cOsFEDERATE ACCOUNT OF THE
HATTERAs FIGHT.

HATTERAs FIGHT.
OFFICIAL REPORTS or CON. BARRON. MAJOR AN
DREws AND COL. MARTIN. g.
The official reports of the above-naued OIL
GERS, we're written Oh board the Minnesots,
while on its way to New York, and were pub
lshrd IN he Tribune. They present very few
new features Of the affair. and these we ex-
tract
|, Major Andrews says:
At TAO O'Clock A. N. If the 29th, the enemy
opened fire on US from the stesm-ffigate Miu.
nesota (43 guns,) Wabash as guns,) Susque-
hanna as guns,) frivate Cumberland ga guns,)
steamer Pawnsa Go guns,) and Harrit Lane
(6 guns,) and rifle battery OF three guns
erected in the sand hills three miles east OF
Fort Clark. Thus, you will see, they brought
Is guns OF the most approved kind aod heaviest
metal TO bear on us-the shells thrown being
9.inch, l0-iuch, and IL Inch Dahlg, en-, Paixhau,
and columbiad while, from the position taken.
we were unable to reach tnem with the greatest
elevation. The men Of the channel battery
we're ordered to leave their guns aud protect
themselves a we'll as possible, the council ol
the commanding officers having decided that
1t was to be an action Of endurance unit ! our
| reinforcements came up. After few shots
had been fired, aud it was ascertafed that we
only answered the fire Of the enemy occasion.
ally, to show we had not surrendered. The
shower of shell, in half an hour, became literal
| ly tremendous, as we had fallen into and i'm.
mediately around the works not less, on an
average, than ten each minute, and, the sea
being smooth, the firing was remarkably accu-
rate.
One officer counted 27 shells as falling SO as
to damage us in one minute, and several Others
l In A N
| eleven o'clock a council of the officers was
held, and 1t was determined to SURF, nder.
Thus, for three hours and twenty minutes, Fort
| Hattaras resisted storm Of shells perhaps
more terrible than ever fell upon any other
works.
Commodore Barron's report Is bare repeti-
ton of Major Andrews; therefore, bis part Of
the story is soon told:
II was requested by Colonel Martin and
Msj9r Andrews commanding the post to as
su,ne command OF the tort, 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 Newbern Of Q regiment of North
Carolius volunteers, ut or before midnight, (tbe
. feet having put to sea, and appearances indi-
, eating bad westher) we designed an assault on
/. Fort Clark, three quarters of mile distant
, from Fort Hatteras, which had been taken pos
session of by party landed from the shipping;
but, unfortunately, the regiment did not arrive
until the following day, after the bombardment
had commenced; and when the time came that
} l deemed evacuation or surrender unavoida-
BILE, the means Of escape were not at my com
mand.
during the fret hour, the shells Of the ships
fell short, we only firing occasionally, to ascer
| - Il
t wishing to reserve our very limited supply OF
: ammunition ill the vessels might find it neces
= cary tD come nearer in; but they after some
practice got the exact range Of their y, 10, and
l. ll-inch guns, and did not find 1t necessary &c
alter their positions, while not shot from OIL
y battery reached them with the greatest eleva
d tion we could get This state OF things. shells
y bursting In and over the fort every few seconds
having continued for about three hours, the
q men were directed 10 take shelter under th.
D psrapet and traverses, aud l called a cOuL ci
: Of officers, at which 1t was unanimously agreed
3 that holding out longer could only result in q
l., greater loss Of life, without the ability 10 dam
age our adversaries, and, just at this time. the
. magazine being reported on fire, shell having
+ fallen through the ventilator of the "bonh
. proof" into the room adjoining the principal
magazine, ordered q white flag to be shown
|. when the firing ceased, and the surrender was
= made"
e COLONEL MARTINS REPORT.
}, Colonel Martin writes to the Governor o
y North Caroline, asking that the families Of tn,
prisoners may be cared for, and that money ant
:. clothing may be sent them.
d Colonel Martin refers to the reports of Majo
r Andrew and CoRmodO Barron for particular
II of the second days operations-m ely remark
v ing that Fort Hatteras had not sufficient arma
'r ment to compete at all with the enemy, and th
o Notifications were not sufficiently we'll con
structed to enable us to lie still and endure tn
d FIRE of the enemy" OF the operations of tn
first day, he says that Fort Clark was exposed
! to food of Shells" which poured upon
3. and upon oil the little skirts Of wood where n
d enemy might possibly be concealed, tor severa
~ hOurs-"a u fire promptly returned until ever
z charge Of powder and every primer was OK
hsusted, when retreat to Fort Hatteral wa
I, ordered"
D. There are also reports from the Tar Rive
J. and other captsins