The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1861-09-13
THE VICTORY AT HATTERAS.
Official Report Of Gen. Bntler.
TERMS OF SURRENDER-ARRIVA OF
PRISONERS At NEW YORK.

August 5l, looi.l
GENERAL Agreeable to your orders, l
embarked on the transport steamers AIDE
laide and Geo. Peabody, five hundred of the
twentieth regiment New York Volunteers,
Colonel Weber commanding; Captain
Jardine's company, Ninth Regiment New
York Volunteers, with one hundred of the
Union Coast Guards, Captain Nixon COM
manding, and sixty of the second United
States artillery Lieut.. Larned, command
ing, as force to operate in conjunction
with the fleet under command of Flag OFF,
Ger Stringham, against the rebel lorts at
Hatteras Inlet.
We left Fort Monroe on Monday at one
o'clock P. NJ, the last ship of our fleet ar.
irving off Hatteras Inlet about four o'clock
Tuesday afternoon. Such preparations as
were possible for the landing were made In
the evening, and at daylight next morning
dispositions were made for an attack upon
the forts by the feet and for the landing OF
the troops. Owing to the previous preva-
lence of southwest gales heavy surf was
breaking on the beach. Every effort was
made to land the troops, and after about
3l3 men were landed, including fifty five
marines from the feet, and the regulars,
both the iron boats upon which we depend
ed were swamped in the surf and both flat
boats were stove, and brave attempt being
made by Lieut.. Crosby, United States
Navy, serving with the army as post cap
tain, at Fort Monroe, who had volunteered
to come down with the steamtug Fanny,
belonging to the army, to land in boat
from the war steamer Pawnee, resulted in
Bleaching the boat SO that she could not be
got off
1t YVES impracticable to land more troops
because of the rising wind and sea. For
tunately underground rifed boat gun
loaned US by the flag ship, and twelve-pound
howitZer were landed, the last slightly
damaged. Our landing was completely
covered by the shells Of the Monticello and
the Harriet Lane | was on board the
Harriet Lane directing the Decentralization
of the troops by means of signals, and was
about landing with them at the time the
boats were stove. We were induced to de-
sst from further attempts at landing troops
by the rising of the wind, and because in
the meantime the fleet had opened fire upon
the nearest fort. which was finally silenced
and its flag struck. No firing bad been
opened upon our troops from the other fort,
and its flag was also struck. Surprising
this to be a signal of surrender, Col. Web
Der advanced bis troops already landed on
the beach.
The Harriet Lane, Captain Faunce, by
direction, tried to cross the bar to get into
the smooth water of the inlet, when fire was
opened upon the Monticello, which had
proceeded in advance of US, from the other
fort. Several shots struck her, but without
causing any casualties as l am informed.
So well convinced were the officers of both
navy and army that the forts had surren
dered at this time that the Susquehanna
had towed the frigate Cumberland to an of.
fling. The fire was then reopened as there
was no signal from either, upon both forts.
In the meantime few men from the Coast
Guard had advanced up the beach, with
Mr.. Wiegel, who was acting as volunteer
aid, and whose gallantry and services wish
to commend, and took possession of the
smaller fort, which was found to have been
abandoned by the enemy, and raised the
American flag thereon.
1t had become necessary, owing to the
threatening appearance of the weather, that
all the ships should make an offing, which
was done with reluctance, from necessity,
thus leaving the troops upon shore, part
in possession of the small fort, about seven
hundred yard from the large one, and the
rest bivouacked upon the beach near the
place of landing, about two miles north of
the forts.
Early the next morning the Harriet Lane
ran in shore for the purpose of covering any
attempt upon the troops. At the same time
large steamer was observed coming down
the sound, inside the land, with reinforce
ments for the enemy but she was prevent
ed from landing by Captain johnson, of the
Coast Guard, who had placed two guns
from the ship and six FOUNDER cap
tured from the enemy in small stand bat
terry, and then opened fire upon the rebel
steamer.
At eight o'clock the feet opened fire
again, the flag ship being anchored as near
as the water allowed, and the other ships
coming CALAMITY into action. 1t was evi>
dent, af er few experiments, that our shots
fell short. An increasing length of fuse
was telegraphed, and firing commenced with
shells of fifteen seconds fuse. l had sent
MIR. Fiske, acting aid de- camp on shore, for
the manifest purpose of gaining intel>
ligence of the movements OF the troops of
the enemy. then went with the Fanny
for the purpose of efecting landing of the
remainder of the troops when white flag
was run up from the fort.
then went with the Fanny over the bar,
the rebel steamer Winsow went up the
channel, having large number of rebel
troops on board, which she had not landed.
We threw shot at her from the Fanny,
but she proved to be cut of range. l then
sent Lieut.. Crosby on shore to demand the
meaning of the white flag. The boat soon
returned bringing Mr.. Wiegel, with the
following written communication from Sam
uel Barron, late captain in the United
States navy:
MEMORANDUM.
Flag Officer Samuel Barron. Confederate
States Navy, offers to surrender Fort Hatteras,
with all arms and munitions of war, the officers
allowed to go out with side arms and the men
without arms to retire. s. BARRON,
Commanding Naval Defence Virginia and
North Carolina.
Fort Hatteras, August29, 1861.
81 fs,,cp hat