, 1861-07-03
DEATH OF CAPT. WARD.
sharp Action with the HebeIa--De~
xer5pti0n Of tho KBE8EentenH~--&3nI-
lanr Conduct @f Officers and Hon.

DEATH OF GAIT. WARD.
sef1pt1on Of the eKRgsEemenH~--taal-
liant Conduct sf Gh1cers and mon.
= Or Board srHAMxn FpExsoss,
: Orr AQUA CREEK,
PoToHAc R1yEA, June IS, 1861.
A hard fight took .pIaee this evening, be-
tween the FreeborD, some Of The men. belong
Ing to the PaWnee, A1d regiment OF rebel
tr1ope 1t MathiAs Point, resulting In tho death
Of the gallant Capt James e Ward. !. =.
effect q Judgement at Matthias Point, to de-
st1oy the thick woods that fringe: the river
banks overlooking the liver, which served to
conceal rebel troops, and to mask such bate
rieB IS they might chance to erect there.
On reaching the PSlnt ne aasiSa paaeibSorn' Ksi ~
. Freedom then opened ca1nonada from both
gune, throwing In shot and shell in various
parts of tha land, to check the advance Of an
I enc my while the boats landed.
The landing was effected little after IL
ocleSk and q mees:ant R p1 esRno1ade ts was kspt
building, looking ffom the river, view Of the
rebel encampment was obtained, about three
miles of, aud men coQld-b be seen moving to
and fro. Some of them were on horseback,
and one man VIE seen gal1oping down the road
hading to the camp. 10 this point the Free
tQIa6 HQQt8 HG1E Q11EEkEal~
The ground was well chosen, for strong
fence ran acroes, with IN embaukment and a
ditch on the side Of our party, forming ready
made defense, under cover OF which our men
could check the advance Of the enemy. Only
cEe little spot, forming m angle OF about
torts: fire degrees With the teace, Eas LEFT ex-
posed; ard It Was at this spot that the sand
bags were being laid as fast IS they could be
flied.
At 1 O'Clock the Freebon ceased firing, aud
resumed at O'Clock, the bow gun thro wing in
round shot, aud the after guns five-second
shell.
The battery on shore Was now nearly COM
p1tted, and large quantity Of branches Of
trees Was placed over to mask it. a number
Of the Freeborn's men were now seen running
in the direction Of MI. Grlmes' house, and
the thiCket had no sooner concealed them
from the IieT Of the FreehaTn than four shots
were fred at them from the house, which
Kellogg Wss distinctly heard, shouting rescpe,
ard more men were then seen working to aid
him. Presently they all returned, and Mr..
Kellogg subsequently reported that The rebals
had been ail cleared out, The Freeborn had
ceased frtngt 30 a. not to hit our own men,
the order to tratn the forward gun sharp for
ward, a. It had been trained sharp after all
along: He WIS on the gallows 'frafae ali tIis
time, but whether he saw The rebels when he
II dieated the pointing Of the gun he mere.
Lived to tell.
The gun was trained when he sounded the
Al bands or board" The ] ordef vas e obeSed 5g1s
and they were making tor the beach when
rife ehot Was fred from the thicket to the len
Ct Jotank creek, at the picket stationed near
BY, going through his cap. He fell bsck on
the main body, discharging his rifle before d.
ing 80: Two or three shots, and next 4 terri
hih THlEav 6raH frnYy, ehn1a
extreme point to the left, all the way to the
commencement Of Jotank creek, on the men.
Who were fast running for their boats and the
Freeborn. The shots few as thick a. hail all
around Lieut.. Chaplin andsmen- The Major
Was among the last to leave the beach, seeing
zen bad to swim for their lives, among them
Mr. Chaplin, Who, as well as the rest, succeed
Cd in gaining their boats. Not q tool nor a
weapon was left behind.
Coxswain John Williams, Of the Paguee's
nIst cutter, behaved nobly. He was badly
six feet by four, had no fewer than nineteen
sEots through 1t, ard the staff was cut in two.
SEEKING the stump in his hand, he waved the
dag, saying, Boys, the American flag never
r. taaa Pe e e.9Esred' don't allow any Of our men
beard the swimmers, the rebel shots living
thickiy around them. Lieut. Chaplin was not
yet taken on board, when Williams called ont,
"Mr: Chaplin, throw away your cap; it is d
mark for the enemy." Mr. Chaplin coolly
turned on his back, tastencd his cap to bis !
Buepenters, turned round again, swan and
reached the boat.
On beard the FreeborD, when the enemy
GEened fire, Captain Ward came down from
the gallows frame and seized rifle, which he
tired at the enemy, as did pilot Pierson aud
myself We fired several shots, when the
Captain run down to the forecastle deek and
began to sight the gun, first ordering It to be
loaded with round shot. He had rot the
sight, and Was about to withdraw and piya
The werd to fire, when he was struck by a Inf-
let, saying to Harry Churchill, the hoats vain'a
mate, "Churchill, am Killed" He fall intn
his at1nR, while Churchill pulled tbs strinr
with the other, throwing the shot clea? amonF
tie enemy. fyc-second shell and tw5
ronIds OF grape were then fired from The hnw
gun, while the after gun frcd about the ssn,e
quantity. ''A1'e
"Slip the cable and start herr yas now
1t was done, and soon he F8ehnrn nud III
The beats were ont Of ranre ~ tI,a DO da,d1r H.
rifles and Mus ke1a, 'o "e'~1'
The Pawnee was now ord7reft s1onox;ds and
Dr. j. 4. Moore, cur surreons Who Ias baan
sent Oh board Of her in the mornine. car came son on