Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1861-10-09
The .Stapoato.
sURRENDER OF FoRr HATrRRAs.

SONnENDEN Ut rOAx snAAthuAOs &
OFFICIAL REPORTS OF. THE orrIcERs
COL MARTINS REPORT
FLAG SHiP MINNESOTA,
At Sea, Aug. 81, 81.
To tho Adiatant Geasral Of North Carolina,
go Ralsigh, NJ c.:
SIR: herewith report the fall Of Forts CLARK and
Hatsras 1t Hatteras Inlet on the 2sth and 2sth Of
this month"; and the surrender Of all the officers and
troops then present to the combined naval and army
forces Of the United States government commanded
BY Commodore Stringhatn and Maj. Gen. Butler, as
prisoners Of war.
On Tuesday afternoon, the 9th of August about
o'clock, discovered large fleet in sight OF Hat
teras after an hour or more, by the aid OF the
glass, made out what considered seven large
war steamers, two transports apparently CROWDED
with men, and two or three small tug steamers
Having at that post but about three hundred and
fifty men, and learning from the officers in charge
of Forts Clark and Hatteras that it would require
at least two hundred and twenty-five men to work
the guns properly, and give the necessary relefs,
and knowing that with tho residue of the men, I
could not successfully resist landing of the enc
my's troops, I determined to send to Portsmouth
for aid There being no steamboat at Hatteras, af
ter some hour or more, | succeeded in getting a
pilot boat, and dispatched it with orders to Lieut.
Col George w. Johnston. at Portsmouth, to bring
to my aid, from Portsmouth, all the men that could
possibly be spared. This dispatch which | had
hoped and expected would have reached him in a
few hours he did not get until sometime IN the
morning Of the next dav. Immediately upon re-
ceiving nv orders Lieut. Col. Johnston made every
effort to come to nv aid and succeeded in reaching
Hatteras at dark on the 28th, with MAJ. II. A. Till
liam and portions of the following companies, to-
wit: Company f, 18th Regiment N. c. Volunteers,
ST. George W. Grimes commanding, and sixty men
and two End Lieutenants; Company e. 7th Regt,
Lieut. NJ T. Moye commanding, with seventy-three
men and one I'd Lieutenant; Company K; 7th regi-
ment N. G. Volunteers Capt Thomas II. Sharpe,
commanding, with sixty-four men and two End
Lieutenants; Company of State Troops, Capt. Thos
Sparrow, commanding, with fifty men and all his
officers At the time of the arrival Of Lieutenant
Col. Johnston, Commodore Barron of the Confed-
crate States Navy, and Maj. W. S. G. Andrews,
commanding the Artillery defences ut Forts Clark
and Hatteras also arrived.
On the arrival of Commodore Barron and Major
Andrews, held consultation with the Major, and
we agreed that it was advisable to surrender the
command Of our defences to the Commodore. having
entire confidence in his skill, experience and brave
~. if he would accept the same. The offer of the
command was made to him, and he consented to
take charge The reports of Commodore Barron
and Maj. Andrews, of the action of the goth contain
all that is material, and | Therefore deem tunneces-
sary to say any thing in relation to the attack and
surrender on the 29th farther than to remark that
the officers and men behaved well, exhibiting great
GOODNESS and bravery, and regretting that We were
placed at such disadvantage, having neither sufti-
Gent armament to compete at all with the enemy,
and having fertilization not sufficiently we'll con-
structed to enable US TO remain still and endure the
fire Of the enemy.
Had our condition in either of these respects been
what it ought to have been Hatteras would still be
in our possession.
Tn the morning of the 2sth, between eight and
nine o'clock, heavy fire opened from the
steamers Minnesota, Wabash, Susquehannah, and
other war vessels upon Fort Clark and upon almost
all parts of the Island, particularly at the point
where they intended landing troops. The fire was
continuous upon Fort Clark and upon all the little
skirts woods where troops might possibly be con-
cealed for several hours, being fire of shells only,
it might we'll be spoken of as q flood Of shells.
The fire Of the enemy was promptly returned by
Capt John G. Lamb, Comp. d Tth Regt n. c. VS.
who was in charge Of Fort Clark, and was regularly
kept up by him until every charge of powder and
every primer was exhausted. 1t was while gallant
ly directing one Of the guns at Fort Clark that It.
Knight of Comp. d. 18th regiment N. c. Vols, re-
ceived severe wound in the arm from fragment
Of shell. Capt. Lamb and his Lieutenants all of
whom were present, and the men under their COM
mand, displayed great GOODNESS and bravery. Their
fire was well directed, guns we'll managed and while
most Of their shot fell Short yet some reached the
enemy, doing however but little damage, as they
were all round shot that were fired
Our ammunition being entirely exhausted at Fort
Clark, and the enemy having landed some forces, ]
called the officers together who were at Fort Clark
nd - H..
bic to render useless the guns and fall back upon
Fort Hatteras. This being agreed to, sent orders
10 the various bodies Of men whom had stationed
IN the skirts of wood to resist the advance of the en-
envy upon Fort Clark, that Fort Clark could not be
held, and they must fall back upon Fort Hatteras
The guns at Fort Clark were as effectually spiked
as it was possible to do with nails having no prop
spikes, every thing taken off that we could carry
and We fell back under most terrible fire of shell
upon Fort Hatteras. We reached there | think
about one o'clock. should have stated before that
Lient A. W. Ezzell Of Capt W. Sutton's company
of State Troops, had charge of one of the guns at
his duty man and soldier
Iregret to state that while some of the men were
passing from Camp Gwynn which was OH the sound
shore, and about two miles from Fort Hatteras one
Il'an and possibly two were killed by shells of the
enemy. have not been able to learn their names
Having collected all the troops at Fort Hatteras
determined to make as good resistance as posi-.
BILE Consulting with Capt Cohoon, of Comp. B.,
TN regiment N. G. VS., who had charge of Fort
Hatteras with his company, we agreed that it
was useless to expend our shot on the enemy as
we were beyond reach. so We must endure until
they cane nearer Fort Hatteras submitted to the
ire tor some hours without returning shot At
about tour o'clock P. NJ. one of the encmy's steam.
ers undertook to 60 through the Inlet, when we
opened upon her, and drove her back, putting sew.
eral round shot into her. but doing her suppose no
material damage. r0O ''O
The firing between Fort Hatterss and the srsr,v
continued until night fall or rather the fire Of thy
enemy upon the Fort continued, for thew kent se
well beyond the reach Of our guns, that VIC on !,
wasted our ammunition in firing at them.
1t may be proper to state that no flag was raised
upon Fort Hatteras during the day of the 2Sth-
This was fact, however, that did not attract m,
attention, and can suppose only be accounted fc
from the flag having been torn to pieces by tn
WINDS, and no new ones procured for when on tn
18th the flag was ordered to be hosted we had 4
use the one brought from Fort Clark not being abl
to get the one belonging to Fort Hatteras,
] regret to report that In addition to the officer