The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-07-04
THE FIGHT AT NATHAN POINT.
A NORTHERN ACCOUNT.

4 NOkTHkRN ACCOtNT.
| A letter to the New York Herald, written
on board the steamer Freeborn, gives the fol.
lowing details of the fight:
| On reaching Matthias Point, the Freeborn
| anchor ed, broadside on, opposite the wooden
| building so often fired on, to the LETT of which
ia gaGtie slope, leading 10 the top OF the Ia
BILE lands and TO the left OF that n ravine
called Jotank swamp. Beyond the ravine,
still further to the lett, is dense thicket OF
pines, running considerable distance along
the high bank to the extremity OF the Point.
The Reliance anchored Il little lower down
tnan the freebern, while the Dana anchored
further out. On board OF her hawser was
niade fast, con meeting her with the Freeborn
| The FREEDOM then opened cannonade
from both guns, throwing in shot and she'll in
various parts OF the lasd to check the ad-
vance of an enemy while the boats landed
| The landing was safely accom- iished, the
bsats employed being those of the Pawnee,
Captain Ward going of i'll the first cutter
ihe table land was soon gained, when The
| Tenei pickets opened fire on our men, which
! the latter retained. On seeing this the ree-
! b:rI's boat, with eight men, the coxswain
| and your correspondent. under command OF
| mas Lers mate Joan Kellogg, put off from the
| Freeborn. On grounoing, the other boats put
| of, Captain Ward telling Mr.. Kellogg to cover
! thu ret aat OF the other boats, which he did.
| no enemy appeared, and the men lay on their
| oars between the Ereeborn and the shore
~IeauWhlie, Captain Ward went board
| ne Free born, to superintend the working OF
| the guns to cover CUT second landing, which
| vas effected by the three boats, when, The
ACTIVITY being Climbed, pickets Were thrown
Unt TO the right and lett, extending 10 the
right considerably beyond the wooden build
Ing, and to the LETT beyond JotaLk swamp.
The former was composed OF the Ereeborl
men the latter OF those OF the Pawnee. ire
| erection of a sand. bag battery by the Paw
| nee's men, under the superintendent of Lieu
| tenant Chaplin, was then commenced at the
| summit of the table land up the ACTIVITY, al
the foot of which the landing WAS effected
| The ground was well chosen, tor strong
| fence III cross. with an eInbankmeEt aud g
| ditch he side OF cur party, iormiGg
| ready edefence, under cover of which our
| men cot check the advance of the eneIny.--
| Only one little spot, forming an angle of forty-
five degrees with the fence, left ex-
| posed and 1t was at this spot that the sand
| bags were being laid as fast as they could be
fliied.
The landing was effected y little after IL
| o'clock, and an incessant capnonade was kept
| mp till tour. From the right of the wooden
| building, looking from the river, q view vi
| the enemys encam pInent was obtained about
| three miles off, and men could be Seen moving
| to and fro. Some of them were On horseback
nnd one man was seen galloping wn the
| road leading to The camp. To Lhis point tne
| Free born's shots were dIrec ted, under the ia
| formation furnished from the shore by Mr.
| Kellogg. Inc shots were we'll aimed.
! AT Tour O'Clock the Freeborn ceased firing
and resumed at five, the boy gun throwing IN
round shot and the after gun tiye-s.cond she'll
Capt. Ward stood on the gailows frame di-
recting the fire, which Was excellent. Sew
erai or the SHOT and shell We're distinctly seen
to strike the white house, belonging TO MIR
Grmts, at some distance above The wooden
building, in which was ascer tanned that rebel
troops Were concentrated, anu il was Conse.
Quently the object of the second cauGonade
| The battery Oh shore was low nearly com
pleted, and "a large quantity of branches OF
trees was placed over 1t 10 mask IL. "A mum
| Der OF the Freedoms men We're now
| running IN the dlIeC t3On of Mr.. Grimes house
and the thicket had no sooner conceaied them
from the view OF the Freedom than four shots
We're fired at them from the house, which
were returned by our men. The voice of Mr
| Kellogg was distinctly heard, shouting rescue,
and more men were then seen working TO siu
hun Presently they Ali returned, and Me-.
| Kellogg subseQ uently reported that the rebels
had been ali cleared out. The FreebJrn had
ceased firing, so rs not to hit our own men,
when on their temperance Capt. Ward gave
! the order TO train the forward gun sharp tor
ward, as 1t had been trained sharp att ali
| along.
He was the gallows frame all this time,
but whether he saw the rebels when he indi-
Gated the pointing of the gun, he never lived
TO tell. The gun was trained when he sounded
the whistle, at the same time hailiug the
| shore, "Ali hands on board" The order was
| obeyed, and they were making for the baac CHI
| when rifle shot was fred from the tnicket
to the left OF Jotank creek, a the picket sta
toned near by, going through his cap. He
fell back on the main body, discharging his
| rifle before doing SO. Two or three Shots and
next Il terrible voley, were red from the
rebels from the extreme point 10 the left, all
the way 10 the commencement Of Jotank
| creek on the men, Who were fast running tor
thenr boats and the Freeborn. The shots
flew as thick as hail all around Lieut. Chap.
i'm aud men. The Major among the last
to leave the beach, seeing that the Iuen were
safe off. Several of the men had to swim for
their lives, among them Mr.. Chaplin, who
as we'll rs the rest, succeeded in gaming their
boats Not tool nor weapon was left be
| hind.
On board the Freeborn, when the enemy
opened fire, Captain Ward came down from
the galiows frame and seiz9d 4 rifle, which he
fired at, the enemy, as did pilot Pierson ana
myself. We fired several shots, when the
captain ran down 10 the forecastle deck ana
began to sight the gun, first ordering it to be
loaded with round shot. He had got the
sight, and was about to withdraw and give
the word to fire, when he struck by a
bullet, saying to Harry Churchill, the boat
SWANS mate, "Churchifl, l am Killed. He
fell into one of his arms, while Churchill
pulled the string with the other, throwing
the shot clear among the enemy A five
| second she'll and two rounds OF grape were
then fired from the bow gnn, while the alter
| gun fired about the same quantity.
| Slip the cable and start her." was now
Lieut.. Lees order, on assuming the com
,nand. 1t was done, an6 soon the Freedom
| and all the boats were out OF the range of the
deadly rifles and muskets.
The PaWuee was now ordered alongside,
and DIR. }. "A. Moore, our surgeon, who had
been gent on board Of her in the morning,
Ii,
Mr.. Frederick Ward. the Captains second
son. DR.. Moore immeaia tely pronounced the
wound mortal. The bail had entered the UNI
bilious, and came out on the right side, near
the back, perhaps passing through the liver
and other vitals.
The Captain was first laid on the quarter
deck, but subsequently removed to a more
convenient position In removing him he said,
Why remove me am quite comfor table ~
Here Lieutenant Lee asked he could do any
thing for him. He only said. - Raise my head
a little higher" To DIR. Moore he once said,
Or, the wound is here poioting 10 the pit
| OF his stomach. The Captain fingered lot
. about three-q uarters of an hour, when be ex-
pred after few gasps. HIS son was by b i'm
whea he treathed his last. The most pro
. | found grief pervaded the whole of the officers
and crew of the Freedom.
When it was known that the Captain was
MORALLY wounded, George Couch, captain
ofthe after gun, exclaimed, "Boys, let US ha We
our revenge" The gun was then pointed
true, and the nve seconds shell burst right Ia
the l. DIST Of the enemy. He was about to
, fire again, when the Doe tor babe the dis
turbance of the Captains last moments, and
Couch dessted.
row escapes, being shot through their caps
and various parts of their clothing round
bullet went through the engine room, cut q
broom handle in Two, and fell on board.
The Washington papers furnish the follow
iug ofiieia! report
II. s. SLooP PAwSEE
Potomac River, June 9Th, 1861. (
| SIR IL have to report the following casual
ties resulting from the action st Matthias
| Point This afternoon:
Killed. l,-Commander J. II. Ward. com
mandipg fottiia; gnnshot wound Of aldo.
: men, almost i'm mediateiy fatal.
wounded dangerously, al. VIM. j. Best,
y. D, belonging TO the Pawnee gunshot
wound, fractured both bones of left leg a
second gunshot wound in soft part of RICH
| Of rio