Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1862-03-07
z" tHe @"9"tT
The FEht on Roanoke IsIand.

Messrs. Ed.tcTs:-The letter of '.Justice,"
published in ito 'Dispatch," Feb. Oth,) as
lar Us concerns the Roanoke Island affair, ia a
tissue or biuiders from beginning to end. Tho
plsil truth il, Roanoke Island WAS not and
could hot l:sTs been fer SONS weeks made de-
feasible. Tue system Of defence was entirely
wrong, and sGGh dGfances sa Rer. made were
insufficient and ridiculous. The Only possible
mode Of defending that Island WAS By bate
RIGS: ping and distractions uIdes are Ct those
batteries, :: lhe marshes, wherc there were
none.
Tie marshes once passed, tho enemy could
have cut cT tie whole Confederate army on
the Islard, and forced IL to surren de-: withon:
HusticG a charge of powder.
Roanoke Island being the Key to TIE |hS!e
A!be,narie Sound aud its tributaries, in IN
portanco was obvious and its occupation BIZ
tbs ennruy requires the permanent employ
ment oil Thirty Ut forty thousand additional
troops 20 place Ts in the Saruo position o! es-
carity rs before. This not only ought TO have
beeu foTessen, but was f~oresceu. II was fors.
seen, bot not provided for, with mouths Of
providentisi leisure for such provision will
not venture 70 conjecture whers lies the blame,
especially rs this must COM to LIGHT in the in
eestigntion which is bound to follow; but, here,
at least, all conversaat with fscts, know Hhose
Juult it uas not. 1t certainly was not tho
fault Of Gen. Wise. When fret appointed to
this command, ne saw and represented the in-
vor;aDcn Of terrifying tho marches, ard used
every efJr! 70 obtain tho means ii terrifying
them.
This opinion was SHARED, l know, by Capt.
Hunter, .. 3. n, by Col. HenniaSse1, and l
understand BY Col. Shaw.
Frustrated by temporary sickness when tho
enemy appeared, Genera! Wise sent tho slen-
der forces OF his legion, with bis gallant frat
born, 10 uphold the honor of the South by a
daring resistance, though without hopo Of
eventual success. Ocl. Shaw, who surrender
cd the forces on tbs Island, was not to blame
fcr the antacedent state OF things, neither, in
the opinion OF e1 perisncsi soldiers, was he to
blame for surrendering when 10 did. He
fought personally at the barricade, vindicating
bis personal courage; and when he had seen
and shared 10 tie vipdication Of Southern
honor By the desperate defence made By q
handful OF men, he properly interposed to
prevent further cfusion of blood in hopeless
contest.
As to the detsucss erected, utterly useless,
however scientifically cads, whilst the marsh.
Oh wero uadetendcd,) their incompetence may
BIO judged from tho fac. that Of four batte
ries, viz: three on the shore of tho Island
and ono on the main land, (mounting in all
twsnty-scven guns,) only ono battery was en-
gagged, and that battery, Gifts nine guns, could
only use three during the action.
The total force on the Island, whom Gene
raj Wise had landed there (all but TWO or three
companies to protect Nsg's Head gave en- ag.
gregete oi under 1900 men, or under 1900
f5r duty-when sick, &c, were deducted.
/ counted myself over 100 sail and smoke
attacks of the enemy. He admits having land
ID 1000 on the Island the frst night, and
1000 tho next morning. He might have land
ed with iu,pnnity north of I'll the batteries in
tho rear Of al! dsfsnces. Tho !, 800 defenders
of me Island wsre divided into five bodies,
viz: three tn mah the three batteries, one to
defend a land tarricsde with three guns, aud
or. 10 reserve. Besides this, COL Green's
Regimen, and four companies Of tho 48th Re-
siment Virginia Volunteers, under Major Fry,
Tero landed a: the eleventh hour, and after tue
fight had virtually been decided and were never
engaged. except some companies Of Colonel
Gscsn's "a North Carolina Wise Legion, who
fred G coupls Of %vollies, and wels then stopped
BY tie intiulation that the surrender bad been
consummsted.
The resistance vas consequently made at
Pork Point battery, for Fort BArtow) where
about ,wu hundred North Carclinians, under
Major Hill, nsds 8 gallant defence against
thirty steamers, with the loss of one men
killed and G7e wounded, only falling back
when tho enemy could HAYS taken him in his
thari ielencc!h7s rear.
Tho rest OF tbs lighting, ie1cen: that OF the
Mosquito feet gas dono at the barricade ur-
der tie command of Lieut. Col. Anderson, by
six companies of the G9th Regiment Virginia,
(OoL H%snDingsen's Regiment,) b. two ccmps-
mics of the 46,h Virginia and by t*o coRpa-
rlss of a North Carolina Regiment, 400 men
aud officers 81 told, with three pieces. They
deieeded this position for severn! hours, losing
IS killed and wounded, and probably inHict-
ing On the enemy a loss OF more than double
their own total ncmbcr.
Trey were directly assailed By at least eight
Regiments, besides other corps. The enemy
in bis report mentions eight and the Union
coast guard, VIZ: the 2lst, Esd and 25th and
9th Massachusetts, the SD and 9th n. York,
the 10Th Connecticut, and the 9th New Jersey.
All of these had killed and wounded in the
attack on the barricade, including the Colonel
of the 10Th Connecticut and the Colonel OF
the 59:h New York, killed. This constituted
a force of at least ten to fifteen times their
OWN number. They were only driven fom
their position after oil the ammunition tor
thcis three guns had been expended, and
aftcr ths7 ind been turned By overwhelming