The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-02-18
THE LATEST U011H11r 1IWa
Northern Accounts Of the Roanote
Affair.
THE ATTACK ON FORT DON.
ELSON.

A0&x[s
THE ATTACK ON FORT DON
The New York Herald Of the ls.h. dsvot.s
three entire pages to Q dsscrip,io OF the
"0reat and Glorious Union Victory 1t Ro.
anoke."
The Federal forces engaged comprised 81
vsssels and gunboats OF All Glasses. and 10
regiments Of infantry.
Bennett considers the victory unequalled
~ anything which the reds, al arms have
yet achieved. and In this We think our read.
srs will coincide. The Herald says:
Inc oatus was despsra.s one; but from
no beginning, when our troops were landed
- Ashiy's hArbor, on Friday afternoon, the
'tn instant, success seemed to attend them
Inc rebels were entrenched In tho cen tire OF
inc Island, bat BY tho gallantry Of our men
hoy were dislodged At the point Of the bayo.
net, and driven towards the Northern end OF
The Island, where those who wsre not killed
X wounded surrendered. Our loss he said to
% about nifty kllled-tuirty OF the army and
twenty Of the naval force. Oar wounded
aumbe1 about ono hundred and forty.
THE BAriLR.
reconnaissance was made ON FRIDAY
AorninX, after which the attack was com.
snenc.d ~ Commodore HoIdspvrougn, who
vas on board tho bOuthns.d she aud the
xunboat Under writer Opeued fire upUn the
rebel forts aud batteries 1T sieyeA Y cock il
tho morning.
The gunbuats and vessels Of the rebels were
attacked by our boats 1nd were sunk VI do.
,rroysd. Tue Fanny, the little propeller that
xnS taken from as Aouio snort Time ago by
me Rebels, WAS IN the hight aid wus Dul ueu
Our boats advanced " the attack Ia Inres
coiumns-the first being led by the gun boat
Stars and otrlpes, under the command Ut
Uaptaiu WoEden; the second Dy .hs Aouisi.
ana, In churSe OF Captain Buunay; bud The
thud by tho Heszsi, under charge " Captain
davenport. The gunboAts tn4L we're nearest
" The forts and batteries, were mo Ueres,
Putnam, Eaiiey City, Commodore Perry,
bsinxer, and the WhAteheao; all tho Others
were in the Immediate vicinity, ou: lhu above
aamed boats were ,hs closest An.
One OF the shots VI tho enemy took effect
IN the bow OF The Louisiana, uut n Que WIS
IN The least injured by II the he FOL iosI
one man she 0ursI ono Of her r.fl 81 Parrott
guns. some splendid nrlng Was mad. by the
sunbOat HunUhback, and Tue 9rsaIest praise
was shOwvred upon ala for The lndomi ~ Ole
courage display "a upon The occ ASTON.
At .Ix O'CLOCK IN the evening 4lier hard
days fighting, Commodore 0oldsboruugh
siGnalled our fleet from his flagship 10 Cease
hrlng, and ~ withdraw tor the Tune being
which order WAS ~ once complied with.
In tho meantime tho soldiers were being
landed On Roanoke Island, anu the
night advanced, there was \ Union force OF
nearly ecren tAousod seldiers LANDED on NE Island
The rebels having fallen ba-A bonlAu GA.
trenchmenis on the centre OF The Island
about four or ivs miles from tho shore.
The first p0lnt> attacked wero Inc fortS,
which returned our nls with hearty goO0
nd A..h n.
perseverance, worthy OF better cau.e, but
I0ey were 1t last com PEELED 10 give way from
the terrific force OF our unl.ed IRE, the
ground In tho vicinity having sno appearance
of newly plOuGhed land from Tho mo usands
" shells Inat mud burst ana scattered dsvas-
tation everywhere within their reach.
On SATURDAY morning some i've or SIX thou.
sand men were landed in addition To those
that were already placed ON tho shore. and
skirmishers were ~ once deployed ~ recon.
Aoitre, and the result OF their III arch was the
discovery OF masked battery, mounting
three EIns. This was 1T once ..tlacked bV
the HaWkins Zouavse, famed by The q It
and 2ash Massachusetts regiments. 1t was
carried At the point Of the bay 0net ana
more gallant ana successful charge was sci.
dom witnessed. The brave fellow cd at
1t, determined 70 do or u1e." Cae regiments
that sutsksd most were the 81 n vi .ssachu-
setts and the 10th OO1inUc. ,cut, VINO lost
several men during the charge. LIE conflict
was hot, tho possession OF ihu battery being
hour or two they were Obliged to yield to the
proves OF the Union troops, aud the battery
was abandoned.
our men followed them closely, and sur.
rounding them held them aa PRISONERS
Among the others VINO fell on our side In this
engagement was the lamented Col. Russell.
OF the Tenth Connecticut regiment, who was
killed while 1t the head OF his men, cheering
and leading them on to victory, and 1t Col.
10 monteil, OF the D'Epineuil Zouaves, who
y I'D ~ ~ h 10 To-
occasion. No other omcer of rank was till
cd who held . rank above that OF lieuten-
ant. General Vices son commanded the
rebels 1T the time Of the attacx by tho Zou-
portion bravely until, owing 20 wound thar
he received. he had to b carried OF the field,
his command retiring short distance, when
they laid down their arms.
wounded on tho par. OF the Union troops 10
about 200, Of which number some fifty were
killed. We took some twenty eight hundred
prisoners, together with every thing belong
ing to them. Among them are several Off.
cers Of very high standing In the rebel army
After this glorious victory on Saturday
afternoon, dest OF fifteen Of oar gunb boats
was dispatched towards Eliz1 beth City, and,
shelled but this was almost unnecessary, as
the Inhabitants, or 1t least some of them,
upon hearing Of tho approach Of the Union
forces, applied tho drebrand to different por-
wrapped in hames-far more terrible in theif
destr uction than any attack cou Id have been
1t vas evidently the work of others than the
residents OF tho place, a. an appeal was
officers to send on shore toroe to assist them
In battling with the flames but an order
had been issued to she effect that NO porson
shoald DO permitted to land, 30 as NO, to give
saying that the torch Of the incsndiary was
applied by any hand but their own Tho
place was about half burned at the time it
was occupied BY the Union troops. Shortly
which was taken possession Of by Uommo-
dors Goidsborough, with ont the least oppo.
sition having been offered.
Edenton - the key to the road around the
march to suffolk. suffolk is the junction Of
tho Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad and the
Norfolk and Petersburg and Richmond Rail.
road. Su6olk, once occupied by our troops,
land, and give US possess ion Of the junction
of three i'm portant railrOads-the Seaboard
and Roanoke Railroad, and the Norfolk and
Petersburg Railroad.
sscouD REPORT.
When abreast OF Pork Point, about mid.
way between the Point and Roanoke leland.
q ten.tnch gun battery opened on the fieet
A reconnoisancs by tho underWrttsr
owed that the enemy had obstrn cted the
passage by sinking vessels and dri vtue piles
the entire width of Oroatan Sound that
above this barrlcade were eight sunboate.
and that In addition to the battery on PORK
Point, named Fort Barlow, were For, Blan.
ohard. four guns, and Fort Huger on y eir's
Point, four guns, and Fort Forrest, eight
guns, on Reu Stone, on The west aide OF the
Sound, opposite Weir's Point, all of which
bore 90 as to play On our fleet should il at.
tempt to pass tho barricade.
The feet Immediately advanced in three
columns TO attack Pork Point battery and the
rebel sunboats. At half past eleven the en-.
gagement became general, and Ia less than an
90 much disabled that she was run aground
under Fort Forrest Our Meet now cOncen.
trated it, fire on Fort Barlow, At range Of