The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1862-02-18
THE CAPTURE OF ROANOKE ISLAND

Roanoke Island was Welded only after desperate
and brilliant defence. One after another, three
columns of the enemy, consisting OF o'ooo "en
each, assailed our little band of 100 heroes, and
one after another the attacking columns were
CALAMITY driven back. 1t was not until the enc:
my's whole army of $4,000 men was concentrated
against our force Ness than one-sixth their num-
herr that our faded troops were overwhelmed.
We get the following particulars of the fight from
the Norfolk Day Book:
On Thursday, SO Of the enemy's vessels, steam
and sail, hove in sight, and on FriGay, at 10
O'Clock a. m, commenced the engagement in
force. Their vessels came within two miles OF
our batteries, where they opened fire. The engage
ment lasted fiom that time until night, and was
terrific.
They had perfected their arrangements early
in the engagement for landing their troops, but
having found the resistance much greater than
they apprehended, were unable land They
had their small boats ready for that purpose
Our shore batteries continued to pour their voeys
into them with considerable success. Two of
their steamers hauled off at one time from the
engagement, and from the smoke that to
arise from them it was thong ht they were FIRE
Early in the engagement reinforcements arrived
at the Island, and every one was sangulne OF sue
cess. Our gunners are said to have acted with
GOODNESS ard deliberaton in the management Of
their guns, and much execution is believed to
have been done the enemy, which impression was
materially confirmed by the enemy's drawing off
towards two o clock from all batteries except two
The enemy fired into several of the private resi-
dences the island, and set them fire. This
was all the damage done US on Friday.
During Friday night the enemy were permitted
to land their forces, supposed to be about five
thousand, at Widow Baum's point, which is above
our lower battery. We say they were permitted,
because it is the opinion of those acquainted with
the localities, that they could have been easily
prevented from landing. From this place of land
ing they were pushing on up road causeway
through the marshy land to the mainland, and at
seven o'clock on Saturday morning a battle COM
menced, which continued until 10 o o'clock, when
it ceased for couple of hours, and commenced
again.
During the bombardment our little feet rem
dered good assistance to the land batteries.
The surrender made about eleven o'clock
Saturday morning; and though, we learn,
ammunition was all carried off the island before
its surrender, yet all our forces were then made
prisoners of war.
The enemy came up in their boats on the South
side of the island, and, by means of their boat
howitzers, effected landing in the rear of our
batteries, and that after landing about $4,000 on
all parts of the island, they marched up and
fanked the batteries. 1t is also reported that,
Notwithstanding our small force of twenty-one
hundred men against about fifteen thousand, on
some parts of the island the resistance was of the
most desperate nature and hand to hand con-
test lasted for considerable time, showing the
most desperate courage.
About three hundred of our men were killed
and wounded, and about 400 made their escape
from the island. 1t is said the slaughter of the
enemy was terrific, and amounted, it is believed,
to over one thousand killed and wounded. The
sick on the island had been removed prior to the
engagement, and sent over to the mainland
The capture of Roanoke Island by the enemy
places at the mercy of the invader that rich
region of the North Carolina coast, which has
been called the 9r0n0'y of the South. These
counties have heretofore furnished Norfolk,
Wilmington, Charleston and Savannah larger
amount of corn than'theysobtained from all other
sources, besides the large shipments they made TO
Baltimore, New York and Providence The pro-
duct of surplus from these counties is i'm
mense. Add to this the entire loss of the whole
fishing interest of these waters, amounting to
several millions, besides affording one-half the
support Of large number of INDECENT persons,
who can scarcely obtain it from any other source
The Raleigh Standard gave some time ago the
following particulars concerning Roanoke island
and what vas considered tssstrategic importance:
Roanoke Island is, beyond doubt the most i'm
portant strategic point in these waters. Whether
the enemy designed an attack upon it to make
rear movement upon Norfolk, or to harrass and
despoil the country, his success in either respect
would be severely damaging This island lies
about forty miles, North of Hatteras, at the foot
of Albemarle Sound, with Croatan Sound on the
West lying. sbetween the island and the Tyrrell
shore 1t is easy of access by water, with no
natural obstructlOns to any sized vessel that eau
be gotten over the Swash "a shoal with about
eight feet water) at Hatteras. On the East, the
island is cut off from the Nays Head banks by a
shallow sound, not navigable except by light
boats. The island is about eight miles long, aud
from two to three miles wide. Croaton Sound is
about four miles wide at this point, with two good
channels, the best, however, lying within n mile
and half from the island. The Western channel
is about three miles from the island 1t is capa-
ole of being made very strong position and
under the control of a good engineer, furnished
with ample means, such as its i'm portance demands
might be made impregnable against any force
which could be brought against it. The posses
sion of the island BY the enemy give him easy
access to twelve counties by the navgable streams
which penetrate them, aud place at his >pnsal
Elizabeth City, Edenton, Hertford, Plymouth
Wlliamston. Windsor and Murfreesboro-all
small, but, to our people, important towns.
The idea, however, which seems to prevail at
the North, and perhaps in some minds South that
Norfolk would be endangered by the Burnside
feet passing through the Albemarle aud Chcsa-
Peake Canal, or the Dismal Swamp Canal, is
simply preposterous. The narrow but deep