Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1862-02-26


was made BY the ssubost Hunchback, and the great.
est praise was showsfed epon all for the indomta-
ria courage displayed ufeh the OCCASION.
4, Il, O'Clock in the evening after a hard days
.avht;ng co.: ncdore Colds sofodgh signallsd our
Acct from his flagship, to cease ling, and to With
drsw for the time he,np. which order was at once
complied With.
IN the meantime the soldiers were icing landed
on Roanoke Island and as the night advancet there
was Union force Of nearly eIeren thousand soadiers
landed on the island the rebels having fallen back
behind entertainments on the centre Of the Island
about four or five miles from the shore.
The first points attacked were the forts, which
returned our fire with hearty good WILL and with a
courage and determined perseverance, worthy OF
better cause but they at last compelled to give
way from the terrific force of our united fire. the
ground in the vicinity having the appearance OF
newly ploughed land from the thousands OF shells
that had burst and scattered devastation everywhere
within their reach. 80 -+.. =
On Saturday morning some five or six thousand
men were landed in addition to those that were al
ready placed on the shore, and skirnshers were at
once iployed to yeconnotre and the result Of their
march Was the discovery Of masked battery, noun
ting three guns. This was at once attacked by the
Hawkins Zouaves, fanked by the 2lst and 25th
Massachusetts, regiments. 1t was carried at the
point Of the bayonet, and,a more gallant and sue
cesstul charge was seldom witnessed. The brave
fellows rushed at ii, determined to "do or de-
The regiments that suffered most were the 18th
Massachusetts and the 10th Connecticut, who lost
several men during the charge. The contact was
hot, the possession of the battery being holly con-
tested by the rebels, but after hour two they
were obliged to yield to the prowess of the Union
troops, and the battery was abandoned.
Our men followed then, closely, and surrounding
them, held them as prisoners. Among the others
,Lof L.
mented Col Russell. of the Tenth Connecticut reg
iment, who killed while at the head Of his men,
cheering and leading them on to victory, and Lieut..
| Col. DeMonteil Of tho D'Epineu Zouavcs who had
nobly volunteered his services for this OCCASION
! No other officer of rank was killed who held rank
above that of a Lieutenant. Gen Wise's son CON-
manded the rebels at the time of the attack by the
Zouaves and Others and resisted the storning por-
ton bravely, until, owing 10 a wound that he re-
ceived, he had to be carried off the field, his COM
mand retiring short distance, when they laid down
! their arms.
The total number supposed to be killed and
wounded on the part of the Union troops is about
! 200, Of which number some fifty were killed We
took some twenty eight hundred prisoners, together
with every thing belonging to them. Among then,
several officers Of very high standing in the reb
| ell army.
After this glorious victory on Saturday afternoon,
!
towards Elizabeth City, and, upon arriving within
range, the city was shelled; but this was almost
unnecessary, as the inhabitants at least Of
| them upon hearing of the approach Of the Union
forces applied the iirc.brand different portions of
| the city, and in short time it wrapped in
| hames-far terrible in their destruction than
any attack could have been. 1t was evidently the
work Of others than the residents Of the place,
an appeal was made by some Of the citizens to our
| H. -,
in battling with the flames but order had been
issued TO the effect that no person should be per-
United to land, SO not to give the people Of the
place opportunity Of saying that the torch Of the
incendiary applied by any hand but their own.
The place was about hal. burned at the time it
occupied by the Union troops. Shortly after, the
| gunboats proceeded to Edenton. which was taken
possession of by Commodore Goldsborough, without
the least opposition having been offered.
Edenton is the key to the road around the Dismal
| Swamp, over which our troops can march to Suf-
! folk. Suffolk is the junction Of the Seaboard and
Roanoke Railroad AMI the Norfolk and Petersburg
! and Richmond Railroad. Suffolk, once occupied by
our troops, will isolate Norfolk from those places by
land and gives possession of the junction Of three
important railroads-the Seaboard and Roanoke
| Railroad and the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad.
| SECOND REPORT.
| When abreast of Pork Point, about middle way
| between the Point and Roanoke Island, ten inch
! gun battery opened on the fleet.
! reconnaissance by the Underwater showed that
the enemy had INSTRUCTED the passage by sinking
vessels and driving piles the entire width Of Croa-
| tan Sound that above this barrcadc were eight
gunboats, and that in addition to the battery on
! Pork Point, named Fort Barlow; We're Fort Blanch-
ard, four guns, and Fort Huger on Weirs Point,
foar guns, and Fort Forrest, eight guns, on Red
! Stone, on the West side of the Sound, opposite
Weirs Point all Of which bore so as to play on our
| fleet should it attempt to pass the ba:ricade
! The fleet Immediately advanced in three columns
| to attack Pork Point battery and the rebel gun
! boats. At half past eleven the engagement became
general and in less than an hour the rebel feet
| tired, the Curew being so much disabled that she
| was run aground under Fort Forest. Our fleet now
concentrated its fire Fort Barlow, at range Of
! three quarters to lnilc which was as near as
! the water would allow our boats to approach.
At first, the fort opened vigorously, but gradual
" slackened its fire. The resistance was, however,
stubborn. The flag was shot away, the quarters
set fire, and the work plowed up by our shells.
About two, P NJ, Gen. Burnsides forces CON-
menced landing at Ashby's Harbor, about miles
| below Pork Point rebel force of 1000, with
pieces, was stationed in the woods to oppose them
Our gunboats sheled the woods, and scattered the
rebels in all directions. Our men were taken in
small steamers and launches as near the shore as
possible, and had to wade, sinking to the middle at
every step for upwards of quarter of mile.
Between three and four o'clock the rebel feet re-
turned to the attack vigorously, and an engagement
ensued between it and several of our gunboats,
while the remainder kept up the fire ON Fort Bar
tow. In an hour, the rebel gun boats retired tie
second time, several of them disabled. Fort Bar
tow fired but seldom now.
At SIX o'clock, flag officer Goldsborough signal
lied fleet tc withdraw, after an action of seven
or eight hours. Many of our gunboats were struck
but none of them seriously damaged. The casual
ties were three killed and eight or ten wounded.
Meanwhile the land forces continued the debark-
alton, and by midnight had force Of II 900 men,
on Roanoke Island. The enemy were entrenched
on the centre of the Island, 4 or miles distant
At an early hour on Saturday morning, General
Foster commenced a forward movement, followed
by the entire force under Gen. Reno and General
Parks. At about half past 8, Gen. Foster came up
with the enemy, defended by th-ee.gun earth
work, fanked on both sides by what was deemed
an impossible morass, the only approach to which