Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1862-04-18

person; and upon tho Sth, at the rad dcu5., hi
Commanded in person, sharing th. dangsr3
his MEN for mo. Q IAN Eve bnurs with :. tir,1i>
ness, cooiness, and bravery worthy Of tae p1-
aitlon hs occupied.
Immediately upon me Secession OF the State
of Nor'h Carolina from the Guye.u.D.nt Of thu
United States, aad the adoption of the ptas
Esltutlon CT the Confederate S,a:cs Gf Amgr.ca
the authorities oi that State commenced thu
construction Of Notifications ct Hatteras saG
VFeSon insets, and other points upon her coaat
winch Ware not completed, when ;he Stayt
transferred har forts, arsenas, army, navy and
coast ''eIehrcs th ,hp Confederate Government.
Shortly thereafia? tho attack was malo upon
Forts tiGtteraa md tilars, end tney werc taken,
and tho iurt;hcations at Oregon ialaf was
o abandoned, and the s.muinent, stCrcs ind aui-
lnunition were removed to RoannSa slan',-
The enemy imaed:aisly appeared n fo7re ir
P.Snlico Sound, the waters a. whirh nre cen.
nectei with AlbemaI.c end Curriinck Sounds
hy Means OF the tw" srnNlcr Sounds Of Crns
tnu and RnsnoSe. rho Island III HaanGot
being situated between! t0ese. i1o latter snuada
commanding tha &Eannais ci rs2h- SsssTTls.
afsoH Ib' IA, - 'iSn
of Gicsen inlet, Only second in iluuor,arce tc
Fortress Monroe, rf,a, Island :htn haaar,,
tho key Nh.c!i Gn,ccl;cd a.: Nartfl-caste:r T
North :ra:"l,us to ll,e enemy; and uxpcset
Portsmouth and &9.IolE, 10 rssr sp-
proacl', OF The most lmalinens danger. ln
the iang,iage nr n.gsder Gon.r..l WISE
that snrt ia me importance s1d
vaiuG, ~ military ,roint OF ricJy, oi r..
Hiiobe Island, ibaE IL Ought to have been t:..
tended by all TIE msuay iii The power oi tor
Government. K was lhe key to oil thu real
defeucea OF Norfolk. Itnnlock ed two s:,uatls--
AloHnisc'u and Uurrtpck eight rivers The
Northwest Pasquotsnk. ;be PerquimlHons, tic.
Little, tha Ohowsn, tho Roanoke and tho AZ
!lgator; four cansis-tho Albemarle an1
chesapeake, tho Dismal SCAMP, the North
YVES; cana! and tho Suffolk; tw, railroads.
tho Petersburg aid Norjcik anA The Sesbnsvd
aud Roanoke. /! guarded mora lii,n fnur
hflts II all NGrtolk's supplies of ccrn, pol;
and ferase, and il cut tbs Cc",riard vl Cen
Huger oil rom ali u, It's mast eAiciun, tiana
pol,atinn. 1t ondsngcss tho gu hsia,encs Ia lii5
whGln srmy, threatens tn. Navy Yard ri Cos
port, end In cut off Norfolk from Rich nnnd,
and both from railroad communication with
the South. 1t lodges The enemy in sale hsr
bor from ,he storms Of Hsttersa, gives them 3
rendezvous and large, rich rsnge oi supplies
ard The command ul tho scAboard from Oregnp
inlet &c Cape Henry. II should have heon de.
Tended Al tha EXPENSE ni 90 900 mcn and n
many millions Of dollars
The C0'rinittee are Ci the ouin:ou, ihas the
!slanG Of Roanoke was a military post of srsa
Importance, that il might havs been placed "
state OF defence agan"t any reasonable force
with the expenditure OF money aud labor, sup
posed to,be within The means Of tho Government
rhht tho ssme Was not Gone, aid .he defence.
constructed We're wholly lI:.daustu lnr IL pre-
tuclinn from an attack either t.v land or Hates
Gnd tho CotuiEittce haye 10 difficulty in as
signing ns the cause hfour disaster a'rd defeat
OH the S!h Of February, The var, O
tho necessary dcisncas upon ;hr Island, the
adj .cont Ha:rrs and upon the mainland upur
the Tyrell side; tha VASE Of shv necessary ee't
sriiilsry, armament AMI smmuniiion, sad tn
grea. aud uhparGOnaoe dsG ,inNcy Of iaer, 20.
gethaf @itb the entire wlIt OF transportation
bv which the Whole command might have been
coll7cy I'd from the Island aftDr the defeat 81
the bsttary But the Committee haze had
much difficulty in locating tho responsibility
ioT ttia ne.,ec. .! t5is exceedingly ::nport-u.
point, owing tc tho fact that ths command o
that Island has beer transferred so fleauoi:
ly irau, one military commander to another,
Letwecn Inc tino that tic Confederate Govern
nent besaDe responsible for tnu coast detan-
s,s of North Carolina and the attack upon that
Island upon the 9Th Of February, 1862 That
Island, upon the fail of H.tteras, 7s,s taE en-
possession OF by Col. Wright pnd@r in
strnclion from General 'iluger, aud tae
principal defences constructed uodrr The
authority and direction OF General Eu-
ger, who assumed Jurisdiction over the
Island, although it res within tns military
command ei Gen. Gs,lin. hitcrwarcs Brig.
GAP. D. H. Hal Sas assigned tor q short time lo
tho immediate command of that post, who i'm
msGialely entered upon his dugy, mada ar ox.
am,natioa sof the dcfences i'll person, and was
making active prepars:'uG sof putting tho
Ialuno in state of defence, whea he was sud.
dsnly aapsrseded, and Brig. Gen. Branch
given tue command. |. Goes not appear in
evidence Shat Gen, Branch ever gisited the
IslanI, or made any move towards its deence.
He, however, was superseded by Brig. Gen.
Wise, about me lst or Jaausry, 1862, who
Immediately proceeded to tho Island in
person, about tbs Glib Of January, spent
several days in Reconnaissance Of the
lStdLu tSDC us OCIStiSSS, eiS Nv Sano.'i.''c {,
the adjacent waters, with WOW OF cun-
struc;ins o5stFuctions irc Oroatan Snnsh 10
prevent Lbs passage ot q hostile flae:; and rom
that mornenl up 10 the ,th Of February, the
COMMITTEES aye satisfied, mat General WISE has
Devoted hiB whoie tune in a jealous, energetic
and indeistigshie effort 20 rlscs thst Island in
slate OF defence, 2md has d5ns ell and every
thing n hia power, with Lie tnesna he lad at
his command, 10 effect this important object
Al Norfolk, upon tho "a Of JhnuaTy, On his
way to Roanoke Island, aa met aa exp:sss
from Col. Shaw, (sko was .hen IN :he ,nme>
diale ard temporary command CT The ls!snd)
to General auger, informing him Of the de-
fvn:o,css state vi The Island, and urging tho
necessity OF siren gtiiening Fort Barrow, by
mounting other guns, ohstructing Croa.on
Sound aud making rrqnlS!!ions taI ammunition,
pile driver, and other thin"s necessary. Gen.
Wise endorsed and approved ot The rcqHn'i-
iinn, and seconded the demands o! Col. Shaw.
ian. Wise arrived q: PJa.iohe lsian,l up"n
JHe Slh, md aesnncd command at that rc'nt
loon the 9Th OF February, lSb2 Alter iuaHing
a reconnicsaucs of ne Island ant: lta deieIce
Gen. Wise, on tho 18th Jnnunry, informed Gen.
Hnee-, that Raancke Island was in Il defcrco.
less condition aad III presence q! 4 very io'-
mdable enemya force. TIE Burnside
expedition IS repo7tcd 10 cave sailed. lntin-
psadelt Of thai, Tie f6rce now at Hattcrss
inlet, can pass or take Roanoke Island, and
pardon me for saying thai, respectfully
differ from the opinion you espressed IN your
oitors Of To-day, ihat TO prevent the enemy 8
guubba:s from passing the marshes AZ the
south eld, will also prsYant any 'Sno'ng-
Batteries at the marshes are vitality essential
TO prevent tho gunboats f,om passing into
Crva.an Sound, they will no. prevent ths land
irg on l.e nou,h and east rnd Of tho Island
At least 5000 infantry ars neoded On tas
Island aid a considerable force, say l,5Oo men,
are needed on the beach, and II the enemy
psss Rnanoka, 5000 at lea+t are necessary TO
dsht them on the tongues Of I.ud on he aor'h
side OF A!benarle Sound. We need on lp'
beach and On tho Islant at least tsld pieces
and tho carriages and cs'aaolIs necessary "s
@ E,r bn oyfiilrrU w need