Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1862-09-03

against the enemy was manned, and actively en-
gagged in returning their fire. Company b. capt
Guion, manned four "a Founders on lower ParapeI
and 10 in. columbiad on upper parapet; company
II, Can't. Pool. had in charge the six short guns
used as mortars, and one s in. and one ~ in' co,
lumbiad on lower parapet; the battery WniGh haa
been assigned to company +, Lieut.. Ooguell com
handing not bearing upon enemys WORKS, tnls
company was detailed to relieve capt. blount com
PAW of Confederate Artillery in charge oil 81 poun
ders on upper parapet; company " OaPG mal,ney,
promptly sprang to Gheir two "a Founders and one
80 nonnder bearing upon enemy's batteries. 1t is
worthy of note, as some misapprehension seems TO
exist on this point that all guns were baroette
and that one only, bearing on enemy, hau the
SLIGHTEST protection of merton or traverse
The enemy's fire. accurate from the beginning,
was soon rendered with the utmost precision, signals
having been madeto them by their signal corps at
Morehead and Beaufort, whenever they failed IN at
tanning the mark. For four hours the firing was
rapid and the roar of artillery and the bursting OF
the enemy's shells around US, were deafenlng. Gun
after gun upon the Fort had been disabled; man
after man had been conveyed to the surgery or laid
low in death. The men of the garrison continued
to work coolly cheerily and with evident effect up
on the riled battery of the enemy the tre IRON
which had sensibly diminished.
A new adversary now appeared-the steamers
and Sarque were nearing the Fort and their guns an
battery spoke plainly of wish to engage in the de-
structive and death dealing sport Capt GHIon
men sprang to his sea-face battery; Capt Pools
columbladS were turned from the land batteries and
with an additional one brought to bear upon the
rapidly advancing ships Capts. Manney, Bount
and Cogdell still continued their fire upon the land
batteries. The scene was now exciting in the eX
treme Seven of our heaviest guns were directed
against the ships-these, skifully man9uVred at
one moment approached and delivered their broad
sides, then receded to reload and escape the heavy
missiles sent from the Fort. Thus the fight pro-
crossed till nearly noon-the gunboats in the Sound
adding to the noise but doing nodamage to anything
except the treasury of Lincoln. The ships al more
or less damaged now hauled off beyond the range
of our guns. immediately, all our heavy guns,
which could be- were directed upon our enemy on
land Two of Capt Manney'S guns, and two OF
Capt. Blounts had been disabled but coolly and
deliberately their attachments were working those
that remained, regardless of the shell exploding
around them, and of the riled shot tearing and
crushing everything opposing their course.
About two p. NJ, the NEST serious and deStruc-
tive disaster of the day occurred. preaching shot
from one of the enemys Parrot guns, passing under
the muzzle of the in. columbiad of Capt POOLS bat
terry, struck the elevatng screw bed and scattering
its fragments all directions passed to eccentric
wheel of the 10n. columbaid shattered it. and entire
ly disabled both guns The paul" of the in. driven
forward with irresistible fury, MORALLY wounded
the gunner who was standing upon the "chasSiS "
in the act of giving the necessary elvaton to his
gun, passed on mOrtally wounding cannoneer and
the gunner of the 10 in. coumbiad A shell from
mortar battery exploding in midst, at the same
moment, wounded four more men.
At three p. NJ, all the batteries on lower parapet
of Fort silenced but the fire from upper para
pet was continued till five, P NJ, at which hour a
white flag was raised, council of officers having
determined that the time had come when, if good
terms could be procured for the garrison it should
be DONE
Capts. Guion and Pool were sent by Col White
to meet Brig Gen. Parke, and make propositions
for the surrender of Fort Macon upon these terms
All the public property, arms, munitions Ofwar, pro-
visions, &c, to be surrendered, upon conditions
that officers and men were to be paroled Immediate
" and sent to their homes; ali private property of
officers and men, side arms and all prirdte arms of
whatever kind, all company books and papers, to be
respected and retained
GEN Parke peremptorily declined to accept any
other than unconditional surrender, but finding
that we determined, he referred propositions
with his answer to Gen. Burnside, by whom they
were accepted next day, and after a ratification of
the terms the Fort was delivered to the Federal
forces, and the officers and men composing the gar
rison were paro!ed and sent to their homes.
The extent Of damage done to the Fort, and to its
armament and garrison, was greater than could have
Uceu dHllC!pdlGu HOiH Tie Ol Tue light
This was owing, in part to the character of the
missiles sent and to the short distance of the bat
teres from our walls. The enemy fred eleven hun
bred shot and shell from his land batteries five hun
dred and titty-nine of these exploded on parapetS
in moat, in parade ground, Dr. struck such por-
tons of the walls of the Fort rs were exposed
About the number ofshOt and shell was firclby
steamers and gunboatS, 5nt one of which was known
to strike fertilization. Those portions of the walls
Of rhi ch Il T., ,,I,,
damaGed-6!teen Of the guns were dSmOunted. or
disabled-seven Of the garrison were killed and SIX
teen wounded. We have no means of accurately
stating the damage done to the enemy. All their
ships were injured the rifed gun battery seriously
damaged; three o. their PARROT guns partially dis
abled, while many Of their men were killed and
wounded The officers reported one killed and eleven
wounded-the men stated their loss was between
four and five hundred.
During the scge and on the day of the lombard
ment, the officers and men of the garrison, with a
lew dIshonorable exceptions, behaved admirably
There were in all, fourteen assertions. (Seven from
Go. ii, four from Co q, and three from Co. F, less
probably than has been anywhere during the war
under circumstances SO clearly hopeless and where
it was so easy to desert From the first moment of
the fight, the men were cool and determined, load
ing and firing with as much deberation and pre-.
csion as though they were engaged at target prac-
tice. This is the concurrent testimony of the Com
mandant, and of every officer in command that day.
Few better soldiers can be found than those in Fort
Macon on the 18th April, 1862.
might, in conclusion, Mr. Editor, state some of
the which resulted in the fall of Fort Macon
but shall not, my object being simply to vindicate
the garrison, placing it in position, by statement
of facts to receive the verdict of approval or con-
domination of an enlightened public opinion. Nor
is it necessary that | should state those causes
The reader can surely see them, and must know
why they acted so disastrously along the entire
coast Of North Carolina.