Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1862-09-03
GU Stanbara.
For the STANDARD.
FORT MACON-ITS DEFENCE, &c.

For the STANDARD.
FORT MACON-1TS DEFENCE, &c.
Mn Ep1roR lit is due to the State of North
Carolina, whose soldiers constituted the garrison,
that some authentic account of the investment SIEGE
defence and surrender of Fort Macon, should be
given to the public. Statements, prejuiicial to the
conduct Of the garrison, have been made, and the
impression sought to be created that no necessity
existed for the captulation but that the Fort could
easily have been held and the besiegers repused;
while Mr. Pollard, in his history of the first Year
of the War;" thus CURLY disposes of the whole SUD-
iect:
"Another Confederate disaster on the coast short
" ensued, in the surrender of Fort Macon. Inns
Fort on the North Carolina coast, was surrehaereS
on the 25th of April, this should be the Iotn,)
after bombardment from the enemy S laho oa.te.
r;es of less than twelve hours. 1t commanded lug
entrance to Beaufort harbor and was said to be tine
n,oet form;dable ratification on the North Carolina
have Thought it my duty to give plain state.
,,an+ of the facts, because the brave Commanaah
1Col. white, of Missssippi) is too far removed u
hear the reflections upon his command, anu oee"a',,
Capt Guion the second IN conmahu' - p''''
Newbern was entered by the Federals under ueh.
Rnrnside the 18th of March, and immediate stelS
we're taken to prevent any communication De'"ee,'
Fort Macon and the Confederate authorities.
formal demand for the surrender of the Fort was
made by Brig. General Parke, and refused oy Co.
White on the 23rd but it was not until the hish;
of the 26th that the investment was completed aht
the siege fairly begun. Watchtul eyes upon 'ne
parapets that night beheld signal lights upon boue
Ranks on hoard steamers in Bogue Sound, at caro-
lima CITY. Morehead and Beaufort, on steamer IN
Core Sound, on Shackeford's Banks, and in the rig,
oinp of blockading squadron upon the bosom OF
the Atlantic, telling in unmistakable language that
the folds of the Federal anaconda had encrcled for'
Macon. and its small, but determined garrison
From this time till the 18th of April, our pichets
were in close proximity to the enemy, but no nos
tile demonstration was made.
On the 9th of April, Col. White determined &c
make an effort to communicate with Confederate
authorities and the night being dark, Lieut. Prim-
rose, of Company F, was sent with detachment t.,
six men in open boat to The night proved
stormy and the sea was exceedingly rough; ou
the boat, succeeding in evading the enemys ieet
reached the Confederate lines in safety (lnis we
learned after surrender Of the Fort) Lieut. Prim-
rose found it impossible to reach the Fort on his
return, and the Commandant was left without the
advices and instruction so much desired
To show the per6dy of the enemy, the following
fact is adduced On the morning OF the leth oil
April. the writer, to whose company the entire
found note sticking in plank in the vicinity OF
the most distant of picket stations Its orthos-
raphy and punctuation are given precisely as Writ
ten.
1--WE Merly Came To Sea Do not afraid of Us
if YOU if YOU Do hot Kill shant on Picket But DC
good Friends
1t O. S. REMINGTON, 9TH Reg R. |. v"
Notwithstanding this positive assurance, the very
next morning two companies came down the beach,
Jolr 70 etS nc hpv
prudent, signallei to Of the blockaders abou!
half mile off. The ship Immediately opened fire
upon our pickets with grape shot. The Federais
on the beach advanced at double quick, and my men,
four in number, soon as they were within range
fired upon them and fell back to next station.
After skirmish of more than an hour our pickets
were driven in, and the enemy proceeded to make
a reconnaissance of the positions ultimately chosen
for the erection of their batteries. During the at-
ternoon of the same day, acting under orders of
Col White, thirty men Of company II, 10th Reg.
N. c. T., in command of Captain, their
old picket staton-the enemy falling back as our
pckets advanced. During the nil ht all Was quiet.
About O'clock A. NJ. of the 18th April, the enc
my advaced in force 1--WE companies) to take pos
session Of points selected for their batteries Their
advance was resisted by our pickets then under
command of Lieut.. Jos. P Robertson of company H.
A skirmish of four hours duration ensued our men
stubbornly contesting every inch of ground, and
only retreating when orders from the Fort to do so
were received Our loss was one man Wounded
Theirs was fifteen killed and twenty five wounded
CThis We learned from one of the Northern journals
after fall of the Fort During the afternoon of this
day, Capt. Manney, of company G, was ordered to
take nifty men OF his company, reconnoitre the po-
ston Of the enemy, and, if possible, occupy the old
picket stations. This was impossible. The enemy
were found in force behind the sand hills, fourteen
hundred yards from the Fort. After skirmish Of
some time, in which every advantage of position and
numbers was with the enemy, Capt. Msnney and 1t.
Cogdel Of company f, who had been dispatched
with reinforcements % his assistance, ordered
to RETURN Capt. Guion, with detachment of men
from company B. performed picket duty during the
night, within short distance of the cnelny's lines
No further hostile demonstration was made, how
ever on this occasion by the enemy
Each day ofthe succeeding twelve was passed in
closely watching the movements of the enemy ::
firing upon their ships; dispensing with shot and
Shell from time to time, detachments of their forces
VINO showed themselves out of cover of the sand
nils, and IN Strengthening far as the means at
our command would permit our defences The
The labor of the garrison was nsessant; and the
night alarms being very frequent, it was impossible
to obtain the needful rest
wednesday afternoon the 23rd of April Gen.
burnside sent flag Of truce with second demand
tor surrender, informing the Commandant that all
MS preparations for attack were completed mi,
demand was promptly refused, as was a third made
tne subsequent morning in personal interview
between Col. White and Gen. Burnside.
Having brought down the events of the s;ece r.
tne morning of the bombardment, it will not be inn
proper to examine the extent of the enemys forces
anu tne means at our command to repel the impend
ing attack. The Federals were COMMANDED bv Rr,o
uen' d. IT, Parke, and consisted of Jour regiments
one battalion of five companies, one compa9v Of II
.. neg Artillery and detachment Of n v Art;,
iery;; About 250O of these troops were on Roynt
Banks, and others at Carolina City, Morehead enr
Beaufort In the Sound were four gunboats omt
s,oe the bar were three steamers and one sail shin
on the beach, twelve hundred yards from the Fort
was WAS battery of four in mortars fourteen bnn
rot eo yards from us batteries of five rAed par
1' guns sixteen hundred yards another batter,
~ !" I, . ~ IN mortars To oppose tkis force W
.iaa s"U hanaIed and sixty effective men. and f
the ~ IN; coiumbiad. 1t must he re pe.
however that the Fort had been prenared
Pally to resist an attack from sea Tha p..io