Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-03-03
THE BATTLE OF ROANOKE,
LETTERS FROM THE TwENTY,FIRsT.

by the Hire of one OF the gunboats. The land
ing was effected in small steamers of light
draft, which run directly on to the shore, so
that the troops jumped off the boats directly
on to dry land. The enemy did not dispute
our lauding. The twenty-first Massachusetts
was ordered TO go forward and take possession
Of a road.
In order 10 understand at all tile enemy's
plan OF defending the island, or to make intel.
ligible an account of the battle which followed
the next day. it is necessary to have some lit
tie idea of the topography OF the island. On
the east side is channel so shallow as TO be
wholly unnavigshle. On the west side is
nayigable channel, which the enemy were
using for transportation oi troops and supplies
| TO Norfolk On this side the enemy had their
earthern forts, in which were mounted twenty
eight guns, partly ba'bet!e and partly in en-
! brasures These forts were constructed in the
highest style ct modern m'litary science The
! guns mounted in them were 80 Founders, and
three of them rfied. 1t was the lower or
southerly one of these three iorls that cur
gunboats bombarded. Ii the enemy could
have protected these forts from attack in the
rear he might have stood Two years siege.
There is one principal road running the entire
| length of the island. AT place on This road
| where deep miry swamp extended from the
road on both sides 10 the water, the
enemy built a battery, hidden from view
what would be called, suppose, masked
battery-sO constructed as to command the
road without being seen, with five guns in it
The plan OF defence was to protect the three
forts on the island from attack in the rear, by
means OF this battery on the road. OF course
this plan proceeded upon the supposition that
any passage for troops through the swamps,
except by the road, was impossibe-an excel.
lent plan, no doubt.
"But the best laid plans of mice and men
may gang agley," us theseque showed. The
swamp was full of boys, mostly covered with
trees and brush, and overflowed with mud and
water, from the depth of IL few inches TO three
or four feet, But it is impossible to describe
it. Suffice it to say, it was the nastest and
the most disgusting quagmire in all North
Carolina, and was covered with apparently a
most lmpenetrable thicket.
The road which the twenty first was ordered
forward TO take possession of, was a kind of
cart path, as u northern farmer would call it,
leading into the woods, and leading out on 10
/ the principal road of the island before men.
toned, short distance from the battery. Be-
| lore, however, we reached hejunction of these
| roads orr administers wore Arad ON ,nI ono
of them wounded, by the enemy's pickets.
Meantime, the night came on, and any farther
advance then was impracticable We spert
the night in the woods, on picket, without
sleep, OF course. 1t was cold and rainy. Most
! of us had wet our feet in 4 marsh where we
landed We had 10 blankets and no fires
were allowed. A, daylight, which, by the
way, some of the men thought rather slow i'll
coming, that morning, we lighted camp-fires,
ate our breakfast of hard bread out of our
haversacks. AT eight o'clock, we took up our
march, the twenty fifth Massachusetts regi.
ment having the head Of the column, and the
twenty first the rear. But "lhe last shall be
first" We had hot proceeded far, before the
head of the column was fred on by both the
infantry aud artillery of the enemy. Wehad
with US four pieces of artillery howitz-
ers-manned by marines, who replied to the
enemy's fire. The twenty.fiflh also com
menced firing. The infantry of the enemy
reiterated, firing, and the twenty fifth fired
advancing. The retreat of the enemy was
feint 10 lead our troops along the road, so that
his battery nli0lt g
them. But the range OF their guns was too
high, and took but little effect. As soon as
the direction Of the battery was discovered,
the head of the column turned off OF the road
INTO the swamp, in order TO fan. the battery,
The twenty first also turned off into the
swamp further TO the rear, passed all the
troops except the twenty-fith, and formed in
line OF battle in rear of that regiment. The
twenty.Hilh kept up brisk fire, bur did not
succeed in penetrating the swamps tar cnoupb
to flank the battery. Their ammunition gave
out, and they were ordered to fall back. This
movement OF course uncovered the twenty.
hrst. Meantime, a portion OF the latter-com.
panies d and G-who were deploved as sk;r.
mlshers in advance, had already SO far meme.
trated the swamp as to flank the battery. The
nre was then commenced by The twenty first.
1t Is not easy to measure time on the battle.
HELD, but Tor guess, l should say that the
hrlng was kept up three hours or more. The
men stood to their knees in mud, and worried
through the thicket as best they could. The
nre Oh the enemy mostly passed over our
heads. The existence OF this battery was,
IN the morning, wholly unknown to
us, and even at the time of which 7 am
writing no one knew the nature or precise sit
uaton OF it. We were wholly in the dark as
to whether the battery was protected by earth
works or what body of infantry might be in
reserve to support it. But Col Maggi gave
the order to form n columG of attack and
storm it, As we approached the battery
through the brush and mud the enemy, who
had Kept one voey in reserve, fred it full in
our faces. AT this volley fell the greater part
OF those killed and wounded in our regiment
But the twenty first never swervpd a hair. but
went straight forward at double quick with
bayonets charged, through all the mud and
mire, and boys and brush of that abominable
swamp, under the most terrific fire of the
whole day, But the enemy having fred all
his guns, did not stay to receive our charpe
but took to his heels. Our men sprang into
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