Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1862-02-26
Fight at Roanoke Island.
" A PARTICIPANT,

The following account written by Major Thomas
Dolan, connected with the Wise Legion, We copy
from the Richmond Dispatch~ Though, perhaps
defective in many particulars it is the best and most
interesting description of the fight We have seem
Our. readers will, no doubt be Interested in its
perusal. n
GREAT BRIDGE, Feb. IL, 1862. :
Those posted in military affairs, {who are not a
large class whether " est Pointers or Others, know
that the dcfences of Roanoke Island, were wholly
inadequate Nothing but strong batteries and heavy
Instructions at the marshes, (wheie there were
money could have prevented the enemy,f in force,
freni passing. Once past the marshes, ii there had
been nifty thousand lnen on Roanoke Island, tie
tederallsts, without wasting q charge OF powder,
could have starved them into capitnation more
easily than with the force that was there. On the
morning of the fth, the signal being fred by Com
Lynch, between II and p. NJ. the 59th Rcg't Va.
Vols, (Col. Hennngsen's rcgment,) Lieut.. Col
Anderson commanding, and two companies of the
4slh Reg't Va. Vols, Captains 0. Jennings Wise
ana Coles commanding, crossed over from Mays
Head to Roanoke Island That evening, Com
Lyncn, with seven steamers, engaged the enernys
fleet counted sixty vessels Qhere SAID to
have been treble this number,) of which about
twenty steamers were in action. After losing one
Of his steamers and firing away his last charge,
Com. tnch retired.
We advanced about five miles to, and manned the
barricade in the swamp. the enemy having effected
landing. There were, before we came on the 49,
land, two North Carolina Regi,nents-the 9Th, Col.
Shaw, and the 3lst, Col. Jordan. They reported
LOO men for duty, of which 4o0.were in the bat
teries. The picke:s having been driven in by the
enemy, Lieut. Col. Frank Anderson ordered down
twenty men under Capt, O. J. Wise, (ten Of the
Richmond Blues, 4sth Virginia Volunteers, and ten
of the McCulloch Rangers, 59th Virginia Toun-
teers) the writer aud Sumpter Williamson, of Ala,
joining them as volunteers We met their picket.
Williamson shot one, and We maintained our ground
till b A. NJ, on the Sth, when the enemy hogan
sklrmishing with us. / could then see about 500
Of the enemy skirmishng through the swamp
The McCulloch Rangers were then sent to sup
port lis, under command of Lieut. lIazlett, whose
former Captain, lmboden. was volunteer in our
party: We kept skirmishing with them till 81
o'clock, falling back from our first position, about
half mile distant, to within three hundred yards
OF the barricade beng under fifty men, and pressed
at last by at least one Thousand of the enemy-the
whole or chief part of the 2 st Massachusetts regi.
ment, as VIC recognized from their dead, eight or
ten that We examined, and some troops in red
9reeehes and caps, supposed to be the New York
Zouaves We were then compelled to fall back to
the barricade. There were then at the barricade
and under the command Of Lieut. Col Frank An.
! derson, eight companies Of the 18th regiment Vir-
| sinia volunteers, two companies Of 10Th regiment
Virginia volunteers, and two companies of a North
Carolina regiment. They were supported by three
pieces OF artilleTy-viz: one l8 FOUNDER, command
ed by Major ScheTineriioGn (volunteer; , one "a
FOUNDER, by Lieutenant Kinney. and one FOUNDER,
by Lieut. Selden. But these pieces had only twenty
rounds between them, and the large pieces used r.
FOUNDER canister The total force at the barrlcade,
1.-THE only force engagel was about 500 or less.
AT about y, the enemy having increased in numbers,
opened fire from "a pound howitzcr and l2-pound
howitzer with shell and spherical case and at about
, 10 o'clock advanced some one thousand men to
charge this battery. They came in column, tanked
by skirmishers in good order, and up to within fifty
| yards Of the barricade, yelling and cheering.
| could not, for the smoke, discern uniforms or
regiments. Our waited in silence, and when
| our guns opened the enemy broke and scattered.
AT this time the Richtnond Blues, Captain Wise,
and the McCulloch Hangers, were depluyed on the
left and right wings, respectively, as skrmisherS,
and stood their ground though entirely unprotected
by the barrcales. The enemy then again piled US
with artillery and about half hour after (ss
rs be rccoectcd in a fsht) made second
charge. | should judge this charge to have been
; made by two regiments. They up in fine or
der but not close at first and met in the
same manner and worse broken than before. Lieu
tenant Seiden at this moment was shot dead by
bullet through the head Again they Piled us with
,
o'clock the third charge took place. Major Scher-
merhorn, the ammunition having at the end Of the
second charge given out had started driver with
cart to try to obtain fresh supply lie being shot
through the head, jumped into the cart drove him
to the hospital, and wet Alter the ammunition. At
this charge the enemy again driven back, be-
leve entirely by muskery; but the guns may still
have made two or three rounds. This charge, how
ever did not see. About 500 yards off l found
~, Sh,u'. opl (,nl .Inrda,,S ola throo
and half .u,ies off l met Major Fry, with four
companies Of the 49th Virginia volunteers, having
Just landed and advancing, and Colonel Green, with
North Carolina regiment of The Wise Legion also
just landed, and waiting for the landing of his am
! muniton and baggage. then obtained little am
,nuniton, GA rounds Of and II FOUNDER and re.
! turned and after proceeding about two miles |
found some fugitivcs, Col Green's regiment, and
! Major Frys companies who had halted here
! and was informed that the barricade had been
carried. This was about l2s P. NJ. heard that
! two more charges were made by the enemy Short
ly after met LleutS. Bolton and Bagwell, who had
received orders to spike the guns and throw into
the water the powder of the northwest battery
! Lieut. Bolton proceeded thither for that purpose
then got int my boat with Lieutenant Bagwell,
and We moved round to the other end of the island
and picked up Lieutenant Bolton, who had faith
| fully executed his orders. This is what saw.
| | should judge that the enemy landed not less
than from 900 to s, 900 men but reliable accounts
since states the number as 1900. I heard tina:
COL Shaw, after the capture Of the barrcade decid-
cd to captulate, together with Coils. Jordan and
Green and Major Fry, and their regiments and con-
panes. saw Lieut. Col. Anderson before leaving,
and offered to take him Off He seemed much dis
tresscd but said he could not desert his men, |
heard that Captains Wise and Coles were killed -
OF the 500 men engaged, Capt Wise's company and
the McCulloch Rangers bore the palm for bravery
where all behaved with gallanry, especially the two
North-Carona companies, one Of which was from
Currtuck county. This saw. also heard thai
the North Carolinians behaved with great gaantry
in the Pork Point battery. With regard to tht
surrender Of COL Shaw, IAN officer of acknowledged
bravery,) | attribute it to the fact of his having
many in his own and Col. Jordan's regiment so wei
acquainted with the locality that they knew sur
render was only question of time, as soon as tn,
enemys fleet passed the marshes. AS far as tn,
500 who fought are concerned in the battle Of tn
sth their loss in killed is reported fifteen; but tn
killed do not include the mortally wounded. Tn
proportion of wounded to killed is rarely less tina,