, 1864-04-29
TIE SURRENDER OF PLYhIOUTH
TO TIE REBELS
General Vessels and $500 MN
Taken Prisoners,
The Details Of the Previous Contest
Aoss 1900 Kilied. heoei
Correspondence OF the N. r uera1d

/ oe.-%o eA111aoaEA-Ae1e8,- r. -AcQnE M1Stcr Foster
commanding, Was at once dispatched up the
Roanoke river to Communicate with The
whitehead, Acting Ensign Barrett command
ing, who was stationed below Hypes's Ferry.
watching Tor the rebel ram, known for some
pose.
In anticipation Of a visit from this ram, oh.
structions had been placed in the river, oppo-
site Hyner's Ferry:
ENGAGEMENT WITH TIE CERES.
As the Ceres parsed Fort Gray, strong
fertilization two and half miles above Ply.
mouth, the enemy opened on her from bat
tery Of SIX guns, the Ceres ut once respond
Ing with her small Parrott guns.
The casualties on board the Ceres in ttIa
wounded, including officers, none Of whom
we're seriously hurt
By this affair the position of the enemy
was disclosed to Captain Brown; the com.
mandant of Fort Gray, who thereupon open
cd IRE from hundred-pounder Parrott and
two smooth bores of less calibrc. The f1rlnr
Of both parties became brisk, the rebel prac.
lice being excellent, and one Of their shots
carried away the Flagstaff OF the tort, but
which was almost instantly rc-elevated to the
top Of d tree.
o'clock In tue night, the casu.lties In the fort
being up to that time slight, while their ire
must hare done good execution on the en-
emy.
The garrison At the fort were in excellent
spirits, and consisted Of company of the
Second Massachusctts heavy artillery, under
sns the N 1Ma Of hcaPtaln fisks and etach
under the command OF Capt Brown Of the
Efghry-6fth. On Monday mornine,--abont
daybreak, the enemy, under cover Of their
guns, attempted the assault Of the fort hut
were repulscd with heavy loss,
TIE BoNHsHELL BROUGHT INTO ACTION
About this time the army gunboat Bomb
shell, under the command Of Acting Ensign
stokes o. The Navy, moved up to communf-
their guns the enemy opened on her and
succeeded In striking her some eight or len
times, wounding one man and danla-iur her
hui! to such an extent that, on reaching tho
dock Of the town, she SUNK, with her colors
Tying from her mast. During the night Of
ports Maseasoit and Dewitt Clinton, with
the women and children, whom he had
cnused to leave the town, to be forwarded to
Roanoke Island. This was done as prccau-
tionary measure, in anticipation of the reb-
els making demand to that purport, and to
vantageous disposition Of their forces, mud
the General took prompt action toward max
ing desperate resistance.
shlRN1sA1SG-F1RlSG FROM TIE FORTS AND
GCSDoATs.
All through the day, Monday, our men
skirnishcd britlly with the rebels, who had
taken possession Of the woods in front Of the
The enemy during this time were also en.
gagged In telling trees and erecting lines Of
tortiilcatlons IN plain view OF our troops At
intervals Fort Williams, Wessclls ana Grav
opened fire and ehellcd the woods, and fur
ther mp the river water ta.tery-Battery
" nffh-EpT4 nm m frAn a
principally against battery erected by the
rebels, and bearing especially on Fort Wes-
sells. In the evening, at about six O'Clock.
Inc enemy made grand and vigorous assault
along our whole line AT this Junctura the
gunboats Miami and southaeld, which, uu-
ger Inc direction OF Captain Flusser, had
been connected together by chains and Bpars
to work as one boat, were cut aparkand took
their positions respectively behind the Gus
tom House and picket station on the river.
and commenced to shell the rebels,
simultaneously all the forts and gunboats
opened on the rebels, and were BY them
briskly responded to by upwards Of twenty
guns; but the intensity OF our fire was such
that the eneml's batteries were sileDced for
the night During this engagement the gun
boats did excellent execution and rapid fir-
ing. The Southheld threw upwards Of two
hundred sbe!ls, and the Miami above thirty,
and, although the enemy's range wss gener.
ally good, received no damage
THE HAN PASSES THE DISTRACTIONS.
During the night the gunboat Whitehead
came down and reported that the rebel ram
had succeeded In passing the distinctions
placed across the river to prevent its pro-
Eress, and was lying close to the rebel bat
1ery above Fort Gray. Lieutenant Com
mander FluEser, Of tha Miami, and in CHARGE
Of the squadron, Immediately ordered tie
southde1d to be secured to his boat as before,
Bnt his orders had only been partially execu-
led Defore 1t was announced that the ram
was coming doWE the river, firing, hut not
returned hy our batteries at Gray and Worth.
Captain Tlusser then ordered the two boots.
partially united, to be advanced at full speed
against the rebel ram, now but few yards
distant. But owing to time not being afford
cd to Captain F1u5ser for the execution Of his
plans, the boats were not In condition to
cope with the ram and its vastly superior ad-
vantogcs. Hence the conflict was but pr1ei,
and after the concussion, the Southfeld was
60 much disabled as to sink almost immedi-
ately- The Miami subsequently, fired some
seven or light solid shot, which had not the
slightest effect, but glanced off the fmpeue-
t1able sides Of the ram.
CAPTAIN FLUssER's DEATH.
It is now my painful task to be compelled
10 record tue death Of the gallant and able
Captain Fluescr. His loss is universally de-
glored, and it will be difficult to replace him.
Captain French, Of the Southflcld, tlso as
sumed command, and the Miami alone pn-
able to o1ler resistance, steamed down the
!; A list Of casualties, comprising all that are
at present known, append, but it is feared.
In addition, TINT several OF the sonthde1d,-
names nnknoWn-o1e drowned.
Had the plan Of Captain Flusser been con-
summated, it is believed that the ram would
have been destroyed or captured
It was his intention to conduct two boats
firmly together, BY means Of chains and
slars, and seek the encounter by advancing
against the ram, aiming to strike her between
both vessels nnd forcc her against the shore,
At the same time torpedo was to be SO ar-
ranged as to cast it into her smoke stack,
but, owing to circumstances beyond his con.
troll, the arrangements were not executed,
NEEDERN, April %, 1861.
DESCRIPTION or THE REBEL HAM.
The terrible ram which has been, and Is
expected to be further, the cause of SO much
distraction in this district is described rs tol-
lows:
In shape she resembles the destroyed ram
McTimac, and, like her, carries an instru-
ment Of destruction at her PROV, which rem
ders her SO peculiarly dangerous in conflicts
with wood.n vessels
She is built Of heary iron plate. brought
partly from Wilmington and partly from At |
lanta, Georgia, and is Of rather clumsy move |
mcnt- She possesses one aperture at her |
main purpose is to destroy By concusaion. |
She Is accompanied by q formidable water |
battery, securely protected by cotton bales,
behind which artillery and small arms can be |
securely used. The name Of this satellite is !
the $. Cotton Plant" The building Of this |
ram hes long been watched by Major General |
Peck, Who has had almost daily information |
regarding her for many months past. By |
means ofspfes sent to Wilmington, and who |
Travelled to where she vas building on tho
same train that conveyed 250, 600 pounds Of |
plate iron, by means Of deserters and prison.
ers--a1nounting in the aggregate to upwards |
Of i've hundred-he has had positive knowl- |
edge Of her progress in building. He has |
likewise offered to direct IN expedition and |
destroy eSr hef; a; ngt his offer WAS refused by
The wood work Of this same ram, whilst |
in progress Of building, WAS fired and sup
posed to have bten destroyed By Gen Foster !
in an expedition undertaken for that pur-
pose. yet still 1t exists. and to our fearful !
cost It is understood that the rebels have !,
likewise two others, one n KInston aud one
at Go1dsboro. At the latter point they are
known to have organized complete naval
brigade
From this, in connection with the heavy
some sixteen or seventeen thousand men aud |
come thirty pieces of artillery-it is evi-
dent that tho rebels design to compel the Un- |
ion evacuation of North Carolina
FORTRESS MONROE, April p, 1864.
PLYMOUTH SURRENDERED
is the startling and painful announcement !
am compelled to make to you In my dispatch |
to-day, which event took everybody By sur /
prise, as it WAS thought that General Vessels |
could hold ont for few days at least, until |
reintorcements, which were already on the |
way, could reach him. But the rebel ram
which had destroyed the SouthfeId kept our
transports from ascending the Roanoke river.
4 ,o,,#1<V =,