Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1865-01-12
E0R.y FIsHER-THE LADIES' VIsIT,-THE
LATE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS OF

General Bragg having in the most courteous man.
nav ted-ad the nse of boat to the Ladies of the Sol
dier., Aid Society, accompanied by an invitation to
;t Fort Fisher the scene of the recent fearful bonn
hardment by the enemy and heroic resistance by our
gallant troops, goody number of the genter sex Win
considerable sprnkling of the Hngentler' elt 'o"n
on the 9Th inst, OF 10 minutes before O'CLOCK a. H.
in the Steamer Flora Macdonald, ana ai'er very
pleasant trip arrived at the landing at Oonedera'e
Point between eleven and twelve Ine lanoing Is pro-
badly mile and half from the Fort line line OF march,
in yerv open ORDER taken up for the Fort and that
noverfn work. with its gallant defenders, Immediately
surrendered at discretion We did not notice any Sc
rious marks of shot she'll the houses on our way
from the landing to the Fort, until we approached
quite near to the latter, where some buildings that
might have sheltered Yankee sharpshooters had
been burned down by our own people, we suppose
Here and there lay round shell which had not expoc
ed, the fragments of some which had exploited Oc-
casionay elongated Parrot Rhell with percussion
fuse would be met with These are dangerous things to
fool with, as they apt to go cf if rudey handled
doing much damage to life and limb. A soldier told Us
that ordnance sergeant, whose name we did not
learn, while collecting shot and shell on Monday last
killed by the explosion of Parrot she'll negro
who with him driving cart shared the same fate
The mule attached to the cart unburt The I'M
exploded PARROT SHELLS seemed mostly to be fitted with
percussion fuses
Within stones throw of the Fort, on the side of
the road leading from the landing is small hole some
thing of the length and shape of ccn, and few feet
from it is humble ridge of earth marked by piece
of board at each end The hole ia rife pit dug by
of four FIVE enterprsing Yankee sharpshooters,
who ventured up that near to the Fort with the view
oF rioly;r bo Of nth rkg
the g. ave of courier, member of Faisons company
of scouts who shot from bis horse by the occupant
of the rifept All of this party Of Yankees were eth
er killed or captured.
The Fort itself shows plainly the marks of the
enemy's fire. Deep holes dug in the parapets and
many of the traverses are marked and Scared On en-
terng the upper end we found the soldiers at work
repairing their wooden quarters which had been dread
fully shattered by the shell, but not burned Farther
On brick chmneys in some places and blackened ashes
in Others alone marked where different wooden sruc-
turs had stood Full ten days have elapsed since the
bombardment closed, and no doubt many of the most
striking evidences of lis fury had been Cficed. The
shot and shell which at time pentully strewn
over the whole ground in the interior of the Fort had
been gathered up the parade appeared level as
formerly. The outside and top of the ramparts, and,
in many places of the Taverses looked though rooted
by gigantic hogs none Of this roofing however, SEEM
ed to do more than roughen the surface. The great
masses of the Fort everywhere remained perfectly in
tact. Only two guns were dismounted by the enemy's
bombardment. Two more were dgmounted by their
own recoil. The Brooke gun which burst, presents
remarkable evidence of the explosive power of gun
powder. The heavy ofthe gun proper, with the
powerful wrought iron bands it, all rent and torn
and strewn around give idea of that terrible ex
poeion by which nine men were wounded, although
but one was killed outright.
Standing on the ramparts we could view some six or
seven of the enemys blockaders far out to sea- and
nearer in the wrecks of the blockade Arabian
Condor, Stormy Petrol, and Modern Greece as well
OF b ockader sunk by the guns of the Fort. The
emys line of steamers formed semicrcle nearly So
The heavy trigates maros1vred in front of the Fort
The left wing of the fleet extended TO the Southwark
and the right flank of the Fort The right extend
ed up to the North, to pour fire upon the land
front. The heaviest fire would appear to have been
centraed upon the Northeast salient and upon the
North Or land face, especially upon Sunday after
noon. At this salient stood powerful rihed gun man
ned by detachment under Lieutenant Wliford. The |
enemy ranel shell on this point hut rot man left his
gun. Indeed Col. Lamb assured Us that throughout
the whole commandment not single gun deserted
and not single nian in the garrison shrunk from his
post.
The iron-clads advanced at time to within about
fifteen hundred yards. Standing upon elevated point
OF the Fort this distance at looks almost nothing.
1t appears ALMOST as though you could throw stone
that far The wooden vessels stood farther out say at
the least mile and half or two miles.
The object Of the tremendous concentration of fire on
Sunday afternoon the land face and northeast sal
lent revealed. On that afternoon the enemy
ehsced lending at Battery Anderson, some distance
above the Fort. At halEpas four they formed very
heavy sklmlsh line at rather less than mile from the
Fort, the Smelling from the feet being kept up on the
land face with even greater fury than ever Behind
this skirmsh line column Of attack was formed and
OF half five the sheng of this part of the Fort was
suspended to permit the advance of the attacking force
Soon the patterng of mimic balls on the parapets an
nounced the approach Of the enenys skirnishers whose
line had got to within three four hundred Yards of
our works. few discharges of grape from some field
guns belonging to Adams Battery brought them to
halt-a few more and they gone The enemy were
evidently taken by surprise They anticipated an easy
conquest They thought that the garrison OF the Fort
was so much ustd up and demoraized by the lombard.
ment that DO resistance would be made. AS thew ad-
vanced they looked TO see white flag hoised but On
the contrary saued by grape from guns that they
knew not OF, and found the parapets fully manned by
brave and Determined After that they gave up
all hope of efectpg anything They saw that their
expedition was q failure Their great object was to
save themselves.
The surrender OF his battalion Of Junior Reserves by