The Burlington weekly hawk-eye., 1865-01-14
The Wilmington Expeditions
Why 10 Failed...The Butler SfNe
Of the Question.
NoRFoLK. Jan. 2, 186l

! why kG f8l1oOsss ne II utAVE SAsAS
/ OF the Question.
NORFOLK, Jan. 2, 1865.
The leading facts of the Wilmington ex-
petition are these:
J. The collection and equipment OF the
ships Of war for the expedition consumed
more than two tedious months.
2. When it was announced as ready, the
transports with troops started for Hampton
Roads with the understanding that they
would be accompanied or closely followed
by The war vessels.
3. The transports and troops arrived of
Wilmington, and were there for three days
Of splendid weather, the sea as smooth as
q mill pond, and the enemy known to- be
there surprised in small force but the
st.ps OF tcdr came not.
4. Heavy weather set in the ships OF
war appeared, bat the transports nad by
that time nearly exhausted their coal and
water, and many were compelled - seek
keautoY; harbor, which they leit sgain for
Wilmington as quickly as the weather per-
mitted.
). Bet wi.hou. awaiting the retu-o Of the
troops and transports from Beaufort, Ad-
miral Porter, contrary 10 the understood
plan Of operations, exploded the gunpow-
der or torpedo boat, and bombaxded the
for. for several hours. In the plan OF ope-
rR.ons il had been understood that the
gunpowder boat should be exploded at
such time, and in such manner that the
troops could Immediately land and take
advantage OF the decentralization which il
was expected the explosion would create
among the enemy.
When the troops subsequently landed,
Gen. Weitze', than whom our army pos
sesses no soldier braver, more skillfnl or
more ex perienced, in defending and as
saulting fortified Places being ordered by
General Butler to reconnoitre, pushed his
reconnaissance close TO the fort, and ascer-
tanned that it was uninjured, and that an
assaulting party would meet more bloody
and fatal repulEe than our troops did at
For; Wagner. He therefore advised their
withdrawal, TO which General Batter as
sented. Fort Fisher is more than twice as
large. and twice as difficult of assault as
Fort Wagner was.
The military authorities expected that
Admiral Porter would run the gauntlet
With some Of his war vessels, by Fort Fish
or, and up Cape Fear river, and, n con-
Ger. with the troops, that would then be
covered by the gunbOats, cut OF the fort
from Wilmington, and shut up the river,
'making the expedition another Mobile
affair"
When on the ground, Adn1ira. Porter
was requested, bat refused 10 do this. Far
ragut or any Of half dozen officers n Por-
ters own feet would have done It.
:. The assertion that any Of our men en-
tered The fort is q mistake, created by
false runnor started among the soldiers at
the close OF the reconnaissance. The true
statement of,he incidents that gave rise to
The -umoy is this:
Frst--A shot from the ships of var cut
the rebel flagstaff, and i. toppled over and
fe,i outside The fort. 4 gallant office- Of the
l42d New York, in Weit.el's skirnish line
ran into the outer ditch Of the Ecr, and
brouQbt OF the flag.
.SeconG-The dispatch bearer, wLo was
said 10 be killed in the Fort, and his horse
brought out by one Of our men, was hilled,
not inside the Fort, bat onethird Of a mile
from II.
T.irc-The shot said to he fired uy one
o. our men into a bomb proof full Of rebels,
was tired. not inside the Fort, bu. by
sharp shooter IN Weitzel's skirmish line,
who fred through sally port in his front
into an open bomb-proof at the opposite
side Of the Fort, in which he thought he
saw some rebels. Whether he hit any OF
them is not known; but il is known that
not one OF our men got inside the Fort or
any OF its defenses.
9. While the transports were waiting the
arr;va, OF the war vessels during the first
three days, the rebels sent down heavy re-
Inducements to Sugar Loaf caHp, in the
vicinity of the Fort; and these reinforce
nlents were ready to assist the Fort IN case
of an assault. Gen. Butler's entire force
was but six thousand five hundred men,
Cor. ~ Y. Tribune.