New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-01-14
The WILMINGTON AFFAIR.
ZEN. BUTIER'S OFFICIAL REPORT
REPORT OF GEN. WEITzEL.
FULL HISTORY OF THE NATTER.

To
SIR: Herewith l have the honor to forward
Mai. Gen. BENJAMIN F. Bpters and sueordinates' re-
~. Of the expedition against Fort FisAcr n. c.
isthe report of Rear. Admiral p. j. Porter has
tcen published in the papers would respectfully re-
uest that Gen. Buffers report viii all the papers "c
..esnpanyng 1t, be also given TO the public
Very respectfully your obe8ient servant
IS GRANT, Lieut.. Gen.
u,ops Drr-r OF VA AND " c.. ARMY OF THE
JAMES, IN THE FIELD, Jan. j lses~
iepL Gen. U. 5. GRANT, Commanding H''"'fS o NV
URited Safe;
GENERAL: On the TN of December last in obedience
to your orders Imoyed force OF about sixty I'VE hunu
rcd &C 500 effective men, consisting of Gen. Amess III
vision Of the oath Corps and Gen. Panes DIVISION oil
.Ae 25th Corps under command Of Maj. Gen "eltEeh
te an encampment near Bermuda.
On the sh the troops embarked for Fortress Monroe
On the 9Th friday l reported TO Rear Admiral
orer that the army portion Of the conoint expedition
'irected against Wilmington. ready TO proceed.
We waited there Saturday. tAe 10th, Sunday, the
III, and Monday. the 18th.
On the l2th Rear.A ADMIRAL Porter informed me thnt
e naval feet would sail on the 18th, but would be
plieed 10 Put into Beaufort 10 take board ammuni
for the monitors.
The expedition having become the subject Of remark.
airing lest its destination should get TO the enemy, IN
Der TO direct from it all attention. on the morning OF
,esday the 18Th at three O'Clock ordered the trans
ri feet to proceed up the Potomac during the day to
a,thias Point to be plainly visible TO the scouts
signal men of the enemy on the northern neck and
&c retrace their right and anchor under the
le, of Cape Charles.
Having given the navy thriy-six hours start OF IL
o'clock noon of The 18th wednesday, ! Joined the
a IT ~. nd 10
nj the place of rendezvous off New Inlet near Fort
Fisher, on the evening of the 10Th CThnrsday)
We there waited for the navy Friday the 10th Satur
day the l7th and Sunday the 18th during which days
ne had the finest possible weather and the smoothest
On the evening of the 18th Admiral Porter came from
Beaufort to the place of rendezvous That evening the
sec became rough and on Monday the 10Th, the wind
sprang up freshly that it impossible to land
troops and by the advice of Admiral Porter communi
Gated to me by letter directed tie transport feet to
rendezvous at Beaufort. This a matter Of neces
sity because the transports being coaed and wstered
for ten days had already wasted that time, to wit from
The 9th he day on which ready to said TO the
18th.
On the Goth CTeesday) 2lst "wednesday.
s2d Thursday ard 23d friday it blew a
gsle i was occupied in coaling and wa
tering the transport feet OF Beaufort. The Bal.
tic having large supply Of coal enabled TO re-
main at the place Of rendezvous with a brigade on
board of twelve hundred men, ana Gen Ames reported
b Admiral Porter that he would cooperate with him.
On the 23d sent Capt. Clarke Of my staff from Beau
fort on the fast-saing armed steamer Chambern. TO
Admiral Porter TO inform him that the evening Of
the oath would again be at the rendezvous with the
transport feet for the purpose of commencing the at
tack, the weather permitting
Alta O'clock on the evening Of the oath l came in
sight Of Fort Fisher and found the naval fleet engaged
in bombardng it, the powder vessel having been cx-
plooed on the morning previous. about one o'clock.
Through Gen. Wei.zel arranged with Admiral
Porter 10 commence the landing, under the cover of the
xunboats as early at o'clock the next morning If pos
.fble-as soonas the fire of the Half Moon and Flag
Pond Hill batteries had been silenced These up
tie shore some taree miles above Fort Fisher
Admiral Porter was quite sanguine that he had 81
fenced the guns of FortsFisher. He then urged if
tia, were so TO run l the fort into Cape Fear River,
and then the troops could land and hold the beach with
out the liability OF being shelled by the enemys gun
boats. the Tallahassee being seen in the river.
Ills 10 be remarked that Admiral FaIragut even had
never taken fort except by running by and cutting it
oil from all prospect Of reinforcement as Fort Jackson
Fort Morgan, and that casemated fort had
been sienced by a naval fire during the war;
that il the Admiral would put his ships in the river
The army could supply him the beach had
proposed TO do Faragut at Fort ST. Philip that at least
blockade Of Wilmington would be efeotual even if
We did not capture the fort.
To that tie Admiral replied that he should probably
lose boat by torpedoes if he attempted 10 run by He
was reminded that the army might lose five hundred
men by the assault and that his boat would not weigh
IN the balance, even in point OF view, TOR
moment with the lives ef these The Admiral de.
ehned going by, and the expedition was deprived Of
that essential element Of success.
At IL o'clock noon Of tie 2Jth Sunday Capt. Gleason
commanding the covering division Of the feet reported
the batteries senced and bis vessels in position to
cur L. nding The transport feet following my flagship
stood within 500 yards OF the beach, and at
nencel debarking. The landing was successfully
effected Finding that the accommodating party just
landed could hold the shore. determined 10 land
force With which an assault might be attempted
Brcvet Brie.-Gen Curtis. who deserves well for his
gaIlantrT and conduct. Immediately pushed Up lis
Brigade g. within few hundred yards Of Fort isher
capturing the HaliMOOn battery and IFS men, wlo were
taken of the boats Of tn navy. The skrmsh Inc
advanced % within seyenyye yards Of TIE fort pro
teced by T. Glaeis which had been ihrowg in such
form 10 give cover, the garrison being completely
KEEP in their bombproofs by the fire Of the navy wlcb
was very rap and continuous their she'll bursting over
the work wiki very considerable accuracy. AT tins
time los. e. wounded the stirnish line by
the shells from he feet. Quitting my flagship went
on board the Chamberlain and run IN within n few