The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1865-01-31
NORTHERN ACCOUNT OF THE CAP
pTIRE OF FORT FISHER.

<
] fall of Fort Fisher. Column after column is de-
voted to the feats of the soldiers aud sailors until
the reader wonders that the fort did net falIupon
the first approach Of such magnificent warriors, and
how il held out during six hours OF desperate
fighting. The Yankee loss was heavy. The COM
nanders Of the three leading brigades--Generai
Curtis and Colonies ~Pennibaker and Bell-were
wounded The Confederate boats Chlckamauga
and Tallahassee took part i'll the tight, but retired
up the river after the fall of the tort The pre-
. Gu,ipary accounts give history of the lombard
ment by the navy OF The real assaults, CORES.
poudent of the Baltimore American gives the fois
lowing account:
- The Naeal Assa alt .aa-azr
From Lieutenant Farquhar, of the Santiago,
! who accompanied the landing party trom the navy,
have some interesting particulars OF the repnlse
! Of these gallant men.
The sailors in three divisions, and on reach
! ing point threequarters Of mile from the tort,
were opened upon with grape and canister from two
of the embrasures, whilst the main portion OF the
garrison appeared on the parapets with muskets
and rifles, aud moved down men. The lrst
division coming up last could not get into the
ditch, and consequently had no or protection
| They we're thus compelled to order retreat, and
| large portion Of the other divisions obeyed the
order leaving only about two hundred under cover.
They were still under this tremendous FIRE as they
retreated and their bodies weresleft strewn along
the beach, together with many of the wounded
the rebel sharpshooters afterwards amusing them
selves by firing at these unfortunate creatures
They also KILLED a number OF the wounded IN this
way, who fell near the ditch.
Those who remained under cover behind the
palisades, about two hundred burrowed into the
sand, and thus protected themselves from the vol
leys that were constantly poured into them.
Thus the naval stormpg party failed; not, how
ever, through any want OF bravery on the part OF
the gallant fellows, but owing to the fact that they
had to march level, unobstructed beach
without the slightest shelter, and had thus con-
centrated upon them the whole power of.the gar
rson. The moment the signal was given by
Admiral Porter to the feet to change their fire
from Fort Fisher to the water batteries, the whole
garrison rushed to the northern ramparts to resist
the assaulting party They knew there were
soldiers in the woods but they thought
they to follow on in support of the naval
brigade. They had no idea that, whilst resisting
the assault on the north side, the army ap-
preaching on the west side.
The losses of the naval brigade were not less
than two hundred and fifty in killed and wounded.
The number Of officers wounded is unprecedented.
The Military Assault.
We could sec from the feet but little of what
was going on west OF the fort, further than the
had not closed when darkness set in, and could
then only be inferred from the flashes of the mus
kerry observable on the ramparts and in the int
rior Of the work.
| Acting Masters Mate s. w Kempton, of the
Santiago was sent on shore in charge of boat
placed at the service of General Terry, and being
invited BY one of the staff to join them in the
saut, actually entered the fort with General Cur
tbs, acting as his aid. He represents shat the as
| IL
repelling the naval assault, and had succeeded
by suddenly capturing the guard of thirty meu at
the sally port, manning two howitzers loaded with
grape, and shooting down and driving back the
sharpshooers on the ramparts-in gaining
trance and footing on three of the mounds be-
fore the general attention of the garrison di-
rcced to them. The gallant fellows engaged in
this bold and hazardous work were the One Hun
d,ed and Forty second New York. Their sup
ports rushed on as soon the flag raised, and
then commenced of the severest contests
that the war has furnished for the possession of
| fort. 1t appeared to have been constructed espe-
cially for such a contest now progressing,
and each of the seventeen mounds were successive
iy fought for aud struggled over with desperate
perseverance and bravery, both by the assaulting
party and the garrison Mound after mound was
captured until nine of the seventeen were in our
possession, at 9 o'clock at night, when General
Nuiie, NJ ieu tue aSSduiliuS pdIty, ueteIinlheu
to make more charge on the enemy, aud if
that failed to hold on the half that was in his pos
| session until the morning. Just he about
to make the charge, white flag raised by the
garrison and possession given CT the entire work.
The prisoners at placed in the bomb
proofs and kept under guard until this morning,
when they were marched out and numbered with
those who escaped and were subsequently recap
tured, over thousand eight hundred privates
H. a. 7
raj Whiting, the commander of all the works ON
the coast, aud Brgadier- General Lamb, the COM
mander of Fort Fisher, both of whom are wound
ed. the latter, it is thought, mortally .
The loss of the army in this assault and the SUBJ
sequent contest for the possession Of the work is
seven hundred and fifty in killed and wounded
The gallant General Curtis, who accompanied
General Butler, but who disagreed with him in
the opinion that the fort could not be taken, led
the assault and has painful wound over the eye
The number of guns captured in the fort and the
adjacent works, including the batteries on Zeke's
island and the Mound, is seventy-two. They were
all in good condition, none of them being spiked,
though fourteen of the seventeen were dismounted
The variety Of guns is remarkable, embracing all
the most famed varieties of English manufacturer
including l00pounder Armstrong gun, mounted
on solid mahogany carriage.
When it is remembered that the assault was
commenced at O'Clock in the afternoon, and that
the full possession of the fort was not obtained
until after O'Clock in the evening, period of six
hours some idea of the ferceness of the hand to-
no encounter NAV he TLs.y fo,.Lt