Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1865-01-26

nave Lne ala OI btn, AOOOlt DTlSAuei |
and to hold the ground he had. A cou-
rier was instantly dispatched for Col. /
Abbott TO move up with his brigade |
and notify Gen Paine to so dispose his
forces as to fill the gap occasioned by
the withdrawal of Col Abbotts troops
in other words, TO attenuate his line
sufficiently to occupy the entire north
ern defensive works, which he could do
with safety owing to the added strength
given them by the six Aowitzers pru-
IDENTIFY planted there the night before.
Gen. Terry ordered the assault TO be
made upon Fort Fisher
FINAL ASSAULT AND VICTORY,
An anxious hour was spent until
about dark, when Col. Abbott dashed
up close behind his gallant men. They
advanced Immediately up the river
beach, and though the moon soon after
rose, but little past its full, we could
see nothing but the fash OF musketry in
increased frequency upon the dark out
lines of the fort. Another hour, two,
three, Of cruel anxiety went by, and our
hearts sank with the chill of disappoint-
ed hope. Our mes were still slowly adj
vancing, and a dispatch stated that two
thirds of the fort was ours. We had all
the north part of the work, occupied
the northern traverses, and Ead swept
around in their rear up to the central
fort Or bastion, which the rebels still de-
Tended.
This basti0n was the only inclOsed
portion of the work, the two wings or
curtains of successive traverses being
open to the plain or beach of the Cape
Fear river in their rear IntrenChing
tools were sent forward, and our men
commenced constructing earthworks, so
as to maintain their position in case the
work should hold out till morning.
About 9 o'clock Gen. Terry, unable any
longer to restrain the anxiety from
which he suffered, went forward to him
self examine the progress made, and per-
sOnally confer with Gen. Ames. At 10
O'Clock precisely a ringing cheer swelled
down upon the night breeze from the
frowning parapets of the blood-stalned
fort; another and another followed.
Lieut. F. 4. Beardsley, Chief of the Sig
nal Corps of the expeditiOnary forces,
who all day had stood to his duty, ex-
posed to the sharpshoOters of the fort,
flashed a message from the General to
the Admiral that the fort was ours, and
almost instantaneOusly the whole sky
was ablaze with signal rockets from the
rejoicing fleet,
Abbott's brigade was ordered to ad-
vance upOn Fort Buchanan. the strong
rectangular earUhwork fort mile to the
eastward of the Mound battery, and
mile and half from Fort Fisher, before
| described Here the wounded Gen Whit
ing and Col. Lamb had been conveyed,
| and some seven or eight hundred of the
garrison had. it seems, retreated. Col.
AbbOtts forces moved up the Cape Fear
shore, and on arriving before the fort
| found that two officers had been dis
patched with flag of truce to offer the
/ capitulatiOn OF Fort Buchanan, and soon
afterward they came in accompanied by
| Capt. Graves, of Gen. Terry's staff and
| at II O'Clock the fort was formally sur
| rendered.
The interior of Fort Fisher was the
most complete picture of destruction
| and desOatiOn which it is possible to
conceive The dead and dying lay thick
ly strewn along the parapets and upon
the plain behind as well as in front. The
l ItbEHbllO - NGiC NlO"NCNl N1Gh III =
rebels and many of their wounded, es-
timated by one of our surgeons who
| made hasty survey, as high as 500.
( The parapets and traverses were plowed
and corrugated by shot and shell in
every direction, as well as the sand plain
in the rear OF the works. The barracks
inside of the bastion were shivered into
splinters scarcely large enough for stove
wood, while the large coumbiads along
the parapets were dismOunted and
strewn in confusion amid the wreck OF
their broken carriages. Everything
evinced the merciless and most internal
rain Of deathdealing and destroying
missiles that ever the world has seen.
To storm and expect to carry such a
work with the forces used by Gen. Terry
without the aid extended by the navy
would be the hight of folly; while, fol
the combined naviCs of the world tC
attempt to batter down, alone earth
works such as these, would be as foolish
as for them to essay TO demOlish Ten
eritfe,
EXPLOSION OF TER MAGAZINE.
The correspondent of the Baltimor
American, gives the following accoun
of the terrible magazine explosion il
Fort Fisher on Monday morning -
While looking at Fort Fisher under tn
Union flag and rejoicing over its down
fall, a tremendous explosion took plac
in it's very centre, sounding louder thai
the boom of fifteen inch gun. A vol
ume of smoke and sand rose fifty feet il
the air, enveloping and hiding from viev
the whole of the immense work for fou
or five minutes. 1t was at once appa
rent that the magazine had exploded
and that it must have been accOmpane
with great loss Of life
We soon after learned that the de
) struction of life was not less than 20(
I including many sailors from the fee
who had not yet returned to their ship.
| 1t was occasioned by the carelessness {
= the colored troops. Various Tumors ar
5 afloat as to the terrible catastrophe
/ some attributing it to the work Of
, torpedo but on inquiry l learn that
t was undoubtedly the work of Careles:
= ness. The loss of life by the explosion
= [ learn, is about 200, besides quite