Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1865-01-05
wilmington and Its Defences.

Carolina, is situated on the left bank of the
northeast branch of Cape Fear River, at its
junction with the estuary of that river, a
little more than thirty miles from the sea.
1t is the terminus of the Wilmington and
Weldon, and Wilmington and Manchester
railroads, the former of which is threatened
by the cooperating the Neuse.
Before the war Wilmington contained about
$500 inhabitants. The principal exports
were timber, turpentine. rosin, tar, pitch,
shingles, and cotton. Ever since the out
break of the rebellion, and more especially
since the ports Of Charleston, Savannah and
Mobile were closed against blockade e-run-
ners, or so strictly guarded by our blockad-
ing squadrons as to render the operations of
these enterprising gentry both difficult and
dangerous Wilmington has been the grand
entrepot of the contraband foreign trade OF
the Southern Confederacy; end all the Wig
ilancc of powerful blockadng squadron
was insufficient to put an end to it. The
approaches to the city are admirable adapt
ed to blockade-runnlng, and the rebels, fully
alive to the importance of the foreign trade
in arms, munitions of war and other supplies
Of every variety, have increased their natural
advantages by the erection Of forts and bat
teries on the shore of the channels at the
mouth of the river. a glance at the man
will show that long narrow island stretches
directly across the mouth of the river. leaving
two narrow inlcts at either end. These are
deuominated Eastern and Western Bar, or
Old and New Inlet.
OLD OR WESTERN INLET.
The channel for vessels entering Old In
let runs directly under the guns of several
strong batteries on Oak Island near the
lighthouse, and it is also commanded by the
guns Of Forts Caswell and Johnson old
Federal fortiications, which were taken
possession Of on the Sth of January, 1861.
by the militia guard of Smthville, village
on the right shore Of the inlet Fort Cas-
well is very strong work, with five sides,
three OF them mounting guns, about sixty all
told This work has been strengthened re-
Gently, and is undoubtedly a very formid-
able affair. Just above Fort Caswell is a
small work, located on Battery Island. On
the right hand side Of the river, coming
down, is Fort johnson, situated at Smith
| vile, and about one and a half miles from
Fort Caswcll.
NEW OR EASTERN INLET
The channel through the Eastern Inlet
runs within fifty or sixty yards of the shore.
commanded by the guns of two very power
ful works, Fort Fisher and Fort Lamb
Fort Fisher, on Federal Point, is one of the
most formidable earthworks in the South.
Its armament consists of about fifty guns.
! Besides these main dcfcnccs, there arc scv-
cral minor batteries strung along the shore,
at points commanding the track of vessels
seeking to enter the inlet. Close by Fort
| Fisher, on point ofland between the "Rip''
and the bar, stands a very powerful earth
work, mounting number of heavy guns,
which have proved frequent source Of an
noyance to our vessels when cndeayoring to
cut off some adventurous blockade runner.
| These guns have Il plunging fire upon the
channel, and the rebels believe it to be i'm
possible even for an iron clad to run the
gauntlet Of their fire.
CHARACTER or THE CHANNEL.
Another natural saleguardto Wilmington
is the shifting character Of the channel. 1t
sometimes changes completely within "a
hours, under the influence of the tide, so
that the most sllilltul and experienced pilots
are often puzzled to find their way. Ordi-
/ depth Of water to allow of the passage of
ships drawing twelve feet The blockade
runners, built in England expressly for the
Wilmington trade, average a much lighter
draught than this, and owe the impunity
with which they run through the intricacks
Of the shifting channels, principally to thi,
circumstance. Once inside the inlcts, and
all dangers was at an end There was smooth
and easy sailing up to Wilmington, through
waters whose placid course was never mo-
Tested by swift keels of Yankee gunboats.
VALUE or THE PORT 10 THE REBELS.
The value of this port to the Southern
| COntedcracy has been incalcuablc Arms,
ammunition, military supplies of every kind
clothing and provisions, have been run in
here by English blockade-r,inners in i'm
mensc quantities, and as the North was in
iured by this contrahand trade as much as
the South was benefited by it, it has been
n matter Of wonder and dissatisfaction with
our people that no efforts were made by the
Navy Department to capture the dclences
at the mouth of the river and thus break
up the operations of the blockade runners.
The delay in making the attack was not,
however, owing to insensibility of the i'm.
portance o those dcicnccs, but to the in
ability OF the War Department to furnish /,
cooperating land force The extreme shal
lowness of the water cifectually protected
the shore batteries against the approach OF
our ships with heavy broadSdc batteries. -
The Secretary Of the Navy in his last annua
report stated that there had been no tim,
within the last two years when the Nav,
was not ready to perform its part in any ex
pcditon to take possession of the defence
of Cape Fear River. He adds that actual,
siXty-hye steamers, the aggregate value o
which, with their cargoes will scarcely fal
short Of fifteen millions of dollars, have beer
4 captured or destroyed by endeayoring /,
enter or escape from Wilmington.