Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1865-01-26
THR CAPTURE OF FoRT FISHER.
Admiral porter's Report.
UNrrgn STATES FLAo.suIp MALVERN

SIR have the honor TO inform you
that we have complete possession OF
Fort Fisher, and the fall the surround
ing works will soon follow As | in
)ormed YOU in my last, we had COM
menCed operations with the iron vessels,
which bOmbarded while we landed the
troops On the l4th | ordered all the
vessels carrying ll-inch guns to bonn
bard with the IrOnsides the Brooklyn
taking the lead BY sunset the fort
was reduced to pulp Every gun was
silenCed by being injured or covered up
with earth 50 they could not work. On
the 18th, Gen Terry and myself arrang-
ed for the assault, and | ordered fourteen
hundred sailors and marines to partici-
pate At daylight the IrOnsides, the
Brooklyn and the ll-inCh gunhOats com
menCed batterng the works while the
troops made Judgement within one
hundred and ttty wards of the fort. At
10 o'clock all the vessels steamed in
and took their stations, opening heavy
fire which was kept up until p. NJ,
when the signal was made to assault
the soldiers taking the land side, the
sailors the sea face, and the ships chang
ing but not stopping their fire to other
- =, $500, ca. a,,i fo,c,ht
desperately. About thirtyO. the sailors
aud officers succeeded IN getting to the
ton of the parapet amid - murderOus
FIRE OF grape and canister and musketry
They had planted the tag there, but
were swept away IN moment. Others
tried 10 yet upthe paucOpee. It has been
il, w. rngora 7 a,,.r sow and
-. .,'1 e. h,.a,, 49, much hord Labor
M ~ .r,a,.s bays Covorad themselves
-,. ~ aInr, and Con Tarrv ia NV haau
. ",' 80 soIdfa~ AMI a General Our
-',> '.,,[r,tio, hos henr most barmonious
ttt,,I 49,, C,onoraI will do the navv
.'l', lii+ -, +bo+ tbis +ima a. Least
.,( e,,,a+o,+iol1y, -,irrad tho fort az a
a,f,,,si,,o r,rorl, ~ C.an Terry had on1vo
49, .,l.,- g., W., 80 ~, -
4e" IuOIC doOIl9 I4'@u VIC u0N Ci4 Nt0
last occasion Wnen the enemy hdu olIIy
! one hundred ana NIFTY men ID the WORKS,
| This time the works were iully manned
/ and contained about eight hundred men
! at the time olassault
/ It's a matter 'oB~-regret to me to see
/ NV gallant officers ana men so much
cut up, but l was unwilling to let the
! troops undertake the capture o, the
work without the navy sharing the
npriI The marines could have cleared
the narapet by keeping up a steady fire,
INIT thew failed to do so and the sailors
were renulsed MANY a gallant fellow
fell trvino TO emulate their brothers in
arms who were fighting to obtain an
entrance on the Northeast as it appears
IN our charts. The enemy mistook the
attack of the sailors for the main attack
and made a most vigorous resistance
hnt witnessed it all and think the ma
rines could have made the assault sue
cesshl I'm the meantime. our Gallant
soldiers had obtained footbogd on the
North Fast corner of the fort-fghting
ln,a lows and contostjno nverv inch
ma ma ironsidas and monitors l5ent mr.
-le,,-;,,, Xxx sboIIs in +bo +rayoreac M,
6cCcTuipuIIsr ~ US 1ut sun heId bv the
rebels Oar troops fought from traverse
to traverse from p. VI. to 10 at night
when the Joyful tidings were sigualled
to the feet We stopped firing, and
gave them three Of the heartiest cheers
| ever heard. All were anxious to go
and we should have had the honor t(
meet our brothers IN arms, IN the works
ha' Ine sailors zee" pIote1iy 5ugpoi le'l
we nave lo9V Two huuuIeu III Nllleu anO
wounded an" among mem some gaiIau
oliCerS. LT@iTC " aIluoullTe tne Yea ' - ~
/ l