Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-05-15


| sssaultfng the face of the angle or main work,
like railway embankment In addition to
these difficulties there was very strong stock
ade, bolted and battened, and strapped
/ tcgether. Well, it was not a very pleasant JOB,
put the sailors and marines marched down to
tryit.
| came out of their bomb-proofs and manned the
parapet of the sea-face OF the fort, shooting at
| the sailors and marines from their "coign OF
| vantage as If the seafaring people were covey
| OF cartridges. To a looker-On the people who
manned the parapet appeared only to fire tn
loaded pieces which were handed them by peO-
| pie in the rear; and the fire was not only rapid
| but accurate. The beach was soon full of dead
| ana wounded. for there was no protection from
the nre Some of those wounded when very
close TO the water staggered into the slight SURF
| and had To be assisted out. SO heavy and fatal
was this Small-arrn fire that few of the assault
ing force actually reached the foot of the mound
which formed The northeast angle of the fort.
Ihcy could go no farther, and having reached
place OF partial shelter ut the loot OF the sea-
lace of the fort, inside the stockade, they were
! oplsed To stay there until the approaching
darkness, and the hard fighting on the north
ern lace OF the fort drew the garrison of, to the
/ last man, and enabled the navy people to get
| away. In this foolhardy attempt twenty-one
OlnccrS OF the navy were killed and wounded,
| ana the loss among the men was proportOpate.
As far as the assault went IT. was perfect fail
ure; but the lives lost were not entirely thrown
away, rs the naval attack created a diversion,
drawing the garrison Off TO the sea-face, dis
tracting their attention. and allowing the pre-
Tested.
HAND TO HAND FIGHTING.
About the time that it was evident that the
naval attack was not to succeed, there
| emerged from the scrubby wood north of the
fort the troops destined to assault the place.
1fcse were veterans from the army OF the
James. Rough looking, with frowsy clothing
and dishcvelcd hair and boards, after their
these soldiers had their arms clean and bright,
ana cartrdge-bONes filled with forty rounds,
while they alinsed and dressed in line of
battle as coolly and precisely as if on ordinary
parade. Probably there was not man
among them who had not been ''in' a dozen
na no 1oe There o etSsS nag fuss about
command. Then suddenly, at fright
shoulder shit and Il ''double-quick,' the line
swept across the sandy plain which extended
from the place of starting to the base OF the
huge mafheons which, running from sea to
river, formed the northern side OF the fort.
Some patches Of ruSheS and dried salt grass
were dotted here and there over the plain, but
there was nothing else to Obstruct the view
from the IronSideS. Nearly all the guns upon
the northern face had been dismountcd or dis
apled by the severe 5ombardment; but when
the assstutins line came near enough the garri-
son opened on 1t with musketry and IA how
ltzef, which was run out from a sally-port, cut
great gaps in the advancing line with grape
and canister. Two field pieces at the north
western angle also began to fire, but were
very quickly slcnced by shell fIoin the IRON
clads; but tho one at the saliy-port, which was
drawn into Il covered vsty to load could not be
hit. and continued to do execution The as
saulting force did not return Il shot and the
| onward sweep never ceased, although il swayed
at times when the gaps were cut in it. On such
occasions we could the officers spring to the
front, and then the line Strengthened out again,
ana on they went, leaving many poor fellow
Dehind with the salt sand drinking in his
hearts blood.
Such charge soon carried them to the pail
SADIE at the foot of the great earth-WOrkS, and
the pioneers axes began to CLEAN in the
western sun, AS they chopped away at the
palings, already shattered in some places by
bar he asNfS Il-.,r
became lncessant, as the assailants began to
respond.
After what seemed a long delay we saw the
line pass through the obstruction, and, in an
other moment, they and their colors were seen
on one OF the western manelons, sharply de-
Hneo against the sky. Then there was a sharp
lnusketry fight, ana men, killed or wounded,
rolled down the steep incline; yels of defiance
ana shouts OF command grew louder and
iouuer, anu then there came rush. pell-mell
struggle, and We See the colors slowly RISE and
then established Oh the top OF the next mound.
Then more lighting, another rush. and the
next mound was taken, after the most deter
mined resistance. Seeing this, General Terry
slshaied the lronsidcs TO lire into the easteriy
TRAY erses ana clear them out, which was done
with wonderful precision, until the advancing
hsht rendered the Smelling as dangerous to our
own troops us to the enemy.
VICTORY AT LAST.
The Confederates fought like tigers and the
| sun went down and night closed in while this
desperate infantry fight was going on, render
| ing it impossible to distinguish friends from
foes by our glasses. Feartully anxious, yet
| confident. we waited on the deck, listening to
| To the varying sounds the two parties
fought at close quarters guided in their fire by
the flashes OF the opponents .nuskets At last,
ABOUT ten O'Clock at night, there was tremen-
dous cheering, and the tide Of battle suddenly
swept away down towards Federal Point,
where the remnant of the garrison, about two
thousand In number, laid down their arms
The surrender was instantly telegrapheu to the
ncet by means OF signal lanterns, and every
| ship sent up round after round OF hearty
in I ba prt,ia
because there was an end, III last, of the weary
| blockade, on that dangerous coast, OF q most
| Important point-so important, indeed, that
Gen. Lee had telegrapheu not long before ..that
| IL must be held AT any cost, otherwise he must
eNacuate Richmond The conicderacy was
| by this capture completely isolated and no
| more military supplies could go in, or cotton 20
| out-itnd cotton meant gold, the snews of war.
Fort Fisher had been pronounced imprecua-
Die both by friend ana foe, and was said to be
much stronger than the celebrated Malakof at
Sebastopol, by officers who had seen both
places. Indeed, 1t was natural tor the COnfed-
crates to suppose that the place would come Off
VIGOROUSLY from the second attack as they
we've much stronger in numbers, and better
armed and prepared in every way than mt the
time OF the first attack in December. The sue
| cess this time was no doubt due 10 the change
| In the commanding officer of the troops, for the
Iuen who carried the Inusl1ets were tie same
All the other ioris about the Cape Fear were
OF the most approved and careful construction
alu contained among LncIn about one hundred
ana seventy heavy guns, with lines OF piles and
tTpcdoes " be 1reu by electricity. An officer
the eng neers who built such works at the cx-
pense OF SO much time anu labor must have
had an abiding faith i'll the Conedericy. Fort
Fisher had been nearly four Years III process OF
construction.
AN AWFUL MYSTERY.
Early in the morning after the Capture we
came on deck TO find lovely day, and the
| morning SUI shining upon the stars and stripes
hOistcd on the works. About seven O'Clock
while still surveying the scene, we were startled
! by Il terrible explosion within the fort, which
bodies OF men high up into the air, and then 3.
| dense, balioon-Shaped cloud of pOwdcr-snolle
| and dust hung above the spot in the clear air
| Ipr many minutes. The magazine had blown
up. How 1t happened no one viii ever know,
for those who could tell about IL were all killed
Some persons suspected trains l;tid gar
| riSOn for the purpose, but that was soon seen TO
be improbable III high degree; and there was
more show oil reason in the supposition that
/ careless drunken soldiers or cOntrabandS had
bccn exploring with open lights. ana had fired
| some OF the powder always found about ON the
| floors OF such places alter prolonged engage
iaent. Some OF the officers and seamen oil the
fleet, who had Dcen on shore from the day be-
| fore, were never heard from, and there is no
DOUBT they had been led by curiosity TO enter
| the fort, and were blown up. Ii they had been
| Killed in the assault their bodies would have
| been found.
just us the explosion took place the IrOnsides
was hauling OFF 10 deeper water and to heave
overheard the great mass oil sand and rotten
bags, torn To pieces by shot, which had so long
| made her deck look like il piece of common
| This weight upon her deck mad lately made her