The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-12-21

Philadelphia Times, Nov. II, 1881
On revisiting Fort Fisher after the
war I found that the post burial
ground. where my soldiers who dice
previous to the battles were buried,
had been robbed of all its dead, and
was told that a contractor for the gov
eminent had stolen their bones in or
der to be paid for supplying them with
collins under an appropriation to re-
bury the dead Of the northern armies.
I had this consolation when contem-
plating this act, that, although their dust
and ashes had been disturbed, their
memories were none the less precious
to the southern heart. nor their reward
Tor duty done, less complete at the
hands of Him who doeth all things
well. Similar emotion filled my
breast when I read the letter of Gen
-e=al Braxton Bragg to his brother, in
which he seeks to take from the dead
OF Fort Fisher an imperlshaple renown,
and in which he seeks to excuse his
deSertion of an heroic garrison.
Nothing but an imperative sense OF
duty impels me to comply with the re-
quest mad by many of the officers
Ind soldiers OF my old command to
answer this letter, now that its author
has been summoned to his fnal &C
count. The letter bears date Whining
ton. January goth, 1865, and was writ
ten to Ex-Governor Thomas Bragg.
General Bragg wrote:
1.-TWO hours before hearing OF the
certain Call of the Fort I felt as conf
dent as ever man did Of successfully
defending it,"
Further on he puts his certain infor-
NATION at a time which shows that n
Fort had fallen when he was confident
OF successfully defending 1t. TO know
the position of the enemy, to be in
form 4 promptly of the movements
whi--. he is executing, to gather sufi-
cient facts from which his designs
may be understood, is the first care OF
q commanding general, who should
spare no labor or risk to arrive at
such information.
No commanding general ever had
such an opportunity to watch the
movements of the enemy and direct
the management of his forces with
such slight personal danger as General
Bragg. The Cape Fear river, with its
channel at least three-quarterS OF a
mile from the open beach upon which
the enemy had landed, gave him an
unobstructed view from the deck OF
q vessel Of all their movements. Be-
sides he could see inside of the Fort
and with a good glass distinguish in
dividuals. With signal officers COM
paratively free from danger at Bat
tery Buchanan and on the Mound, per-
fectly secure on the western shore OF
h river n on the right flank or his
camp, General Bragg could have
watched the progress of the enemy and
directed his forces by day; then taking
advantage of his knowledge OF their
disposition and the inability of the
fleet to cooperate with them at night,
he could have fallen upon them with
army and garrison and captured them.
He had steamers Of all sizes at his
command, among them the Chicamau-
ga, which did good service with her
scant supply Of ammunition when the
enemy first landed, that could have con-
veyeG him from his camp to the rear
OF the fort in thirty minutes. With all
Ghese facilities, besides the existing telea4
graph lines on the river for gathering
correct information, the general COM
manding, hid away in the underground
OF safe sand hills. gathered the news OF
the condition of the most important
part Of his command from rumors and
from IAN escaped officer who reported
by telegraph from across the river
that the fort was captured" The
women, children and old men who
watched the battle from the farm
houSs across the river knew more
about what VI going or in his COM
mand than dio General Braxton Bragg.
HOW THE FEDERAL TROOPS
LANDED.
The letter continues:
mo human power could have pre-
vented the enemy from landing cover
ed as he was by a fleet Of ships carry
fng six hundred heavy guns"
Some fifty yards from the land face
of the fort the river bank was high
enough to form a perfect defense from
the neet at sea and from its trend, I'M
fortunately for the besieged, hid an
approach to the fort. This natural
protection from the fleet extended for
some miles up the river. until it reach
ed the camp Of General Bragg. In the
previous attack, Sergeant Glennan
had volunteered to carry a message to
General Bragg, and see If "the coast
was clear" and had passed unobserv-
ed from for to camp up this natural
c0vere way on December 26th, while
Buffers troops still occupied the beach.
Besides this river bank, from Battery
Holland, q half mile north OF Fort
Fisher to the head Of the Sound, were
4 series Of batteries, curtains and sand
mills, giving excellent protection to in
fantry against the fire Of the fleet.
Both nature and art combined to make
q landing Of troops from beyond the
close range Of the fort to the head Of
Che Sound impossible In the face Of q
Few thousand determined troops, who