The Republican journal., 1897-03-25
Facts About Fort Fisher.
An Interesting Lecture by Gen. Adelbert Al

Gen. Adelbert Ames of Lowell. late o
the United States Army, visited this city
last Friday evening in response to an invi
tation from A. E. Clark Camp Sons of Vet
Grams. The lecture was given in Memorial
Hail. and despite the unfavorable weather
and other attractions there was fair at
tendance, and the audience was deeply in
terested. Gen. Ames made an excellent ap
pearance, his upright carriage and soldierly
bearing clearly showing his West Point and
army training. His address was clear, con-
else and interesting and delivered plainly
and well. His descriptions were much aided
by several huge maps aung at the back OF
the stage to which the speaker constantly
referred to follow the movements of the
troops. He was received with applause as
he rose to deliver his address.
About the first of December 1864, said
Gen. Ames, "when in command of the sec
ond division, oath corps of the Army of the
James, | was notified that had been select
ed to lead my division in movement, by
sea, against some point of the Confederacy
| on the Atlantic coast. At that time Will
mngton, n. c., was the port through which
| the confederacy received a large part of its
to England, in payment therefor much of
its cotton and tobacco. Wilmington is sit
uated on the east bank of the Cape Fear
river 80 miles from its mouth, and Fort
Fisher guarded this river The navy had
! done its best to maintain an etfectual block
ade of this port, but had been unsuccessful"
Gen. Ames went on to quote orders from
Gen Butler to Gen. Weitzel relative to the
proposed expedition against Fort Fisher,
which he, Gen Weitzel, was to command.
The expedition consisted of $500 infantry,
two batteries of artillery and so cavalry.
Ames division of these brigades was COM
posed of New Hampshire, New York and
| Pennsylvania and Indiana troops, $500 men
| in all. Gen. Paine led division of colored
| troops.
By aid of his maps Gen. Ames explained
the defenses at Fort Fisher, which was sit
uated on neck of land half mile wide
with the Cape Fear river on one side and
the ocean on the other. 1t was an almost
| lmpregnable work and was garrisoned by
| 400 men.
| On the morning of the oath Admiral Porter
attacked the fort with his fleet In a letter
to the secretary of the navy Porter said
| The forts are nearly all demolished" and
the admiral claimed they might have been
| easily captured had the troops been at hand.
| Gen. Ames stated that Porter was misin-
| formed in regard to the forts being almost
/ demolished by the fire of the fleet. Col.
Lamb, the Confederate commandant, said in
| his report that what damage was done by
the fleet during the day was easily repaired
at night. Gen Weitzel testified before the
| committee on the conduct of the war that
the defenses We're not at all injured by the
| fleets fire.
| Things We're in this condition when Ames
and his division were landed and ordered to
| storm the fort. This was Dec. %. Gen.
Curtis with 800 men We're the first to land.
and We're sent towards the fort by Gen.
| lN.,ft, al IL,
| make reconnaissance. AT dark, Curtis
| brigade having engaged the enemys skrm-
| ishers, was ordered by Gen. Weitzel to re-
main where it was. If any attack was made
| the respons bllity would rest with the officer
in immediate command. Curtis reported to
Ames that he could take the fort Ames
ordered HIM to do So
! Curtis made no fG- .Aer attempt to take
the fort, said Gen. Ames, ''as had ordered
him to do. but he sent word to me that he
was Occupying his former position Why
he failed to assault the fort after | assumed
the responsibility and gave the order,
have never known. At this time the troops
We're ordered back to the ships and the first
expedition ended in a failure"
| In discussing the first expedition, Gen.
| Ames said the committee on conduct of the
/ war reported that Gen. Butler, who had
ordered the abandonment of the first expedi-
tion, was justified in not attacking the fort.
Few can comprehend the penalty Gen.
| Butter had to pay for this action on this
occasion" continued Gen. Anes. THE
war was within few months of its end and
| he had hoped for share of the honOrs con-
| ferred on those who served faithfully and
well, but he was sent home and the whole
nation condemned him for the failure of the
| first Fort Fisher expedition. Gen. Weitzel
one of the best of men and one of our abest
generals was humbled in spirit before the
| storm of cenSure and rldiCEle."
The second expedition was started with
out delay, and Gen. A, II. Terry command
ed 1t. Gen. Ames was given the command
of the assaultlng force on this occasion. The
| fleet bonn barded Fort Fisher Saturday and
Sunday until O'Clock in the afternoon. A
force of 1000 sailors and marines under COM
mand of Fleet Captain X. Il. Breese, attack
ed the sea side of the fort at the same time
that the soldiers attacked the other side
Gen. Ames divided his attacking force into
three divisions. Gen. Curtis commanded
the first of these, Col. j. @. Abbott com
manded the second brigade and Col. Bell
the third. BY order of Gen. Terry, Gen.
Ames sent Captain Lawrence of his staff to
! order Curtis to assault. Captain Lawrence
led this assault. He was the first man
through the palisade and while reaching for
a guldon to plant on the first traverse of the
fort he was dangerously wounded. Gen.
Pennypacker's brigade was next ordered to
assault, and the third brigade was al so sent
| forward into the fort. A desperate hand TO
| hand night ensued. AS the sun sank to the
horizon the ardor of the assault abated.
The advance was slow. Ten of Ames of
ticers had been killed, AZ wounded and about
800 men killed or wounded. The attack of
the naval forces on the sea side of the fort
had been repulsed by this time with great
slaughter, 800 or more being killed. Gen.
Ames had now at dark captured the outer
defenses but Gen. Ames did not allow the
attack to languish He notified Gen. Terry
OF the situation, who now joined them in the
tort. The attack was renewed by the aid of
relnforcements, and after seven hours of
| fighting, more than five of which were after
dark, the land face of the fort was occupied
and all resistance ceased. The enemy fled
to battery Buchanan, and Gen. Terry took
Abbott and his brigade to attack this point.
Abbott, in his report, says that the sur
render of Fort Fisher made to him by
the adJutant general of the commandant of
| the fort. Gen Ames said:
| Col. Abbott was mistaken. The fort had
already been surrendered to Captain Lock-
wood OF my staff at 10 o'clock.
Secretary Stanton had an interview with
Gen. Terry and telegraphed President Lin
, coin from Fortress Munroe, mentioning Ter
| ry, Ames' brigade commanders and some
reglmenta commanders, but omitted Ames'
name altogether. Stanton telegraphed
The assault on the most difficult side of the
! tort was made by Gen. Curtis under the i'm
mediate supervision of Gen. Terry
| Gen. Ames said: "This is not true in any
other sense than that Curtis reached the fort
with his brigade under my orders with Ter