The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-12-14

port / am not able OF my own knowledge
TO say just how the entrance 10 flc fort
was made. being engaged az tho time at
one or the heavy guns on the Sra-frout.
but was told by an officer tor Captaln
Adams field adtillery) who had command
OF a detachment OF sixteen men and twN,
field cannon. that commanded the road
leading TO the fort whore the entrance
was effected. that the lighting was dcS-
perate: rhat everyone or his men except
iour We're killed or Wounded before ne
LETT his guns | know every inch OF
ground was contested after thai time.
part OF the time in hand to hand combat.
until about 10 O'Clock A. night. when fur
Their resistance was considered useless.
and lighting ceased.
The first assault made by the encmy's
land force was made by marines hear tn,
angle OF the fort. or. in other words.
where the sea and land fronts iolt,.i
they We're repulsed with heavy loss. this
occurred about , O'Clock u. IN. Sunday.
The last assault when the entrance was
successfully effected. was OF the extreme
left OF the fort. (where 1t WAS entered Ivy
g. broad wagon road unninE parallel
With the river, and also a strip of marsh
fifty to sixty yards wild comparatively
without defense. except the two guns
manned by the detachment OF Captain
Adams company. before referred top
This assault was made about , o'clock
just at the time the troops sent by Cen
eral Bragg to reinforce the garrison were
being landed at battery Buchanan. 1t
was more than a mile distant from where
the engagement was going on. and for
them to have attempted to march direct
10 the point where they were needed,
would have been worse than folly. expos
ed rs they would have been on a level
plain. TO the concentrated fire from the
whole fleet. they therefore went in an
almost opposite direction and struck the
fort on the extreme right, where some
of them remained 10 the end OF the
chapter.
Now as to the number sent. General
Bragg says che sent 1000 veterans
do not believe that is true. | saw the
roOpS when they We're marching from
the point where they landed. and DO not
believe their number exceeded ieb. My
opinion is corroborated by Captain :. w.
Noble, who is a living witness, and was
with General Hoke's when tho
troops were sent.
If General Colquitt had accompanied
the endorsements they might have rem
dered better service: and had he landed
then to make his Investigations. his re-
port to General Bragg would have been
| taken with better grace by the public, as
well as by those whom he saw fit to
style '~'drunkardS and cowards.' trust
there is some one living who can ac-
count for General Colquitt's whereabouts
from the time he was sent to the fort
until he appeared on the scene at 10:D
O'Clock at night. / was told that his
troops were landed with orders to report
to the fort for duty, without "A field Off
Ger to them. If this is not
true. / hope some one who knows Will
correct it. Now as TO the statement that
the officers and men at battery Buch-
anan were drunk" is absolutely false. r.
with possibly $50 others. after the fight
ing ceased. made our way to this point.
with the hope of finding transportation
across the river. but found none. We did
find General Whiting and Colonel Lamb
lying on the river front. They had been
brought there after being wounded. I
spoke to them both. General Whiting
was not asleep. nor in my opinion. under
the influence of liquor. / was one of the
six men detailed to carry him to Camp
Wyatt hospital, a distance of one and Il
half miles. and thus had the opportunity
of judging as to his condition. | did not
see ANYONE drunk. nor anyone who seem-
ed under the influence of liquor. ] saw
| just as we reached the shore. n small
boat putting off and upon inquiry. was
Informed that the cupan were Cen
eral Colquitt and staff. ] am confident
that had General Colquitt made his in
Vestigations by daylight, and General
Bragg gotten his information at closer
range, his letter would never have been
written. j. A. MONTGOMERY.