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

Il A1kA1t11S
p. ST. enclose a report OF Dog
Watch of a late date, which may in
terest you.
NO KNOWLEDGE OF TILE BALcH.
Mr. James Sprunt could only answer
Judge Cowboys questions in par and
he referred his letter to Mr.. Geo. Har-
riss, enc OF our oldest and best posted
citizens on matters hereabouts, and MI.
rHarriss writes him as follows:
Wilmington, N. c.. December Is,
James Spruat, Esq, City:
Dear Sir-Replying to your favor OF
even date, I beg to state that / have no
recollection OF the brig Hannah Balch
having been brought into this port n
must think It a mistake. There were
several vessels captured by Confederate
States gun boats and taken to HaIteras
Inlet and there recaptured by Burn
sides fleet and the masters and crews
of many vessels DESTROYED at sea by by
Confederate States cruisers were
brought in here.
Yours truly in haste,
GEO HARRISS.
DOG WATCH BY DAHLGREN'S
VETERANS.
The following is the newspaper ac-
count Of the Dog Watch, referred to by
Judge Cowley:
The dog watch of the Dahlgren Asso-
citation of Naval Veterans, in Memorial
hall, last night. vas a very interesting
one, both for the Naval Veterans, Sons
of Veterans, and Grand Army and
civilian guests. Captain J. A. Carmen
presided, Commander g.. r. Fulton Of
fered prayer, n a bountiful collation.
was enjoyed.
Judge Cowley referred to three rear
admirals with whom he had served who
recently died-Worden, Clitz and
Rhind. 1t was Rhind who commanded
the Keokuk in the assault on Fort
Sumter, when she was SO badly dam
aged that she sank the next morning.
It was Rhind who took the powder
boat to Fort Fisher, one of the most
| perilous operations Of h war. Two
| more admirals, Daniel Ammen of
Washington and Joseph F. Green of
Brookline, are lying at h point Of
death; brave men, who rendered val
liable service, and whose memories
ought not TO be forgotten.
Judge Cowley spoke of the efficient
manner in which the army and navy
co-operated on many momentous occa-
SONS. Wherever this was wanting,
there was defeat. For example, had
the army column that was expected to
attack one face Of Sumter while the
| navy assaulted another face of that
| work in September, we should have
taken that fort. For want Of the ex-
| pected aid Of Gilmore's army, all Of our
| Admiral Da1Agren's sailors who got
into Fort Sumter were either killed or
captured. In the capture of Fort Fish
| err on the other hand, we had a fine ex-
em~plification of the success which was
won by cooperation.
Judge CoWley read a letter from Cen
| era1 Adelbert Ames, who had the i'm
| mediate command of all the troops en-
gagged in the capture Of Fort Fisher,
| saying:
"The simplest statement of the cap
| ture Of Fort Fisher is, without the navy
the army could not have taken it, and
without the army the avy could not
have taken it. Each arm Of the SER
vice had its own work to do, and in
my judgment they both did WE'LL"
In Genera Ames' lecture on the cap
| ture of Fort Fisher, in Memorial hall,
SOME months ago, unstinted praise was
| given to the navy.
Judge Cowley also read a very inter-
esting letter from Colonel William
Lamb, who commanded the confeder-
ate garrison of Fort Fisher and who is
now mayor of Norfolk, Va, saying:
1.-THE capture of the last gateway of
the south could never have been effect
ed by n arm of your service alone
It was the intelligent cooperation of
the army and navy which enabled you
Ito bring upon it's garrison the combined
forces of ten thousand muskets on
shore n six hundred guns afloat. But
for the fleet and its destruction, after
three days Commandment, of inland
face d~efences, mo military force sent
| against the work could Ia survived
the subterra torpedoes, the e%nfilading
musketry fire from the palisades, and
h grape and canister of twenty
heavy guns and fou Napoleons on that
narrow beach. The ordinary investment
of the work by gradual approaches
would have been impracticable with
the Cape Fear river in possession of the
confederates.
"On the other hand, the fleet could
not have entered h river or captured
the work, as long as the submarine
~torpedoes and seaface guns remained
intact; and as they could not be emf
laded, the fleet could not destroy them.
Not a single face gun was injured by
the ardment. hose disabled
were disabled from explosions.
ut was the first time in the history
of war that the power of the navy was
displayed in dispensing with the usual
long and tedious investment by the
troops on land OF a formidable fortifi-
cation, leaving them fresh for the as
Sdutl WIou the INJURY TO tile WOTk rcn-
dered it practicable, while the besieged
were subjected to q fire which prevent
ed them from obtaining the necessary
Food and rest ESSENTIAL to a prolonged
and to hand contest.
LAS Americans, once more reunited
under the old flag, we should feel pride
in the valor and heroism displayed by
those who wore the blue and the gray
in the battle at Fort Fisher.
In conclusion I want my federal COM
rades to know that I have no apologies
to make for risking my life for what I
thought was right, nor win 1 eyer cease
to love my noble confederate comrades
who died in battle by my side; but I
have lived to feel that it was best that
our great country should have remain
ed one and united, and I have learned
to look with pride upon the old flag