The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-02-10

federacy by Its manufacturer, Cir VIII
liam Armstrong, who, like the majority
of the English nobility, was warm adj
mirer of the JEFF Davis crowd. 1t was
the finest piece of ordnance ever seen in
this country. The carriage was rose
wood, and the mountings gilt brass.
The breech of the gun had five reinforce.
ments.
To attack this place or Government
assembled the most powerful feet ever
sent on such an expedition. Over rs
men-of-war, including six monitors, and
carrying 600 guns, assailed it with a
storm of shot and she'll that averaged
four projectiles per second for several
hours; the parapet was battered, and
the large guns crushed as one smashes
bottle with stone
The garrison fed into the bomb-proofs
for protection. The troops, who had
landed above the fort, moved up to as
sail the land face, while . brigade Of
sailors and marines attacked the sea
face.
AS III. Glet had to cease string to al
low the charge, the rebels ran out of
their classmates and, manning the para
pet, opened such fire of musketry that
the brigade from the fleet was driven
back, but the soldiers made Judgment
on the land face.
Then began some beautiful coopera-
tive tactics between the army and navy,
communication being kept up with sig
nal flags Our men were on one side of
the parapet and the rebels on the other,
with the fighting almost hand-to-hand.
The vessels ranged out to where their
guns would rake the rebel line, and as
their shot tore down it's length, the
rebels gave way, and falling back to the
next traverse, renewed the conflict there.
Guided by the signals our vessels
changed their positions, so as to rake
this line also, and so the fight went on
until 2 traverses had been carried, one
after the other, when the rebels surren-
dered.
The next day the rebels abandoned
Fort Caswell and other Notifications in
the immediate neighborhood, surren-
dered two gunboats, and fell back to the
lines at Fort Anderson. After Fort
Fisher fell, several blockade-runners
were lured inside and captured.
Never before had there been such
demonstration Of the power of heavy
artillery. Huge cannon were pounded
into fragments, hills of sand ripped
open, deep crevasses blown in the ground
by exploding shells, wooden buildings
reduced to kindhng- wood, etc.
The ground was literally paved with
fragments of shot and shell. which, now
red with rust from the corroding salt
air, made the interior of the fort resem-
bic what one of our party hkened it
to-"an old backyard"
Whichever way we looked along the
shores we saw abundant evidence of the
greatness of the business which gave the
place its Importance. In all directions,
as far as the eye could reach, the beach
was dotted with the bleaching skeletons
Of Neutrality-suspicious. run ashore
by their installing the channel, more
beached to escape the hot pursuit of our
blockaders.
Directly in front of the sea face of
the fort, and not four hundred yards from
the savage mouths of the huge guns, the
blackencd timbers Of burned blockade
runner showed above the water at low
tide. Coming in from Nassau with a
cargo Of priceless value to the gasping
Contederacv, she was observed and chased
by one of our vessels, u swifter sailer, even,
than herself
The war ship closed rapidly upon her.
She sought the protection of the guns Of
Fort Fisher, which opened venomously
on the chaser. They did not stop her,
though they were less than half mile
away. In another minute she would
have sent the rebel vessel to the bottom
Of the sea by broadside from her heavy
guns, but the Captain of the latter turned
her suddenly, and ran her high up on
the beach, wrecking his vessel, but saving
the much more valuable cargo. Our
vessel then hauled of, and as night fell, |
quiet was restored. At midnight two
boat loads of determined men, rowing
with mufiied oars, moved SILENT y out from
the blockader toward the beached vessel.
In their boats they had some cans of
turpentine, and several large shells.
When they reached the blockade
runner they found all her crew gone
ashore, save one Waterman, whom they
ovcrpowered before he could give the
alarm. They cautiously felt their way
around, with the aid of dark-lantern,
secured the ships chronometer, her