Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-03-13

A
as surgeon-general.
Subsequently Lieutenant Wood assisted
In the blockade OF the Potomac by the
Evansport batteries; participated In the
great naval battle between the Merri
mac and Mentor In Hampton Roads, on
| board 1.-the MsrrImac; assisted in erect
ing the batteries at Drewry's Bluff that
defeated the Monitor and GaIena and
other. United States vessels that attempt
ed TO pass up James river to capture
| Richmond after the destruction OF the
Merrimac, and was then assigned TO duty
| on the of his uncle, Jefferson Davis,
| with the rank of colonel Of cavalry.
ORGANIZING A BOAT SQUADRON.
While stationed at the Confederate bat
teries on the Potomac, Colonel Wood OBJ
served the opportunities of operating
| with armed boats against the small gun
boats and vessels OF the Federals, and
recommended to the Secretary of the
| Confederate Navy the construction OF a
/ number Of whaleboats capable of carry
| ing twenty-seven men each and week 3
! supplies. In a short time these navy-boats
were constructed and transported to vari-
Gus points of operation in army-wagons,
and from that time until the close OF the
war II was always said of Colonel Wood
] that he commanded the Confederate
| States navy on wheels" In October,
| 1862. Colonel Wood. with crew of TWEEN
| ty-seven men, made his first essay
against the Federals in the Chesapeake
bay. and boarded and captured and burn
| ed off the mouth of the Rappahannock
river the clipper ship Alleghanian laden
with guano, and her crew OF twenty-five
men were taken to Richmond as prison.
ers.
After several exploits with his land
squadron in the Chesapeake bay and Po-
tomac river. i'm which several sailing YES
sells were captured and burned, and in
one of these encounters Captain Hotch-
kiss. Of the United States navy, was kill
ed, Colonel Wood returned to Richmond
in August, 1853, 10 organize an expedition
for the mouth of the Rappahannock
where the Federal gunboats Satellite and
Reliance were doing duty. The Satellite
carried one 32-pounder smooth-bore gun,
one 12-pOunder Howitzer, and small arms
for the officers and crew, numbering
about forty men. The Reliance mounted
one 32-pounder rihed Parrot gum one
A-pounder Howitzer, with small arms,
and a crew OF about the same number as
the Satellite AS they usually laid off
Stlngray Point. at the mouth of the Rap
pahannock. they offered temptation
which, TO the courage dash, and enter
prise of Colonel Wood, was too inviting
10 be resisted.
UNITED STATES GUNBOATS CAP
TURED.
On the 18th of August, 1863. his land
squadron, consisting of four large whale
boats and about seventy men, started
from Richmond in cline ahead" and in
several days arrived at the lower end OF
Middlesex county, Va. when they en-
barked. and about Midnight on a dark
night pulled steadily and swiftly for the
two gunboats. Colonel Wood command
ed the two boats that boarded the Sa-
tellite, and Lieutenant Francis Il. Hoge
commanded the two that boarded the Re-
lance. The challenges of the watches on
board the two gunboats had scarcely
died away before the boarders were
clamboring up the sides of the two yes
sells with cutlasses and pistols in hand,
cutting their way through the hammock
nettings, which had been triced UP in an
ticipation of attack. When the attacking
party forced their way on deck the fight
ing In some instances was entirely hand
to hand, until the crews were driven be-
low and the prizes mastered. The assault
was so quickly made the gunboats had
no opportunity to use their heavy guns.
Three minutes finished the work. during
which Lieutenant Hoge, Midshipman
>.
Confederates were severely wounded. and
Captain Waters, of the Reliance, with
eight other Federals, were wounded, and
two killed Colonel Wood landed the
wounded and prisoners at Urbana, Va,
and then. hosting the Confederate flag
over the two gunboats, proceeded on a
cruise over the waters of the Chesapeake,
during which he overhauled and captured
the schooners Golden Rule, the TWO
Brothers, and the Coquette, and brought
them safely into port at Port Royal, va,
where all the prizes were dismantled and
finally DESTROYED. After his three weeks
cruise. Colonel Wood again mounted his
boats on wheels and returned TO Ricn-
mond.
A NORTH CAROLINA EXPEDITION.
Early in the winter of 1863, Colonel |
Wood visited General r. r.. Lees head |
quarters and induced him TO make an |
attack upon New Berne, N. c., by iand,
while he made an attempt to board and |
capture one or more of the Federal gun
boats at New Berne with his squadron |
on wheels. To enable him to carry out |
his plans, in the latter part of January
1864. the Confederate naval commanders
at the ports Of Richmond, Wilmington,
and Charleston received orders from the
Confederate Navy Department, at Rich
mond, to select picked crews of fifteen
men and an officer fromsea of the gun
boats at the ports named and direct them
TO report, fully armed and equipped with
n Whaleboat, to Colonel Wood, at Will
mington n. c., for further orders. In a
lew DAYS thereafter four boats crews
and two large launches, fully armed and
assembled at Wilmington, n.
c., and took the cars for Kinston, n.
= Everything being in readiness in
Kinston on the morning Of the 3lst OF
January, 1863, the boats and launches
were unloaded from the cars and launch
ID in the Neuse river. The two last
named boats had 12-pound Howitzer
m the bow of each. The same afternoon,
he SQUADRON having muffied oars, moved
rapidly down the river.
The town of New Berne lies on a point
If land at the junction OF the Trent and
Seuse rivers with Pamlico Sound, in
North Carolina. Roanoke Island was cap
ured by the Federals on the 18th
II February, 1862, and the surrender OF
Jew Berne followed that event. AS
Don as IL came into possession OF the
Union forces they at once threw up forth
cations, which extended over an area
# twenty miles, and in order to further
their position and provide
gainst the chances of either surprise or
apture, three or four OF their gunboats
gere either anchored off the wharf at
Sew Berne or were kept cruising up and
own the Neuse or Trent rivers. The
argest of these gunboats was the Under
writer a large side-wheel steamer, which
red the first gun in the attack on Roa-
oke Island, and participated in nearly