The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-06-18
FIGHT ON THE NANSEMoNn

III - s''N'Hs NHu uNIl-
II ttis : o,,'irr Flee for iionr,-in.tamrrs or
D"rin.-c!vii War neconto,iou,.
New York Post: 1t was the 18th Of
7 April, 1903, ard Gen. Peck. u. s. A.. was
seared-th!s without reflection upon his
sodlerly name. 1t may even be said
that he was badly scared, for the stu
alton warranted that. The position Of
his troops In and around the Virginia
town Of Suffolk, on the Nansen,ond
river, was suddenly, and ;mmlnently
threatened. Longstreet, the willy, had
been gathering Il in q snare, and now
(. When Peck awoke to the fact, 10000 of
me enemy's men, provided with strong
heiu ard Siege batteries, already lined
theFleft side of the river close upon him.
\ cooperating with n second powerful
/ Confederate force on the opposite hank,
me moment when the two bodies sue
ceeded in effecting a juncture would be
the moment ot SuTolk's doom, Hardly
by possibility could the post with
stand their combined attack. Clearly.
then, Longstreet must not cross the
Nansemond river; yet what could pre-.
vent him? Only guEboats. A single
i gurboat at Suffolk, thought the Union
| officers. would outvalue b brigade OF re-
Inducements. And 1t SO happened that
in the smallest morning hours Of April
II, Rear Admiral Lee received at his
b.ockading station off Newport News a.
demand for instant help on the Nanse-
! mond. so
But Lee had been deiuged with like
demands, and his resources were almos.
exhausted. From the Sound, from the
James, from the York, from every point
Whence such calls could come, the land
forces had importuned him for assist
ance, and now, Us he looked about for
means to meet this latest requisition.
nothing remained TO him to give save
only few tubs" with two boys 10
manoeuvre them. g
1t happened. however, that the nature
OF the particular boys-In question add
ed certain potentia!!ties to the case.
Lads though they were, their names
We're famous throughout the navy, and
when Rear Admiral Lee handed over
the command OF the Nunsemond eHpe-
| dition to Lieuts. Lamson and Cushing,
he may vel! have looked for the events
| that We're to make the expedition one
of the brilliant features in the history
ofsthe war =
In the early morning OF the 18th, or
Immediately upon receipt Of Gen. Peck's
request, Lee despatched the two young
4 officers on their mission. Lamson was
.tos occupy the Upper Nausemond, a
tSnarrow, tortuous creek seven miles
long, choked with ugly sandbars. His
vessels were the Mount Washington, a
river steamer armed with one thirty
l5pounder and three howitZers, and car
/ srying q detachment OF sailors from the
Minnesota. Lees flagship in addition 10
4 her working crew; the Cohaseat. tug.
with q twenty-pounder Parrot and a
\ tWentyt-fo howitZer; and the
\ Stepping Stones, @ light ferryboat arm
4 5ed59with how!tzer battery. Cushing's
i business was 10 guard the lower river.
\ HIS flagship was ferryboat. the Com
\ tmoGore Barney, and his fleet three lit
4 tie craft from the Potomac ilot!lla-the
4 Yankee, the Primrose, and the Teazer.
\ M No rougher work ever fell to the lot
Isof any commander than was meted out
4 5toIthese men during each hour of the
ensuing twelve days The wooded
Thanks OF the river, throughout their
\ length, fairly spou;ed shot ard she'll.
4 iraklag the devoted little boats across
jSN ttl u Hluiuelous II IRE. LONbStEeet s
shaIp-shooters found snug shelter In the
bushes along the waters edge. and the
tsnarrowness Of the stream held their
l3targets within such easy range that bull
lslets could hardly fail to strike home.
Rifle pits and heavy batteries lined the
l8shore, and from day to day new guns
were brought up. or old ones trurdled
I{to5new places, whence the first intima-.
Elton of their presence would be we'll.
lSoimed shell crashing into the frail hull
ola "paper-clad." The gunboats could
mot choose their positions in that
Ecramped channel. and the question of
Itthe tides haunted them always. Even
atSh!gh water ard with the most gin
I'serly management they frequently.
Egrourded: whereupon with eXultant
| Vols. the rebels would hurry UP their