The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-08-24


found to be evacuated, by whose order
and what authority know not; no boats
were there. The garrison of Fort Fisher
had been cody abandoned to it's fate.
Thus fell Fort Fisher after three days
battle unparalleled in the annals of the
war. Nothing was left but to await the
approach of the enemy, who took us
about 10 p. m. The feet surpassed its
tremendous efforts of the previous at
tack. The fort had fallen in precisely
the manner indicated so often by my
self, and to which your attention has
been so frequently called, and in the
presence of the ample force provided by
you to meet the contingency
Colonel Lamb, in his report, says he
had half mile of land face and one mile
of sea face to defend with 100 men.
He knew every company present and its
strength. This number included the
killed, wounded and sick.
To capture Fort Fisher. the enemy
lost, by their own statement, 1,445 kill
ed, wounded and missing. Nineteen hum
dred Confederates with forty-four guns
contending against 10000 men on shore
and 600 heavy guns afloat. killing and
wounding almost as many of the enemy
as there were soldiers in the fort, and
not surrendering until the last shot was
expended.
The garrison consisted of two COM
panies of the Tenth North Carolina, un-
der Major Reilly; the Thirty-sixth North
Carolina, Colonel William Lamb. of the
First North Carolina Artillery; Fortieth
North Carolina: Company ID, battalion;
Company C, Third North Carolina Artil-
lery battalion; Company ID, Thirteenth
North Carolina Artillery battalion; and
the naval detachment under Captain Van
Benthuysen.
General Whiting had been assigned to
no duty by General Bragg, although it
was his right to have commanded the
supporting troops. He determined to 30
to the fort and share its fate. The COM
mander Colonel Lamb, offered to relin-
uuish the CONTROL but General Whiting
declined to take away the glory of the
defense from him. but remained with
him, and fought as volunteer. 1T is,
related that during the fight. when 100
immense projectiles were hurled per min
ute at the fort, General Whiting was seen
standing with folded arms smiling upon
q 4O0-pound shell, as it stood smoking
and spinning like a billiard ball on the
sand not twenty feet away until it burst,
and then moved quietly away" During
the fight General Whiting saw the Fed
eral flags planted in the traverses. Call
ing ON the troops to follow him, they
fought hand to hand with dubbed mus
kets, and one traverse was taken. Just
as he was climbing the other, and had
his hand upon the flag to tear it down,
he fell, receiving two wounds. Colonel
Lamb, half hour later, fell with a
desperate wound through the hip. The
troops fought on. Lamb, in the hospital,
found voice enough, though faint unto
death, to say: Il will not surrender"
Whiting, lying among the surgeons near
by, responded: Lamb, if you die, / will
assume commando and | will never sur
render
After the fort was captured, and Gen
erai Whiting was made prisoner, he was
taken to Fort Columbus, on Governors
Island, and there died March TO- 1865.
The fearless defender of the last stand
at Fisher Major James Reilly, remain
ed not far from, the scene of his exploits
until his death, November 3, 1894.
Colonel William Lamb still survives,
and since the war has resided continu-
olisly at his home in Norfolk, Va, where
lie lS,ftHSdstus III WusihSSS'
VI CRAIE'S LANDING.
From the deck of the steamer Will
mington the watchflil tourist may espy
near Craig's Landing a weather beaten
little cottage Of very humble aspect.
This unpretentious building was the resi-
denee of the commandant of Fort Fisher
and his little family during the war; 1t
is worth preserving, because one of the
sweetest little flowers of Confederate
w0manhood graced its rough interior,
and encouraged by her noble, self-sacri-
ficing spirit, the gallant defenders of the
Lost Cause She too, has crossed over
the river, and rests under the shade of
the trees Like gentle exhalation she
has passed away, but the memory of her
devoted life of faith and fortitude, her
loving and tender sympathy for the sick
and wounded. will live as long as the
story of Fort Fisher is told. This refer
ence is to the wife of Colonel Lamb
THE ROCKS INCLOSURE OF
NEW INLET.
Beginning at Battery Buchanan,
long line of heavy masonry, known as
the Rocks, will doubtless interest the
traveller.
This sea wall is one of the best plan
ned and most successful engineering
feats i'm the South. In the gsar l761,
during heavy storm, the Atlantic OCT an
broke across the narrow sand beach
which divided the sea from the river
some seven miles above the mouth, which
from that time became known as the
New Inlet, and which caused rapid
shoaling of the old channel, there being
two outlets instead of one, as formerly.
The Cape Fear river. from its mouth
nearly to Wilmington, is properly
tidal estuary of about thirty EIGHT square
miles. The river and it's branches drain
an area of about 5000 square miles. The
amount of fresh water passes out at its
mouth, though large, is significant when
compared with the tidal flow which alter
nately fills and empties this great reser-
yoir. The mean fresh water discharge
of the river does not exceed 1900 cubic
feet per second, and the tidal low at
the entrance averages about 10000
cubic feet per second This is the real
force which creates and preserves the
channel across the shifting sands of the
coast at the mouth of the river. No de-
mOnstratiOn is need to proys. the import