The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-09-03
r.,LD SOLDIERS TRIP
Mr.. 4. X. s1rcfeAsry. OF Robeson, Wis.,
Its Fort Fisher 4. the First Time
Since the var-He Was In Both
Battles-He Found a SoEff n

DAtIiee-Ite OuuQa cO9fNNE
Mr.. J. * S~ingiefsry, a confederate
veteran who resides at Grady. Robe
son county. was among the excursion
lists who came 20 Wilmington on Thurs
day. He was IN both battles at FcrI
Fisher in December 1864 and in January
1865. having served in Company b.
| Thirty-sixth North Carolina regiment.
He was captured by the federals at
the January battle at which time he
vas not quite - OF age.
The veteran has never visited Fort
Fisher since his capture. but IL has
been the one desire OF his life to visit
the fort once more before his life ecds.
He says he has prayed for that oppo:-
tunity and God has answered his pray
ers- That was his object in coming
down on the excursion and as soon Is
he got here he took the steamer Will
mington for Carolina beach which is
only four miles above the historic ruins
OF the old fort. He staid at the Hotel
Oceanic on Thursday night and yester-
day morning in company with Mr.. Is.
g. Carlyle, OF Lumberton, who was too
young to be A soldier in the civil war.
he walked to the ruins OF the fort.
Mr.. SlnSietary came up from Carroll
ma beach yesterday afternoon and was
telling a Messenger representative
about his trip 10 the fort. He saws time
has SO obllterated the landmarks that
when he saZed around he could not To-
cate any of the historic points. He
finally found j site of tire old light
house on the river beach. and from
that he could get his bearing. He says
the ocean front of the fort has almost
totally disappeared. The strong fortress
on the ocean front. which dealt death
and destruction to the United States
marines, has about disappeared from
the face OF the earth. The. is no sign
of the loc2 ton Of the easement or the
great magazine. On the land side,
however, he could locate the position of
the confederate guns by sinks in the
mounds which form the ruins OF the
Notifications. He ounte ten OF these
gun locations and they were plain TO
him, recalling to TENOR the stirring
| scenes wnen he helped to serve these
| guns that have now gone the way OF the
world. He states that the earthworks
thrown up Or the beach by the Federal
| landing force preparatory to the at
tack on the land face of the fort, are in
a better state Of preservation tina the
confederate works. All the buildings
| about the for. have long since been de-
~ W. ~ = 1NSAA A oliA tlAAAN-
Mr.. Singleta:y says relics Of the fort
are very scarce and very few may be
picked up now. He, however, found on
the ocean beach a curious white sub |
stance that resemble soap. 1t was
| square and the piece weighes ten
pounds. 1t appears to be sperm such as
| candles are made of, but he says some
one told him that it is probably a cake
of petroleum. In all probability it
came from the wreck Of the blockade
runner, the steamer Modern Greece
which was run in by the federal war
vessels and was stranded right in front
of the fort. After the vessel was
stranded the confederates succeeded in
| taking from her five Whitworth guns
which afterwards were of such great
service to the confederates. The only
relics he got were given to them by
| Captain John Miller who now has a
| place at CraiG'S landing near the fort.
Captain Miller gave him and Mr.. Car
lyle each a grape shot and a minnie
ball. One o. the balls had threads at
the butt but the other had no threads.
| Evidently one is a Yankee bullet and
the other a confederate. They were
| picked up on the battlefield by Captain
| Miller. Mr.. Singletary left at the Mes
| senger office 81 piece Of the sperm or pc
troleum and those who are curious to
| know what it is can find it in this office.
Mr.. Singletary says while at Carolina
beach he heard it mentioned that ira
| dition SAYS when the blockade runner
Beauregard wGs run in on the beach a
lot of treasure was secured from her
| and sunk in kegs in the lax near the
beach. It is believed now that some or
this treasure is still In the bottom OF
the lake. Mr.. Singletary says it is a
fact that treasure was sunk in the lake
and sticks were put dow to mark the
spot. He states, however, that nobody
evr heed waste any time looking for
the gold and silver for he saw, two
soldiers. John NJ. Davis and Artemus
cKa a UP the kegs of money
and have them carted to Wilmington.
A hundred and fifty dollars was given
tn 3. fisherman to haul them to Will
mineton. M John Calvin, the engi-
neer Of the Beauregard was killed some
years ago in a railroad accident near
L,ilesville. Mr.. Singletary says he saw
Captain Calvin have a little trunk 1uii
of silver that came off the Beauregard
and that he now has a quarter OF a DOL
lar that Captain Calvin gave him, the
captain gave q great many OF the SOL
diers pieces Of silver money before ne
left the fort for Wilmington.
Nobody need ever search in the lake
for treasure" remarked MI. Slngletary.
cit was all taken away, 10, these many
years. About the only thing besldes
the treasure tia was aiken from the
wreck Of the Peauregard was some rum
and leather. Whatever was on ner Is
in the old hulk yet as it lies out In the
ocean"
Benson,s First Bale of New Cotton