The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-05-01

on the evening OF January l2th, whence
a messenger was dispatched TO Nil
mington: and the news was comrauni-
Gated to Fort Fisher. On the next day
the information was rife that the enemy
had effected a landing on the narrow
spit of land east of M~asOnbOrO Sound,
several miles above Battery Anderson,
the former place of landing. In the
movement of the Federal forces. there
was not the delay that characterized
the former expedition The lombard
ment of this fleet commenced ut once.
General Whiting hurried II Fort FISH
er in the midst of the bOmbardment, as
he had done at the former attack. He
saw the situation, and at once wired
General Bragg at Sugar Loaf. not far
from the landing place. to attack the
federal forces. General Bragg anG Ma
10 rGeneral Hoke, division comm III i+r
under him. had made a reconnaissance
and concluded that an attack wCul0 be
disastrous to their troops on account of
their inferior forces and their exposure
to the fire of the fleet: and. also,
strangely, that the enemy were likely
to attack them. General Bragg tele-
graphed General Lee that the enemy's
Tine has been closely examined by my
self and General Hoke: and he sonsid-
ers it too hazardous 10 assault with
such an inferior force. Fisher has been
reinforced with sufficient veterans to
make it safe"
There were in Fort Fisher on jan
uary 18th but 500 men. Later in the day
re-enfOrcementS to the the amount OF
700 North Carolina troops and A de-
of about 30 men from the
navy arrived.
The casualties of the bOmbardment
were greater than before. being forty
for the first day. The fire from the
fleet gradually became more effective
han IN the December bOmbardlnen+,
and less scattered. 1t was directed
principally against the land face of the
port, in order to destroy it and make
way for the storming army. There was
Il continuous stream Of the deadly pro-
j~ectiles. The men We're pOWerless to-
man the unS The Federal forces
We're fast occupying the entire area
before the north face of the fort. Many
a brave fellow rallied to the gums to
check the advance of the enemy, only
to be turned asunder by the mercilesS
shells. During the night the Federal
army became securely e~ntrenched
from the ocean to the river. 1t was
impossible then to o them. During
the night there was n continuous
screaming of large shells over the
parapet to warn the garrison against
dlly uSt y lIIc guns
General Bragg could not be persuad-
ed to attack the enemy. Colonel Lamb
desired to attack them from the front;
when cooperation on the part Of Gen.
eral Bragg and the Confederate IRON
clad Chickamauga, lying in the river
nearby, would have driven the Federal
troops from their position with great
loss. SkirmiSherS made Il SOrtie from
the fort, and wrought no small havoc
1l~- IT, JT-;@r Twas. bI1+ fhn nnn-
certed attack was not made. With the
failure. went the last opportunity -
save Fort Fisher.
The Commandment of the remaining
portions of the fort was comparatively
harmless The force of the attack was
directed elsewhere. Fort Fisher els
charged even n smaller number of guns
thai at the Christmas bOmbardment.
simply for the reason that it had not
the ammunition to eXpend. The guns
were carefully aimed, however, and
wrought much injury to the fleet.
which stood too far out to suffer any
loss of ships. At times a vessel moved
towards the bar, as if attempting to
| run in and pass the fort; but these
were driven off by a few well-directed
shots.
All day during Saturday, the 18th.
| the fire continued as on the previous
| dav. 1t was so concentrated that it
| was impossible to Withstand it The
casualties were increasing to an alarm
ing extent, the number reaching 200
| during the two days.
On Sunday, the 18th, the fleet re-
doubled the fury of its bombardment
on the land face; and soon practically
! DESTROYED every gun but one in that
| section of the fort. In the meantime.
the Federal troops were massing for the
| attack and Strengthening their posi-
ton. Their SkirmisherS approached al
most to the parapet Of the fort; ana,
under the cover of the fire from the
ocean, dug rifle pits to shield them
from the bullets of the garrison.
The situation became serious Cen
eral Whiting telegraphed General
Bragg: rs Fisher to be b~lesieged, or
Won to attack? Should like to now
General Bragg replied, "Hoke is NOV
ing on enemy; but | am confident you
will repel him with your
| Tn emovclnent on the enemy, hrWeFer.
| did not materialize-
In the middle of the day General
Bragg sent by river Hagoods >oulh
| Carolina brigade, numbering one thou
sand men. to ~re-enfOrce the fort. only
a part of the soldiers landed; inasmuch
az the fleet saw the movement ana
drove the steamer away from the
| wharf. The attempt to send fresh
troops a been delayed too long, {
would have succeeded, and been OF
| the greatest service, had it been 1lade
! earlier. The $50 trops landed, rushed
| across the open space to he fort IN
the face of the enemy's fire.
When the Union forces landeI at 4"
9 o. m. on the 18th, General Terry az
| once set them in motion toward Fort
| Fisher. They proceeded several miles
southwark, and began to construct a
! line of entertainments. This was COM
! pleted by the morning of the l4th. On
that day two batteries of eight guns
were landed and placed, one OF SIX
next to the river and the other Of two
| near the ocean. The work was all
quickly done and displayed h rare
| ability of General Terry. They hourly
expected to receive an attack from the
Confederate troops. whose nearby opsl-
ton had been ascertained- The attack
never came. and the entertainments
were made more secure.