The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1905-06-08
February 3 1855

! iilh 'fCpt - close To Tie ...CE as /
make it hac tar t.e C5lirle-.rcs 70
show themselves above tie ....,al
Tie Waitwor;h gun in the w1r..~ So.
disabled Is artillery fire, ana Tie .-e,,
e:ai nay steamed Up within r-.-..
compelling tie Coafcderltgs OF bot
sides OF cape Fear river 70 take %
sitiOnS out Of reach.
The Confedcrutes behind Town creek
made the mistake Of thinking TIT tie
ground on the TANKS OF their position
was impossible for the Federals to
march over. General Cox didn't find
the region picketed and soon struck
the highroad two miles in rear of the
works. The Confederates had begun
4 line Of breastworks facing to the
rear and turned about to meet Cox
when they discovered his line moving
down from Wilmington way. \ single
charge of the Felerals broke the line.
and the commander surrendered with
400 men and 3 cannon. Part of the
| Confederates escaped to Wilmington.
During the night General Cox repair
ed the bridge over Town creek and
with his whole force. trains and artil-
lery, set out for Wilmington. Mean
while General Hoke's Confederates
still held General Terry back on the
| east Of the river. After march of six
miles Cox was again held up by Mill
creek, an unfOrdable stream with
| its bridge burned. Two hours We're
| passed in repairing the bridge, and the
! column marched on to Brunswick Fer
ry, in front of Wilmington. Here the
railway bridge fred by the Confed-
| crates was still burning, but several
boats of a p0ntoOn bridge used by the
| Confederates had been overlooked, and
with these the troops We're poled across
| TO Eagle island, midway of the river
| and about a mile wide.
General Cox Immediately began to
repair the pont00n bridge and cross
his column to the island. Meanwhile
| the detachment which had been feTried
over marched on toward the city fer
ry and were met by a party Of Con
! federates having a couple of cannon
in position behind a rude work they
| had constructed to defend the road
! While the riflemen of the Federal van
| guard attempted to drive the Confed-
| crate gunners from their pieces Gen
eral Cox opened with artillery from
the west bank. and the explosion Of
| the shells 50 close to the city warned
the authorities that an enemy was at
their gates.
! Persistent rumOrs had been a1loat
around Wilmington that the COnfeder-
ate General HarGee, who had evacuat-
ed Charleston and moved north with
| several thousand men, was about to
succor the threatened city. General
Terry could make no Roadway in try
| ing to push Hoke's Confederates on
the east bank Of the river and it was
supposed that HOke had been re-cn-
forced. General CoX's story Of the day
! is that the commanding officer of the
| expedition, General SchOfield, ordered
him (CoX) after he had secured a lOdg-
ment upon Eagle island to draw back
and ferry his troops to the east bank
| of Cape Fear river to re-enfOrce Terry
! Being convinced from what he had
seen on the west bank, General Cox
says that he purposely delayed obey
ing orders promptly, put one brigade in
motion and reported the circumstance
| fully to his superior. The river bank
| being lined with swamps, it was mid
night of the DIST before CoX's couriers
reached his headquarters with fresh
| lira1tiODc Sahafp1I
| approved CoX's action, although he had
sent repeated orders to him to recross
the river and support Terry in an at
tack on Hoke. These orders had been
the more urgent the afternoon of the
DIST because Hoke resumed the ag-
| gressive at that time as cover to his
retreat and the abandonment of Will
mingtOn to its fate. General Hoke
marched away during the night, and
| Terry's troops followed up, entering
the city at the dawn of Washington's
| birthday
Wilmington having been secured as
| a base for Sherman in case of need
General Schofield turned his attention
| to securing a better one at Newbern.
n. c., then in Federal possession, but
cut off from GOldsboro, where Sher
man was expected to halt by a Confed-
crate post at Kingston. Leaving Terry
in command of Wilmington, Schofield
detached General Cox to Newbern to
! open the road to Goldsb0ro. This was
effected after a stubborn battle at
Kingston, and Schofield united the col
umn under Terry with Sherman's army
1t G0ldsbOro, with communications
| open to both Newborn and Whining
ton. GEORGE l.. KILMER.