The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-12-18

less Lieutenant Commander Breese
against the northeast salient OF "un-
tenable" Fort Fisher, and the CAROLYN
ians, assisted by a detachment OF the
G. s. navy, came out Of their sand
holes" and in half an hour killed 3,
wounded Is and held up under the
BERN s subsequently killed or deserted
to Bragg.) Lieutenant Robson, report
ing a loss OF IS and stating that the
men broke in spite of all my attempts
to rally them, and rushed down the
beach in disorder" and take the lib
erty to add, not finding any of Thatch-
erfs sand holes to seek refuge in" Of
fetal Records. L. and c.. N, Vol. Ii,
PIP. 205 and 208.
On the oath Of December no mega
zine was blown up or injured. The
flagstaff had been cut down about
3:15 D. m, after it had been fired at
since 1890 D.. m. when the lombard
ment commenced, and by federal esti-
mate about 1000 shot and shell had
been directed against it, about two
thirds of the fleet participating. AS
during the attempt to strike our colors
for us it was comparatively as safe
on the hospital parapet, where / could
"oINi llCCC d1d ihSs 90 'NA 49,
vetment of the pulpit battery" my
headquarters during the fight, where |
could not watch the fleet without inter
fering with the efficiency Of its 10-inch
Columbiad, | took position on the fer
mer, not regarding it %imprudent for
one conducting the fight ashore. but
all-impOrtant, rs the instant our flag
fell. being the only one hOisted e the
-rrouJ-c - -. ,nn+bo s T1,tct no 20 jCQ1 IN
mediateiy. Watching the flag almost
as intently as my enemies, l wondered
it could so long defy the shot and shell
of at least 300 heavy hostile guns.
AS o rs our flag fell | ~signaled
Captain Daniel Mum, in command OF
my right, with headquarters at the
Mound battery, h extreme right or
southern part Of FCrt Fisher, to raise
it's flag. The Mound had on its para
pet a stout flag staff, over twenty feet
high and in the magazine was slowed
a Confederate flag, about 3x6'feet tine
staff with tOpmast at headquarters was
60 feet high and the flag SKI feeE~)
Captain Mum gave the order mmedl'
ately, but the sergeant who tried TO
carry it out, evidently through nerV-
BUSINESS, unreeved the halyards, to the
disgust of the brave old captain, when
Private Christopher c. Bland, Company
K, Thirty-sixth North Carolina Resl-
ment, Immediately volunteered to re-
place the halyards through the truck,
and taking an end of them in his tteth,
climbed the staff, reeyed the halyaTdS,
slid down and bent on the nag ana
hoisted it to it's position. mid a terrific
storm of shot and shell from at least
$50 guns Fourteen ships or the Osce-
ola and Rhode Island class, with ~ TO
II guns, among them Parr0tt rifles,
We're lying opposite the Mound II had
been harmlessly converting 1t into an
iron mine for three hours, commencing
at 1890 p. M, and it was now j:j0.
The Mound had shot away the spanker
gaff of the PoWhatan and her flag had
dropped into the Sea. just about the
same time our garrison flag had fallen,
rather a coincidence with me, as had
seen her launched At the navy yard at
home. February 14th, 1850, and she
was often lying opposite my residence
at the naval anchorage. L saw her
when leaving for Japan n WhcE she
! came en- route for Washington with me
JaDanese embassy on board. CARVED
in 1860, including Tommy She was
the most vulnerable vessel in the fleet,
and | am afraid if | had possessed the
proiectiles to spare | should have SUM
her for her spitefulness towards the
Mound, against which she had hreo
most Of her shot and shell, her com
mander reporting that he had paid es-
;! DeciaF attention to the Mound with Els
two 100-pounder PARROTS.
When watching for the flag 20 be
raised on the Mound. and all the gar
rison were doing likewise, I saw tina
Brunswick boy Che was Webb-footeC
like most lower Cape Fear n eastern
shore Virginia men and could sail {
boat and climb Il mast equal to any lei
loN; in the fO'cstle of coaster or deer
sea craft) amid that shower Of burst
ing shells. it thrilled me through an;
through: and when the breeze I'm
2 wrapped the folds of our sacred baltic
Il flag. set in it's beautiful field OF Snow.
white. fit symbol of the pure motive
, of Lee. Johnston, l.0hCsIree' n thel
< r"na~.. rs, fighting or u cause they ~
Iieved right. | felt, if Colonel GOr@1
t would only send me shot and shell an
81 powder enough, | would send every OF
t of Porter's feet to Davy JOnes's locke.
e. This was $3.50 D. m. when the firm
Il at that consecrated flag became herca
and iercer, the Parrott shells scream
< ing through the air as if Infatuated b
t its audacity, and the big frigates JOIN
u ing in with 11-inch Dahlgrens. maxim
O fuss around the Mound than Bu'
1 ler's powder boat did on Christmas eve
and vet exploding and falling in narm
less fury. more than half going sout
of the works into the insenslble san
Il and unconscious mud, when at SAB
! M, by the Powhatan's time, a she
from her pivot rifle cut the halyard
-, lust below the colors (she claimed tn
II flagstaff vas shot away, but her ioob
), out was mistakenly. The broken ha
wards got tangled in the flag and hel
81 it to the staff, and the gentle breez
while waving it, did not free it trol
y .L>--as. L., Mont that hero with han