The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-12-14

made no report to his admiral of tina.
fight The commander Of the armada
had altered his opinion about that Car
DINA fort and its garrison. after the
repulse OF his sailors and marines but
have read the Little Ada's" log for
January Is. 1865. II reads. Garry
ing dispatches through the feet, naval
brigade made an assault at 3 D. m:
were repulsed. A few minutes after
wards the land forces made an assault
n succeeded in capturing several ira
verses very quickly, and then came To
a ~standstill holding what they gained"
Thank you, acting master. for stating
that last fact, and you might have
ruthfuliy added in your log. "and then
he eet resumed its fearful fire direct
ed by signal, and prevented he Con-
federates now released from the attack
on the naval brigade, from recovering
the works"
Nor have | any displeasure a. the
unkind reflections OF the "Canoni-
cuss commander. He couldn't keep
posted He had to peep through a hole
IN MS coming tower. and his n of
Vision was necessarily contracted. and
as he withdrew Christmas day at 2.4O
p. NJ, his ammunition having been
exhausted he was too far removed
to see through the smoke what subse-
quently TRANSFERRED. and as he fired 144
IL inch shot and sheTi while in action
which deafened him and all his crew
make great allowance for his imagin-
Ing, that my comrades did not stand
by their guns as long as l ordered
them, or found safety in the bomb
proofs before | personally directed the
officers to Immediately cover there
men.
Why, my Tar Heels had just COM
menced fighting that Christmas day.
when the "Canonicus'' reluctantly
withdrew at 2:40 p. m. federal time).
The bombardment of the previous day
had. been resumed at 1880 a. M. and
IN the four hours, the remaining quar-
tiers OF the garrison left from the de-
Str1ctlVe fire OF the day before had
been destroyed, with the camp equip
age CT the men, including many over
coats, and actually the only good pair
or shoes of many of the men of two
companies, whose quarters were zeal
the battery on land face next TO the river
the weather was so mild that the BOWS
were literally stripped for the fight,
going to quarters sans overcoat and
with improvised slippers so as to be
more spry in handling the guns in n
sudden emergency, and last but not
least, all the Christmas boxes received
from down home, not destroyed Christ
mas eve. You better believe they
were fighting mad, and felt wicked
enough, despite dear Chaplain McKin-
mons prayers, to give the Federal in
vaders b! Hail Columbia" which
they proceeded to do as YOU will pres
emily see from the Official reports of
Admiral Porter and some Of his of
ficers.
I call them my Tar Heels" God
bless them every one, Didn't | teach
those young ideas for more than 2 IL
years, (alOng the beach, in cold wealth
er and hot, by day and night, in sun
shine and in storm, sometimes 20
miles away from the protecting fort,
on a narrow spit. only a cOrporafs
guard, with one Whitworth and caisson
and a gun detachment and four mules),
how to shoot at a ship and dodge a
shell without getting "skaired?" Ask
the surviVorSi
| am a great admirer Of Admiral
Porter on account Of his brilliant rec
ord during the war between the states.
After it was ended our relations were
extremely friendly and | became at
tached to him on account of his earnest
effort to get my eldest son, (who was
five years old during he battles and
who had been several times under fire
from cruisers pursuing the belated
blockade runners, with his sister and
their colored nanny, behind a a n
hill in the rear of my cottage on the
: river bank one mile north Of Fort
Fisher, first in the army and then IN
the navy, but President Hayes felt
he must confine his appointments tC
!, the sons of Union officers. But in his
numerous reports of the fight, II
: is clearly apparent that his luminosity
: to General BENJAMIN F. Butler, and his
chagrin and modification a. being IN
g~loriously defeated by my gallant gar
rison, which he and mis- officers hac
ridiculed and disdained as Carolina
: militia with some decrepit home guard
caused him to lose his head n for
ward innumS'able absurd and con-
, Trajectory reports to the secretary Cl
1.-THE navy, and what was worse. issuing
General Order rs, after the light, caus'
: ing many of the commanders CT the
fleet to express ridiculous opinions OF
the condition of the garrison and Its
inability to defend the works against
, the most trifing attack, after theil
| noisy but comparatively harmless
bombardment, one going so far as to
make the silly assertion that the gar
: rison were only waiting for some one
r to ask them to surrender"
WILLIAM LAMB.
> (TO BE CONTINUED.)
/