The Washington herald., 1915-01-10
FEDERAL TRANSPORTS
REACH HAMPTON ROADS.
January 8.

Fifty years ago today a fleet OF Fed
eral transports. conveying from Hamp-
ton Roads a command under Gen. Al
fred II. Terry, to deliver a second at
tack upon Fort Fisher. arrived, storm
beaten and in need Of repairs, off Beau
fort. n. c.
Gen. Terry's expedition followed one
under Gen. Benz. F. Butler. which. in
conjunction with the navy. had unsuc-
cessfully attempted the reduction OF
Fort Fisher on December 25. Return
ing to Hampton Roads, Gen. Butler had
reported that, in his opinion. the fort
could not be carried by assault and for
that reason he had returned to his base.
Gen. Grants orders TO Gen. Butler
had directed him to intrench his force
near Fort Fisher. in the event OF not
carrying the fort by assault. These
orders Gen. Butler had not followed.
Gen. Grant at once relieved Gen. But
Ter of command of the Army OF the
James. with which he had been CO.
operating in Grants siege of Peters
burg since the preceding May.
President Lincoln had been greatly dis
appointed at the failure of the first eX-
pedition against Fort Fisher and finding
that the navy was still confident that the
feet, under Admiral d. ID. Porter, should
hold its position of the fort, and that
Gen. Grant be requested to renew his CO.
operation in fresh attack.
This Grant was prepared to do prompt
ly. He was confident the fort must fall
IL properly assaulted by the navy and
army together He believed that Gen.
Butler had shown incapacity.
Gen. Godfrey weitzel. who had COM
manded the troops in the first expedition,
and had advised Gen. Butler that the
fort could not be taken by assault, also
suffered from the failure Of the first ex-
pedition.
Weitzel was veteran soldier. but his
experience in attacking fortified places
had been such as to give him a negative
view of the possibility OF carrying Fort
Fisher by storm.
There had been no hearty cooperation
between Admiral Porter and Gen. Butler,
and the navy's bOmbardment of the fort
had not been effective. This latter fact
in favor OF Gen. WeitZel was not estab-
lished until later: and it seemed a matter
Of course that WeitZel should step aside
in favor Of some other commander.
To lead the second assault upon Fort
Fisher, Grant had chosen Gen. Terry
purely on that officers record. Terry.
who was a native OF Hartford Conn,
had gone into the war as volunteer
colonel for tho Connecticut regiment. His
only military training had been in the
State militia, as he was by profession a
lawyer.
From the beginning OF the war Terry
had shown unusual aptitude in mastering
the principles OF military art. He served
with credit on the South Atlantic sea-
board. participating in the siege of Fort
Ii -, h.,
atoms against Charleston, having com
mand of the Federal troops on Morris
Island in the siege OF that city.
Afterward he commanded the northern
division OF the Department Of the South,
embracing the Sea Islands.
When the Army OF the James was
formed Gen. Terry went TO il as a divi-
sion commander in the Tenth Army
Corps, commanded by Gen. Quincy A.
Gilmore. When in December. 1854, the
Tenth Corps was made a part OF the
Twenty-fourth Corps Gen. Terry had
command Of the first division in the new
organization.
In the operations on the James he had
shown himself a resOurCeful and per-
sistent officer. who never dwelt upon the
possibility OF defeat.
The Expeditions Strength.
For the expedition against Fort Fisher
Gen. Terry was given S.O10 men. a ma
jority OF them being the same troops that
had accompanied Gen. Butler. From the
picked men OF the Second Division. under
Gen. Adelbert Ames, Of Massachusetts;
5000 from the Third Division. Twenty
fifth Corps under Gen. Charles J. Paine.
of Massachusetts; 1.4OO from the Second
Brigade, First Division. under Col. J. c.
Abbott, of the Seventh New Hampshire
Volunteers. Two batteries of ten guns
accompanied the infantry, but no horses,
wagons, or CaissOns were carried.
The soldiers who had accompanied Gen.
Butler had been less than five days back
in their camps at Bermuda Hundred. on
the James. when they were ordered again
to embark. Their destination was kept
secret but the orders for their equipment
showed that they were destined for hard
service. In heavy marching order. they
carried four days cooked rations and
forty rounds OF ammunition per man,
while additional ammunition and hard
bread were carried aboard the ships in
boxes
The transports dropped down the James
on January ;. and there Gen. Grant vis-
tied the fleet and delivered TO Gen Terry
an order directing him to attack Fort
Fisher.
The ships put to sea that night. The
next day a storm was encountered in
which the vessels were scattered, and
each was obliged to fight for its exist
ence. When the storm abated on Janu-
uary s a number Of the vessels had been
damaged in power or machinery, and it
was necessary to put into Beaufort, the
chief Federal naval base on that part Of
the coast, for repairs before proceeding
to the vicinity OF the Cape Fear River.
There. on the beach where Gen. But
ler's troops had landed and re-embarked,
it was proposed to put ashore the entire
force, while ships under Porter covered
the landing.
In anticipation Of events, It may be
stated here that the landing was effected
with great expedition and the fort was