CAPTURE OF ROANOKE ISLAND. 65 to move forward steadily. As Generals render must be unconditional and imReno and Parke came up with their re- mediate; and the enemy, without furspective divisions, they made a detour ther parley, laid down their arms. Gento the right and left of the enemy with erals Reno and Parke and Colonel Hawthe view of flanking them. The whole kins, as they marched over the island, force was now steadily closing in upon found no resistance, and were equally the intrenchments, when, at twelve fortunate in securing a large number of o'clock, General Foster ordered Colonel prisoners. The forts were either abanHawkins, with his New York Zouaves doned or surrendered, and the United and the Tenth Connecticut Regiment, States flag was raised upon all before to charge with bayonets upon the bat- the close of the day. tery which commanded the causeway. A simultaneous movement was made on the right and left, and the enemy thus surrounded were driven from their guns back into the intrenchments. The charge of the New York and Connecticut men was gallantly made. They pressed forward with a loud shout, and, in their eagerness, crowding over the narrow causeway, leaped into the morass kneedeep in mud and water, and pushed their way into the. fort, thrusting with their bayonets the enemy before them, and taking possession of their guns. The fugitives, escaping from the intrenchments, fled to the northern end of the island, pursued by General Foster. While this victory was being won on land, Captain Goldsborough renewed his fire against Fort Barton at Pork Point, and having silenced it, sailed in pursuit of the enemy's gun-boats. General Foster, upon reaching the extremity of the island, was met by a flag of truce from Colonel Shaw, in command of a Virginia regiment, which had landed there on that morning. The Colonel proposed to negotiate about terms of capitulation, but General Foster replied that the sur General Burnside thus summed up the results of this successful two-days' work : "I have the honor to report," he wrote, "that a combined attack upon this island was commenced on the morning of the 7th, by the naval and military forces of this expedition, which has resulted in the capture of six forts, forty guns, over 2,000 prisoners, and upward of 3,000 small-arms. "Among the prisoners are Colonel Shaw, commander of the island, and O. Jennings Wise, commander of the Wise Legion. The latter was mortally wounded, and has since died. "The whole work was finished on the afternoon of the 8th inst., after a hard day's fighting, by a brilliant charge in the centre of the island, and a rapid pursuit of the enemy to the north end of the island, resulting in the capture of the prisoners mentioned above. "We have had no time to count them, but the number is estimated at nearly 3,000. "Our men fought bravely, and have endured most manfully the hardships incident to fighting through swamps and dense thickets." In the spirited charge upon the "I met," he wrote, "the enemy off this place this morning at nine Feb. o'clock, and after a very sharp en- 14. enemy's battery in the centre of the island, Russell, the colonel of the Tenth Regiment, and Lieutenant-Colonel Vic-gagement, succeeded in destroying or tor de Monteil-who had volunteered his services, though his regiment, the D'Epineuil Zouaves, was not presentfell, after gallantly leading their comrades to the attack. The loss of the enemy, as they fought under the cover of breast-works, was not very great, amounting in all to about twenty killed and a hundred wounded. capturing his entire naval force, and silencing and destroying his battery on Cobb's Point. "The only vessel saved from destruction is the Ellis, Captain J. M. Cook, who is wounded and a prisoner. I have other prisoners. "I am happy to say that our casualties are few, considering the warmth of the enemy's fire-say two or three killed and some wounded." The following is a list of the enemy's vessels : Among the former was Colonel O. Jennings Wise, the son of Governor Henry A. Wise, of Virginia, who was to have commanded the enemy's forces, but, during the engagement on the island, remained at a neighboring place, Curlew. known as Nag's Head, where he was reported to be seriously ill. The loss of the Unionists was thirty-five killed and about two hundred wounded. Captain Goldsborough, on the day Feb. after the capture of Roanoke Isl9. and, sent thirteen steamers, under Commander Rowan, in pursuit of the enemy's flotilla. Pushing their way through the sunken vessels and piles, with which an attempt had been made to obstruct the passage through Croatan Sound, and meeting with no resistance from the works (Fort Forrest) on the mainland, which the enemy abandoned, Commander Rowan sailed up Albemarle Sound to the harbor of Elizabeth City, where he overtook the enemy's vessels, under the command of Captain Lynch, and attacked them with the result which he thus reported: .2 66 Beaufort. 2 .2 Fanny. .2 guns 2 .2 64 Ellis. "Captain W. F. Lynch, the commander of the rebel gunboat fleet which supported the rebel batteries at Roanoke Island at the late battle, is a native of Norfolk, Va. He was formerly of the United States Navy. He entered the Federal service on the 26th of July, 1819. His last com mission was dated April 2, 1856, and under it he was two years in active sea service. His total sea service was thirteen years and ten months. He was on shore duty eleven years and eleven months, and was fifteen years and ten months unemployed. His total service was fortyone years and seven months. When he resigned his commission in the Federal service, he stood No. 75 in the rank of captains. 66 'Captain Lynch was the chief of the exploring expedi tion to the Dead Sea in 1843-4. His report to the Secretary of the Navy, after his return, was quite voluminous and highly interesting, giving, as it did, the minutest details of the expedition, written in a manner which displayed no ordinary talent. Captain Lynch is well known among our geographical societies, before whom he has often leotured on topics connected with his famous expedition. signed his commission in the Union service, and joined the rebels. During last summer he supervised the movements of the rebel gun-boats on the Potomac and James rivers, and subsequently the equipment of a rebel flotilla on Albemarle Sound, North Carolina." "At the commencement of the present rebellion he re CAPTURE OF ELIZABETH CITY. Elizabeth City was at once taken possession of, not, however, before the retreating enemy had applied the torch and half burned the place. Some of the 67 citizens seemed to disapprove of this barbarous act, and solicited the naval officers to send a force on shore to assist. in putting out the flames.* CHAPTER VIII. Vigorous Enterprise of Burnside.-Conquests on the Coast of North Carolina. -Expedition to Edenton.-Results.— Expedition to the Chesapeake and Albemarle Canal.-Results.-Expedition to Newbern -Sanguine Union sentiment.-Proclamation.-Vigorous measures.-Description of Newbern.-Preparations for attack. - Preparations for defence. Sailing of the Expedition.—Battle of Newbern.-Capture.--Retreat of the Enemy.--Comparative losses. -Burnside's Report.-Escape of Steamer Nashville. – Disappointment.-Capture of Washington. 1862. river-took possession of the town of Edentont without resistance. The only Elizabeth City is the capital of Pasquotank County, North Carolina. It is situated on the right bank of the Pasquotank River, about twenty miles from its mouth, 215 south of Norfolk, Va. It is also a post town, and is considered one of the most important towns in the north miles east by north of Raleigh, and about thirty miles eastern part of the State. It has a water communication with Norfolk, which is reached by going twenty miles up the Pasquotank River, thence twenty-two miles by the Dismal Swamp Canal to Elizabeth River, Virginia, thence nine miles to the latter city. GENERAL BURNSIDE continued to give proof of his characteristic vigor of enterprise by rapidly extending his operations along the coast of North Carolina. By the aid of the fleet of his energetic coadjutor, Commodore Goldsborough, he was enabled soon to possess himself of the main harbors of the enemy opening to Albemarle Sound, and to intercept some of their more important communications by land and water. An expedition proceeded to Edenton, con- Baptist, one Episcopal, and one Methodist-an academy, sisting of the Louisiana, Lieutenant A. Murray, who held the chief command; the Underwriter, Lieutenant Jeffers; the Commodore Perry, Lieutenant Flusser; Feb. and the Lockwood, Acting Master 12. Evans. This flotilla, entering the harbor carefully-the Lockwood, the smallest vessel, being in advance, in order to keep her larger consorts informed trade, and is sixty-six miles south of Norfolk, Va. It contains a court-house, jail, three churches-one four seminaries, two banks, thirty-five stores, three newspaper offices, issuing two weekly newspapers and a semi monthly publication, and a population estimated at two thousand. Vessels drawing seven feet of water can come up to it with the greatest case. † Edenton is quite a flourishing little town of some 1,700 inhabitants. It is a post town, a port of entry, and at the head of Edenton Bay, which opens into Albemarle Sound a little below the mouth of Chowan River, 150 capital of Chowan County, North Carolina, and is situated miles east of Raleigh. It is one of the principal towns in the north-eastern part of the State, carries on considerable In June, 1852, 1,640 tons of shipping were owned and of the depth of water, or of the appear-employed in the coast trade, and during that year three ance of earth-works on the banks of the schooners, with an aggregate burthen of 215 tons, were show made by the enemy was a flying battery of artillery with a few hundred soldiers, who retired without firing a shot on the approach of the gun-boats. Many of the inhabitants also fled, frightened by the rumor, that the Unionists had made great havoc at Elizabeth City. Those who were left, however, were soon tranquilized by assurances of the falsity of the report, and some representatives of the civic authority showed themselves so well disposed as to profess Union sentiments. A schooner on the stocks and six cannon found in the place were destroyed, and two small vessels in the harbor captured. Another small expedition, consisting of the Lockwood, the Shawshene, and the Whitehead, with two schooners in tow, under the chief command of Lieutenant Wm. N. Jeffers, sailed to the mouth of the Chesapeake and Albemarle Canal. "On opening the reach of the river leading to the mouth of the canal," says Commander Jeffers in his report, "I discovered two small steamers and three schooners about a mile and a quarter up the canal, and that the mouth of the canal was obstructed. Pickets stationed near the mouth fired their muskets to give the alarm, and a large body of men, whose muskets glistened in the sunshine, got under cover at the point where those vessels were. "I immediately moved up within a couple of hundred yards of the mouth of the canal, until all the vessels grounded, and ordered the Whitehead to open fire with her nine-inch guns. But three shells were fired, when the whole body precipitately fled. "On going on shore I found that a schooner had been sunk about fifty yards within the mouth, supported by piles, logs, etc., forming a complete barrier. I advanced a picket of fifteen men, under command of Acting Master Graves, followed by the machinists of the Lockwood, with crowbars, mauls, etc. At the distance of half a mile a second row of piles had been driven. They were at work on this when we surprised them. The steamers and schooners had left before we landed, but a fine large dredging machine remained, and this we soon saw sinking. This sunk diagonally across the canal, closing it entirely for the passage of the smallest vessel, being, say, ten feet from one side and six from the other. The machinery was entirely destroyed by the working party, the hull above water burned and entirely consumed." A third expedition, consisting of a land force and three gun-boats, sailed up the Chowan River as far as Winton, but finding the enemy posted there in large force, no attempt was made to land. However, as a fire was opened from the town, the Union gun-boats returned it with shells, which partly burned the place. General Burnside now planned a more important expedition, which was to attack the city of Newbern, where the enmy were in large force and had made formidable preparations for defence. |