106 CAPTURE OF FORTS THOMPSON AND MACON. and 28th Massachusetts moved up the road on the right; General J. L. Reno moved along the line of the railroad with the 21st Massachusetts, 9th New Jersey, 51st New York, and 51st Pennsylvania; while General J. G. Parke with the 4th and 5th Rhode Island and 11th Connecticut moved in the centre on a country road, as a reserve. About 8 A. M. Foster attacked Fort Thompson and soon men. More important than these small expeditions was that under command of Brigadier-General Parke against Fort Macon, a work commanding Beaufort Harbor, North Carolina, constructed of brick and stone and mounting nearly 50 guns. On March 19 General Parke advanced with his brigade toward Beaufort, captured Moorehead City and Beaufort, and proceeded to invest the fort, which was garrisoned by about 450 When surrender was refused, Parke cut off the communications of the fort, planted 11 seige guns and, at 5:40 A. M. on April 25, in coöperation with four vessels of the navy, opened fire. Hour after hour the bombardment was maintained, but about 4 o'clock in the afternoon the garrison surrendered.* the entire division became engaged. After a stubborn resistance lasting four hours the Confederates broke and retreated to Newbern, burning behind them the railroad and turnpike bridges over Trent River. Burnside crossed the Trent in boats and in the afternoon occupied the city, capturing many heavy guns and other material. The Confederate loss was 64 killed, 101 wounded, and 413 captured or missing; the Union loss was 90 killed and 380 wounded.* * Woodbury, Burnside and the 9th Army Corps, pp. 51-68; Battles and Leaders, vol. i., pp. 647652; Maclay, History of the Navy, vol. ii., pp. 273-278; Confederate Military History, vol. iv., pp. 37-41. Simultaneously with the operations in North Carolina other important victories had been gained along the Atlantic coast. Fort Pulaski, erected by the United States at Cockspur Island for the defence of Savannah, Georgia, and commanding both channels of the Savannah River, had been seized by Georgia State troops on January 3, 1861. It was a brick work with walls 72 feet thick and 25 feet * Battles and Leaders, vol. i., pp. 652-654; Con federate Military History, vol. iv., pp. 43-44. Upper photo from the original Brady negative. Lower photo taken from the Photographic History of the Civil War. the Patriot Publishing Company. 1. SECTION OF THE UNION CAMP AT NEWBERN, N. C. 2. SECTION OF THE DEMOLISHED WALL OF FORT PULASKI. SURRENDER OF FORT PULASKI; BATTLE OF SOUTH MILLS. 107 high above water and, in January of 1862, mounted 48 heavy guns and was garrisoned by nearly 400 men. General Q. A. Gillmore was placed in charge of the operations to reduce it. In February of 1862, two regiments of infantry, two companies of engineers, and two companies of artillery reached Tybee Island, and soon constructed 11 batteries of 36 large guns. At sunrise of April 10 General David Hunter, who had succeeded General T. W. Sherman in command of the Department of the South, sent an officer to demand the surrender of the fort, but its commander, Colonel C. H. Olmstead, refused. Accordingly, at 8 o'clock, the bombardment was begun and lasted until dark. At sunrise of the 11th firing was resumed, and by noon the fort was so severely damaged that at 2 o'clock a white flag was raised. Gillmore received the surrender and allowed honorable terms to the officers and men, 385 in number, found therein. Large quantities of stores, ammunition, etc., and 47 guns were captured, with a loss to the Union army of only one killed.* After the capture of Roanoke Island and Newbern, rumors reached General Burnside that the Confederates were building ironclad gunboats at Norfolk, Virginia, with the intention of running them through the Dismal Swamp Canal and Roanoke River to make descent on the Union flotilla in *See Nicolay and Hay, Life of Lincoln, vol. v., pp. 248-250; Battles and Leaders, vol. ii., pp. 1-12; Confederate Military History, vol. vi., pp. 88-91. VOL. VIII. 8 Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds. Accordingly, Burnside determined to destroy the locks of the canal at South Mills near Camden and to blow up the banks of the Currituck Canal. The expedition was to be in charge of General J. L. Reno, who, with the 21st Massachusetts and the 51st Pennsylvania, sailed from Newbern to Roanoke where, on April 18, he was joined by Colonel Rush C. Hawkins' brigade (the 9th and 89th New York and 6th New Hampshire) with 4 guns, making the aggregate number under his command 3,200 men. Early on the morning of April 19 the army advanced. When within two miles of South Mills, Reno's advance was halted by an unexpected fire of artillery, whereupon Reno pushed his guns into action. Colonel A. R. Wright with 585 men of the 3d Georgia, some North Carolina militia, and a company of cavalry, had taken position across the road with four guns. The artillery commanded the road, while both flanks, which were in a dense wood in the rear, were covered by skirmishers. After an artillery duel of an hour the 51st Pennsylvania and the 21st Massachusetts were ordered to turn the Confederate left, while Hawkins with the 9th and 89th New York attempted to turn the right, the 6th New Hampshire supporting the artillery on the left of the road. On reaching the Confederate left the 51st Pennsylvania and 21st Massachusetts opened fire, and about the same time the 9th New York made a gallant charge upon 108 BATTLE OF SECESSIONVILLE. the Confederate guns, but was repulsed. On being joined by the 89th New York, the 9th rallied, and both went forward to join the 21st Massachusetts which, with the 51st Pennsylvania, had kept up so steady a fire that the Confederates withdrew their guns and retired a mile to the rear. On the left of the road the 6th New Hampshire advanced to within 200 yards of the right of the 3d Georgia and, pouring in a volley, hastened its retreat. The firing lasted four hours. At 10 o'clock, having failed in the object of his expedition, Reno marched back to his boats and the troops returned to Roanoke Island and Newbern. The Union loss was 13 killed, 101 wounded and 13 missing; the Confederate loss was 6 killed, 19 wounded and 3 missing." In May of 1862, General David Hunter, commanding the Department of the South, began preparations for throwing troops upon James Island to make a quick advance upon Charleston, South Carolina. On June 2 the advance of General I. I. Stevens was landed, and next day made a reconnoissance in force to within a short distance of a battery at Secessionville, about two miles from Stone River. The gunboats coöperated in the movement, which was but partially successful, the Confederates, under Lieutenant-Colonel Ellison Capers, 24th South Carolina, defending the posi * Official Records, vol. ix.; Battles and Leaders, vol. i., pp. 654–656; Confederate Military History, vol. iv., pp. 41-42; vol. vi., pp. 96–97. tion, and inflicting upon Stevens a loss of 17 killed and wounded, and taking 22 prisoners. On the 8th Stevens made another reconnoissance, came under artillery fire, and withdrew with a loss of 7 killed and wounded. On the same day General Wright's division arrived from Edisto Island, and next day marched to near Grimball's Landing, two or three miles to the left of Stevens, who was covering the position opposite Legareville, on John's Island. It was determined to carry the battery by a rush, and thus open the way to Charleston, only 10 miles distant, and orders were given for an assault to be made at dawn of June 11; but Colonel T. G. Lamar, now in the command of the Confederate works at Secessionville, assumed the offensive and, toward evening of the 10th, attacked Wright's pickets and advance posts with infantry and artillery but was repulsed, suffering severe loss and inflicting upon Wright a loss of about 25 killed and wounded. Accordingly a battery was constructed, but it failed to silence the Confederate guns, and Benham (who had now succeeded to the command) proceeded to assault the work. had for the purpose 3,100 men under General Wright, and 3,500 under General Stevens. The work was defended by six heavy guns and about 1,000 men, and there were supports near that came up at the close of the action. Stevens, with his 3,500 men, was to make the assault, and Wright, moving from Grimball's Landing, was to co He |