44 



ARMY OPERATIONS. 



On the 20th Gen. Parke's brigade commenced 

 to march from Newbern for Beaufort, and 

 on the 23d entered Moorhead city, thirty-six 

 miles from Newbern, and found it evacuated. 

 It is a short distance from Beaufort and con- 

 nected by a steam ferry. A flag of truce was 

 then tent over to Fort Macon, and a surrender 

 demanded. This was refused, and vigorous 

 measures were at once commenced to reduce 

 it by a siege. Beaufort is the capital of Car- 

 teret county, situated at the mouth of Newport 

 river, and a few miles from the sea. The 

 harbor is the best in the State, and its entrance 

 is defended by Fort Macon. 



Meanwhile, on the 20th, a naval column con- 

 sisting of the gunboats Louisiana, Delaware, 

 and Com. Perry, with the transport Admiral, 

 having on board eight companies of the 24th 

 Massachusetts regiment, proceeded to Washing- 

 ton, a small town on the left bank of the Tar 

 river about forty miles from Pamlico Sound. 

 On the 25th, the force arrived before the town, 

 and were received by the authorities without 

 opposition. Below the town obstructions had 

 been placed in the river, and abandoned for- 

 tifications were found on each shore adjacent. 

 The commander, A. Maury, thus reported to 

 his superior officer : " I found on further con- 

 sultation with the authorities, on whom I made 

 my demand for the restoration of the Hatteras 

 Light property, that underlying an apparent ac- 

 quiescence of the people of the town and 

 neighborhood, in permitting the building of 

 gunboats, and the construction of batteries to 

 repel the approach of the Federal forces, was 

 a deep-rooted affection for the old Union, and 

 not a little animosity for its enemies ; the lat- 

 ter element not being diminished by the im- 

 portation of troops from a distant State. The 

 result of this state of affairs was, as could be 

 anticipated, the abandonment of its defences 

 by the troops, followed by the destruction of 

 what remained of Confederate property by the 

 people. The launched gunboat had been tow- 

 ed several miles up the river, loaded with tur- 

 pentine, and fired on the night of our arrival. 

 A few hundred bushels of meal and corn left 

 in the commissary store, were distributed to 

 the poor by my orders. All the Hatteras 

 Light property in the town was secured. The 

 woods and swamps were represented as being 

 alive with refugees from the draft. Many of 

 them, encouraged by our presence, came in. 

 They were bitter and deep in their denunciations 

 of the secession heresy, and promised a regi- 

 ment if called to aid in the restoration of the 

 flag." This force returned to Newbern. 



The force in the neighborhood of Fort Ma- 

 con, however, was not idle. A detachment 

 from Gen. Parke's brigade, consisting of the 

 4th Rhode Island and 8th Connecticut, on the 

 night of the 25th, crossed over and took posses- 

 sion of Beaufort without opposition. In the 

 day time this passage would have been resisted 

 by the fort. No military force was found in 

 the town. Preparations were now made se- 



riously to invest the fort. All communication 

 by land or water was cut off, and guns were 

 put into position to reduce it. The garrison 

 consisted of nearly five hundred men under 

 command of Col. White. The regular siege 

 operations commenced on the llth of April, 

 when a reconnoissance in force was made by 

 Gen. Parke. The pickets of the enemy station- 

 ed on Bogue Beach, two miles from the fort, 

 were driven in and a good situation for the 

 siege guns was found. Everything being in 

 readiness, on the morning of the 25th of April, 

 fire was opened upon the fort from a breach- 

 ing battery eleven hundred feet distant, and 

 flanking mortars planted at a distance of about 

 fourteen hundred yards, and behind sand banks 

 which prevented the garrison from seeing 

 them before the fire was opened. At the same 

 time the blockading gunboats Daylight, Com- 

 mander Lockwood ; State of Georgia, Com- 

 mander Armstrong ; Chippewa, Lieut. Pay- 

 son and bark Gemsbok. Lieut. Caverdy ; ap- 

 proached the fort and began to fire. The 

 three steamers assisted the bark, and kept 

 tinder way, steaming round in a circle and de- 

 livering their fire as they came within range, 

 a mile and a quarter distant from the fort. 

 After an hour and a quarter, the sea became 

 so rough and their fire consequently so in- 

 accurate, that the fleet retired. The action 

 however continued between the batteries and 

 the fort until toward evening, when the lat- 

 ter was surrendered with the honors of war. 

 All the guns on the side of the fort opposite 

 that attacked, were dismounted, and also all 

 but three of those bearing upon the Federal 

 force, when it became untenable. The firing 

 of the fleet did no injury to the fort. The 

 Daylight was struck by an 8-inch solid shot 

 which entered her quarter. Seven of the gar- 

 rison were killed and eighteen wounded. One 

 was reported killed on the Federal side. 



While this siege was pressed forward, Gen. 

 Burnside, in order to create the impression at 

 Norfolk, Va., that he was approaching with 

 his whole force, sent Gen. Reno with the 21st 

 Massachusetts, 51st Pennsylvania, a part of the 

 9th and 89th New York, and 6th New Hamp- 

 shire in that direction. Proceeding nearly to 

 Elizabeth City, he disembarked at a point ah out 

 three miles below, on the night of the 19th of 

 April. Col. Hawkins was ordered forward with 

 the 9th and 89th New York and the 6th New 

 Hampshire toward South Mills, to be followed 

 by Gen. Reno four hours after, upon getting 

 the remaining troops ashore. Col. Hawkins 

 lost his way and came in behind Gen. Reno on 

 the march, and was ordered to follow. Having 

 marched about sixteen miles, and within a 

 mile and a half of South Mills, a Confederate 

 force opened with artillery upon the advanced 

 guard before it was discovered. They were 

 found posted across the road, with their in- 

 fantry in ditches, and their artillery command- 

 ing all the direct approaches. Their rear was 

 protected by a dense forest. Gen. Reno or- 



