5G6 



NAVY, U. S., OPERATIONS OF 



there was one or two guns. The traverses on 

 the right of this front were only partially com- 

 pleted. A palisade, which is loopholed and 

 has a banquette, runs in front of this face, at a 

 distance of 50 feet in front of the exterior slope, 

 from the Cape Fear River to the ocean, with a 

 position for a gun between the left of the front 

 and the river, and another between the right 

 of the front and the ocean. Through the mid- 

 dle traverse on the curtain is a bomb-proof 

 postern whose exterior opening is covered by 

 a small redan for two field-pieces, to give flank 

 fire along the curtain. The traverses are gen- 

 erally bomb-proofed for men or magazines. 

 The slopes of the work appear to have been 

 revetted with marsh sod or covered with grass, 

 and have an inclination of 45 degrees or a little 

 less. * * * There were originally on this front 

 21 guns and 3 mortars. * * * The sea front 

 consists of a series of batteries, mounting in all 

 24 guns, the different batteries being connected 

 by a strong infantry parapet so as to form a 

 continuous line. The same system of heavy 

 traverses for the protection of the guns is used 

 as on the land front, and these traverses are 

 also generally bomb-proofed." There was also 

 a rebel battery, commanding the channel, on 

 Zeeke's Island, two miles southeast of Fort 

 Fisher, and several miles north of the latter 

 were the Flag Pond Hill and Half Moon bat- 

 teries, serving as outworks to it. 



On December 15th the transports arrived off 

 New Inlet, where, on the 18th and 19th, they 

 were joined by the iron-clads, which, being 

 obliged to put into Beaufort, N". 0., for coal and 

 ammunition, could not reach the rendezvous 

 sooner. The heavy-armed frigates, on account 

 of their slow sailing, arrived also a day or two 

 after the transports. Scarcely was the whole 

 fleet assembled than the wealher, which had 

 previously been fair, became threatening, and 

 on the 19th the sea was too rough to admit of 

 landing troops. On the 20th a gale set in from 

 the northeast, and the transports, being now 

 deficient in coal and water, and liable to dis- 

 aster if they should attempt to remain at their 

 anchorage, were directed to make for Beaufort. 

 The war vessels rode out the gale, which lasted 

 three days, in safety, the monitors acting unex- 

 pectedly well ; and on the 23d, the wind having 

 veered round to the west, Admiral Porter de- 

 termined to improve what he considered a 

 favorable opportunity, by commencing opera- 

 tions on his own account without waiting for 

 the return of the transports. An important 

 agent in the destruction or reduction of Fort 

 Fisher was a vessel filled with powder, which 

 it was designed to run ashore as near as possi- 

 ble to the fort and explode. The idea origi- 

 nated with General Butler, and was suggested 

 by the accidental explosion at Erith, on the 

 Thames, in England, on October 1st, of two 

 barges and two adjoining magazines loaded 

 with barrels of powder, by which eight or nine 

 ivcs were lost, and much surrounding property 

 was destroyed. It was supposed that a similar 



explosion of a vast mass of powder near the 

 fort, the fleet meanwhile keeping at a respect- 

 ful distance, would cause its walls to fall down, 

 or some other serious disaster to occur, of which 

 the attacking party might take advantage. The 

 vessel selected for the purpose was the small 

 gunboat Louisiana, purchased for operations on 

 the North Carolina Sounds, and which, with a 

 view of deceiving the rebels as to her true 

 character, was disguised for the occasion as a 

 blockade runner. She was then stored with 

 two hundred and fifteen tons of powder, ar- 

 ranged as follows: Upon the berth deck was 

 stowed a tier of barrels of powder with their 

 heads taken out ; over this sixty-pound bags 

 of powder were piled in layers up to the top 

 of the deck, and a house was constructed on 

 the after deck, filled in the same manner. All 

 were connected together by Gomez fuses, pene- 

 trating the mass, and uniting it at many point?, 

 every precaution being taken to insure, if pos- 

 sible, the instantaneous ignition of the whole 

 mass. A simple method of firing these fuses 

 by clock-work, timed as desired, was provided, 

 three being provided in case one should fail. As a 

 further precaution, in case the clock fuses should 

 miscarry, the ends of the fuses were united at 

 another point, and brought beneath a perforated 

 framework of wood, in which were set lighted 

 tapers, the lower end of the wicks penetrating 

 the quick of the fuses. Five of these tapers 

 were provided to insure success if other means 

 failed; and, as a last precaution, it was ar- 

 ranged to fire the ship at a point remote from 

 the powder at the moment of leaving it. 



The vessel thus equipped was put in charge 

 of Commander A. C. Rbind, who had associated 

 w r ith him Lieutenant G. W. Preston, Second As- 

 sistant Engineer Mullen, Acting Master's Mate 

 Boyden, and seven men. The weather seem- 

 ing auspicious for the enterprise on the 23d, 

 Commander Rhind was directed, under cover 

 of the darkness, to run his vessel aground di- 

 rectly opposite the fort, and proceed to explode 

 her. Mr. Bradford, of the coast survey, had, the 

 night previous, ascertained that a vessel of seven 

 feet draught could be placed on the edge of the 

 beach. The result of the undertaking is thus 

 described by Admiral Porter : 



At half-past ten p. M. the powder vessel started in 

 toward the bar, and was towed by the Wilderness 

 until the embrasures of Fort Fisher were plainly in 

 sight. The Wilderness then cast off, and the Louisi- 

 ana proceeded under steam until within two hundred 

 yards of the beach, and about four hundred from the 

 fort. Commander Rhind anchored her securely 

 there, and coolly went to work to make all his ar- 

 rangements to blow her up. This he was enabled to 

 do, owing to a blockade-runner going in right ahead 

 of him, the forts making the blockade-runner signals, 

 which they also did to the Louisiana. The gallant 

 part}*, after coolly making all their arrangements for 

 the explosion, left the vessel, the last thing they did 

 being to set her on fire Aider the cabin. Then taking 

 to their boats, they made their escape off to the 

 Wilderness, lying close by. The Wilderness then 

 put offshore with good speed, to avoid any ill effects 

 that might happen from the explosion. At forty-five 

 minutes past one on the morning of the 24th the ex- 



