NAVY. U. S., OPERATIONS OF. 



569 



about five miles above the fort, the fleet, with 

 the exception of the iron-clads, divided into 

 three column.*, covering the operation. One 

 column moved a little to the northward of the 

 landing place, to guard against any attack from 

 the direction of Masonboro Inlet, and shelled 

 the woods, which approach within about 300 

 yards of the shore, without, however, provoking 

 any reply. "With the aid of 200 boats from the 

 fleet. bej'iJos -team tugs, nearly the whole of the 

 troops were landed between 8 A. M. and 3 p. M., 

 each man carrying three days' rations, and forty 

 rounds of ammunition. A sufficient quantity 

 of intrenching tools was also carried. The iron- 

 clads, increased to five by the arrival of the moni- 



.ugus, meanwhile, from their old positions 

 in front of Fort Fisher, had maintained a steady 

 fire upon the work, in which, after the disem- 

 barkation of the troops was concluded, they 

 received the cooperation of columns 1 and 2 of 

 the fleet, comprising all the large vessels, which 

 were posted very nearly as at the first attack. 

 Column 3 remained to cover the landing and 

 help get the field artillery, munitions, and com- 

 missary stores on shore. 



The bombardment of the iron-dads was very 



ive. and that of the combined iroi. 

 and woodeu ships, lasting from 4.30 P. M. to 6 

 p. M., the most tremendous, perhaps, in the an- 

 nals of this or of any war, considering the 

 weight of metal thrown, and the force with 

 which it struck the fort. The iron-clads alone, 

 with thirty guns, fired in the course of the day 

 upward of 2.000 shells, or about four per 

 minute ; and during the grand bombardment it 

 was reckoned that four shots were fired from 

 the fleet each second, or about 20,000 in all. 

 The rebels were pretty effectually kept within 

 the shelter of their bomb-proofs while th ' 



/ continued, and could inflict but a trifling 

 amount of damage upon the fleet. " Indeed," 



Admiral Porter, "I do not see how they 

 could fire at all after lines one and two got 

 fairly anchored ia position/' At dark the 

 wooden vessels drew oil for the night, but the 

 iron-clads remained at their anchorage, firing 

 an occasional shell. 



As soon as the troops were landed pickets 

 were thrown out, who encountered the enemy's 

 outposts ; and from a few prisoners taken short- 

 ly afterward, it was ascertained that Hoke's 

 division, stationed at Fort Fisher on the for- 

 mer attack, and which it was supposed had been 

 sent south, was still in the neighborhood. 

 Gen. Terry's first object after landing was to 

 throw a defensive line across the peninsula 

 from Cape Fear River to the sea, to protect his 

 rear from an attack from the direction .of Wil- 

 mington while he was operating against Fort 

 Fisher. After t\vo impracticable surveys, occu- 

 pying many hours, a line was finally selected 

 at 2 A. M. on the 14th, having an average dis- 

 tance of about two miles from the fort. En- 

 trenchments were at once commenced, and by 

 3 o'clock on the morning of the 14th, a good 

 breastwork, reaching from the river to tl. 



and partially covered by abatis, had been con- 

 structed. During the day this work was con- 

 siderably strengthened, and the artillery. ; 

 as it was landed, was placed in position on the 

 line. A careful reconnoissance satisfied Gen. 

 Terry that, in view of the difficulty of conduct- 

 ing a regii. :i the narrow and exposed 

 peninsula in such an inclement season of the 

 year, the better policy would be to attempt an 

 immediate assault. This decision coincided 

 with Admiral Porter's views, and both com- 

 manders went heartily to work to arrange a 

 plan of attack, the main feature of which, on 

 the part of the navy, was to be a severe bom- 

 bardment of the fort by the fleet, to cover the 

 assaulting column, and to be continued against 

 other parts of the work, after the assault had 

 been commenced. It was also decided that the 

 attack should be made at 3 P. M. of the loth, and 

 that the army should assault the western half 

 of the land face, while a cooperating body of 

 sailors and marines attacked the northeast 

 bastion. A slow and deliberate fire was main- 

 tained against the fort during the day, with the 

 object mainly of dismounting or disabling the 

 guns on that part of the work where the assault 

 was to be made, and also of demolishing the pali- 

 sade sufficiently to admit the passage of troops. 

 At 11 A. M. of the 15th all the vessels of the 

 fleet were in position and commenced a fire, 

 'magnificent alike for its power and accuracy,'' 

 which, as on previous occasions, silenced nearly 

 every gun in the fort. Under its cover 1,600 

 sailors, armed with c.. .-elvers, and car- 

 bines, and 400 marines, and the whole command- 

 ed by Fleet Captain K. R. Breese, were landed 

 on the beach, and by digging rifle-pits worked 

 their way up within 200 yards of the fort. The 

 troops selected for the assault were Ames's 

 division, comprising the brigades of Curtis, 

 Pennybacker, and Bell, while Paine's division 

 of colored troops and Abbott's brigade held 

 the intrenchmenta facing Wilmington, against 

 wTiich Hoke's troops, estimated at 5,000 strong, 

 had begun to demonstrate. At 3.30 p. M. sig- 

 nal was made from the shore to the fleet to 

 change the direction of the fire, in order that 

 the troops might assault ; and soon afterwards 

 the sailors rushed with reckless energy toward 

 the parapet of the fort, which at once swarmed 

 with rebel soldiers, who poured in upon them 

 a murderous fire of musketry. The marines, 

 who were to have covered the assaulting party, 

 for some unexplained reason failed to fire upon 

 the rebels on the parapet, all of whom, in the 

 opinion of Admiral Porter, an eye-witness of 

 the fight, might have been killed. I saw," he 

 how recklessly the rebels exposed them- 

 -. and what an advantage they gave our 

 sharpshooters, whose guns were scarcely fired, 

 or fired with no precision. Notwithstanding 

 the hot fire, officers and sailors in the lead 

 rushed on, and some^ even reached the parapet^ 

 a large number having reached the ditch. The 

 advance was swept from the parapet like chafl^ 

 and, notwithstanding all the efforts made by 



