288 



EXPEDITIONS. 



20th Kegiment 1ST. Y. Volunteers, under com- 

 mand of Col. Max Weber; 220 of the 9th 

 N. Y. Volunteers, (Hawkins' Zouaves,) under 

 command of Col. R. 0. Hawkins ; 100 of the 

 Union Coast Guard, Capt. Nixon commanding, 

 and 60 of the 2d U. S. Artillery, Lieut. Lamed 

 commanding, who were embarked on the trans- 

 ports George Peabody and Adelaide, and were 

 under the command of Maj.-General Benj. F. 

 Butler. The expedition left Fortress Monroe 

 on the afternoon of Monday, Aug. 26th, and 

 arrived off Hatteras Inlet about 4 o'clock p. M., 

 Tuesday. At daylight the next morning arrange- 

 ments were made for landing the troops, and 

 for an attack upon the forts by the fleet. The 

 swell upon the beach was so heavy that after 

 landing 315 men, including the regular troops 

 and 55 marines, with two guns, one a 12-pound 

 rifled boat gun, the other a howitzer of the 

 same calibre, the boats were stove and swamp- 

 ed, and no more could be landed that day. 

 Meantime the fleet had opened fire on the 

 smaller fort, which was nearest the inlet, and 

 continued it till about half-past 1 p. M., when 

 both forts hauled down their flags, and the gar- 

 rison of the smaller escaped to the larger. A 

 small detachment of the troops already landed 

 immediately proceeded to take possession of 

 Fort Clark, and raised the Union flag. The 

 fleet ceased firing, and the Monticello was sent 

 in to the inlet to discover what the hauling 

 down of the flags meant. She entered and 

 proceeded within about 600 yards of Fort Hat- 

 teras, when the occupants of that fort com- 

 menced firing upon her, and inflicted serious 

 injury to her hull ; whereupon the W abash, Sus- 

 quehanna, and Minnesota came to her assist- 

 ance, and the Confederates took themselves to 

 their bomb-proof, and ceased firing. The little 

 force which had landed now withdrew from 

 Fort Clark to a safer position, where they threw 

 up a slight intrenchment, and mounted their 

 two cannon on it, together with one they had 

 taken from the enemy. The General and the 

 force on board the fleet felt much anxiety in 

 regard to this little company, as it was suppos- 

 ed that the Confederates, who were known to 

 have a considerable body of troops on board 

 steamers in the Sound, would be largely reen- 

 forced in the night, and would take them pris- 

 oners. At 7 o'clock next morning, however, 

 the Union troops were seen advancing in good 

 order upon Fort Clark, and it appeared that 

 Capt. Nixon of the coastguard with his com- 

 pany had occupied that fort during the night, 

 and had hoisted the Stars and Stripes there. 

 As a reinforcement from the fleet approached 

 the shore, they heard firing, which they after- 

 wards found proceeded from the temporary bat- 

 tery erected by the Union troops, and was 

 directed at the Confederate steamer "Winslow, 

 which had come down the sound loaded with 

 reinforcements, but which, on meeting with this 

 reception, made the best of its way out of 

 range. The fleet renewed its fire upon Fort 

 Hatteras at a little past 8 o'clock, and, sub- 



stituting 15-second for 10-second fuzes, dropped 

 almost every shell from their heavy guns inside 

 the fort. At ten minutes past 11, a white 

 flag was displayed from the fort. Gen. Butler 

 went at once on board the steamtug Fanny, and, 

 entering the inlet, sent Lieut. Crosby on shore 

 to demand the meaning of the white flag. He 

 soon returned with the following memorandum 

 from the commander of the fort, who proved to 

 be a former commodore of the U. S. Navy. 



FORT HATTEHAS, Aug. 29A, 1861. 

 Flag-officer Samuel Barren, C. S. Navy, offers to 

 surrender Fo.rt Hatteras with all the arms and muni- 

 tions of war. The officers allowed to go out with 

 side-arms, and the men without arms to retire. 



S. BARRON, 

 Commanding Naval Division, Va. and N. Car. 



Accompanying this was a verbal commu- 

 nication stating that he had in the fort six 

 hundred and fifteen men, and a thousand more 

 within an hour's call, but that he was anxious 

 to spare the effusion of blood. Gen. Butler sent 

 in reply the following memorandum : 



Aug. 2901, 1861. 



Benjamin F. Butler, Major-General United States 

 Army, commanding, in reply to the communication of 

 Samuel Barron, commanding forces at Fort Hatteras, 

 cannot admit the terms proposed. The terms offered 

 are these : Full capitulation, the officers and men to 

 be treated as prisoners of war. No other terms ad- 

 missible. Commanding officers to meet on board flag- 

 ship Minnesota to arrange details. 



After waiting three-fourths of an hour, Lieut. 

 Crosby returned, bringing with him Capt. 

 Barron, Major Andrews, and Col. Martin, the 

 commanding officers of the Confederate force, 

 who informed Gen. Butler that they had ac- 

 cepted the terms of capitulation he had pro- 

 posed, and had come to surrender themselves 

 and their command prisoners of war. General 

 Butler informed them that, as the expedition 

 was a combined one from the army and navy, 

 the surrender must be made on board the flag- 

 ship and to Com. Stringham, as well as him- 

 self. The party then proceeded to the flagship 

 Minnesota, and the following articles of capit- 

 ulation were there signed : 



OFF HATTERAS INLET, U. S. FLAGSHIP MINNESOTA, { 

 Aug. 2'Jth, A. D. 1861. ) 



Articles of Capitulation between Flag-officer String- 

 ham, commanding the Atlantic Blockading Squadron, 

 and Benjamin F. Butler, U. S. Army, commanding on 

 behalf of the Government, and Samuel Barron, com- 

 manding the naval force for the defence of North 

 Carolina and Virginia, and Col. Martin, commanding 

 the forces, and Major Andrews, commanding the same 

 forces at Hatteras. 



It is stipulated and agreed between the contracting 

 parties, that the forces under command of the said 

 Barron, Martin, and Andrews, and all munitions of 

 war, arms, men, and property under the command of 

 said Barron, Martin, and Andrews, be unconditionally 

 surrendered to the Government of the United States in 

 terms of full capitulation. 



And it is stipulated and agreed by the contracting 

 parties, on the part of the United States Government, 

 that the officers and men shall receive the treatment 

 due to prisoners of war. 



In witness whereof, we, the said Stringham and 

 Butler, on behalf of the United States, and the said 

 Barron, Martin, and Andrews, representing the forces 

 at Hatteras Inlet, hereunto interchangeably set our 



