Of the steamer _General Beauregard_ I have but little information,
although I remember her as a valuable ship. The _Richmond Whig_ of
December 16, 1863, states that according to the _Wilmington Journal_
this steamer was chased ashore by the Federal blockaders on the night
of the 11th instant some distance above Fort Fisher, near Battery
Gatlin, and that she had been set on fire.
Captain Ridgely of the Federal cruiser _Shenandoah_ (which chased
my ship the _Lilian_ for five hours later) reported to Admiral S.P.
Lee, December 16, 1863, that on the evening of the 11th of December,
1863, between seven and eight o'clock, the cruiser _Howquah_ saw the
_General Beauregard_ coming down the beach heading for Cape Fear or New
Inlet. He gave chase and opened fire on him. The _Beauregard_ being
impeded by a heavy sea and finding escape impossible, ran ashore at the
point already described.
The next morning the cruiser, accompanied by the _Tuscarora_, tried
to board the _Beauregard_, but they were attacked by two Confederate
batteries, one to the north and another to the south of the stranded
vessel, and driven off, the _Tuscarora_ being struck by a Confederate
shell in her quarter. The _Beauregard_ is still conspicuous on Carolina
Beach at all stages of the tide, showing her battered hull high above
the level of the sea.