THE BATTLE OF PLYMOUTH--THE CAVALRY PICKETS DRIVEN IN--HOKE APPEARS IN OUR
FRONT WITH EIGHT THOUSAND MEN--A MAGNIFICENT ARTILLERY DUEL--FOUR DAYS
HARD FIGHTING--SINKING OF THE SOUTHFIELD AND DEFEAT OF THE FLEET BY THE
RAM ALBEMARLE.
On Sunday morning, April 17th, 1864, the consolidated morning report
showed eighteen hundred and fifty men for duty. The day was warm and
bright, and the men were scattered about the town with no thought of
approaching danger. The cavalry had scouted the day before, a distance of
twelve or fifteen miles, and found no signs of the enemy, but about 4 p.
m., the cavalry pickets on the Washington road were driven in, and the
Corporal, named Geo. Wilcox, came tearing through the company quarters of
the 85th New York down to cavalry headquarters, with the nose bag still on
his horse, which he had not had time to exchange for his bridle, swinging
his hat and shouting: "The Rebs are coming! the Rebs are coming!"
By the absence of Capt. Roach, of Company A, and the sickness of Capt.
Hock, of Company F, I was in command of the detachment of cavalry, and at
once ordered a bugler who happened to be standing near, to sound BOOTS
AND SADDLES; sent Lieutenant Russel, who was mounted, having just rode up,
to headquarters, to notify General Wessels that our pickets had been
driven in and ask for orders for the cavalry. He returned just as I had
formed the two companies into line with orders to make a reconnoissance on
the Washington road, and, without getting into a fight, ascertain, as near
as I could, the strength of the enemy in our front.
I ascertained by a careful reconnoissance that Maj. Gen. Hoke was in front
with about eight thousand troops. In this reconnoissance I lost one man,
"Amos Fancher," killed, and one, "Lieut. Russell," severely wounded. Hoke
formed his line and threw out his skirmishers, but made no further
demonstrations that night, a few shells from Fort Williams having the
effect of checking any further movement.
At 11 o'clock that night, Gen. Wessels sent the steamer Massasoit,
carrying the women and other non-combatants, and the wounded, to Newbern.
Among the women were Mrs. George H. Hastings, Mrs. Dr. Frick, Mrs. Capt.
Hock, Mrs. Bell, Mrs. and Miss Freeman and Mrs. A. Cooper (who had been
with me from the 7th of February), and others. Preparations were made for
a stout resistance by Gen. Wessels, who was a gallant officer. He
established a strong skirmish line nearly two miles in length along our
entire front and had everything in readiness to repel any attack that
might be made; but the night passed without any further demonstration.
Early on the morning of the 18th there was slight skirmishing commenced
along our entire front, and a bombardment was commenced upon Fort Gray,
which was our extreme right and about one and one-half miles up the river.
In this bombardment the gunboat Bombshell, which had been sent to the
assistance of the fort, was so crippled that she sank immediately upon
reaching the wharf.
The attack on Fort Gray was repulsed, and our skirmish line in front
maintained its position all day. At 5:30 p. m. I received orders to take
the two companies of cavalry, dismounted, up to the breastworks near Fort
Williams.
Fortunately I was mounted at the time, and rode up to the front, where,
sitting on my horse, I had a splendid view of the battle that ensued.
We had just arrived at the breastworks when the skirmishing became brisk,
our boys pushing the enemy's skirmishers back some distance, when
suddenly, as if by magic, a line of battle over a mile in length seemed to
spring up out of the ground and charged our skirmish line, driving them
back towards the works. As they fell back, firing as they retired, Fort
Williams opened with her entire armament, which, in a moment, was joined
in by Comphor and Coneby redoubts, Fort Wessels, Cady's Independent
Battery and the entire fleet of gunboats in the river.
Hoke opened on the town with forty-two pieces of artillery; Wessels
replied with just about the same number of pieces, but of heavier calibre.
From 6 until 8.30 p. m. was kept up a most terrific cannonade, which
presented a spectacle awfully grand and magnificent. The gunboats, which
were supplied with an armament of very heavy guns, sending immense shell
shrieking and bursting over our heads as they were hurled into the lines
of the enemy, the forts on our right and left keeping up an incessant
roar, a stream of fire belching from the hot throats of Hoke's forty-two
pieces in our front, the comet-like trail of fire from his shells as they
hurried on their mission of death towards us, the rattle of grape and
cannister as they were hurled against the wooden buildings in our rear, or
the woodwork of the forts and earthworks along the line, the loud bray of
an immense number of mules, with which Hoke's artillery was supplied, the
groans and shrieks of the wounded, combined to give me such a picture of
"grim visaged war" as I had never before beheld.
Several assaults were made on our works, which were repulsed with heavy
loss to the enemy. The heaviest fighting occurred on our right centre,
where were stationed the 85th New York; but to quote from the gallant
Phil. Kearny--"There was illegant fighting all along the line." A fearful
assault was made on Fort Wessels, which was isolated from the line of
works, and was a quarter of a mile distant on our right. This small fort
or redoubt was defended by Lieut. H. Lee Clark, with part of a company of
the 2d Massachusetts Heavy Artillery. It was protected by a deep ditch,
twelve feet wide, with an abattis of pine limbs outside, with a draw
bridge, which, when raised, formed a door to the entrance. It mounted four
or five guns and was well supplied with hand grenades from one-half to two
pounds. A number of determined assaults were made upon this work, and in
one about sixty of the enemy got inside the abattis and surrounded the
ditches; but Lieut. Clark used the hand grenades so effectually, the boys
tossing them over with such precision, and at the same time keeping up
such a succession of explosions at the sallyport, that they all
surrendered, laid down their arms and were taken inside. Thus Lieut. Clark
had twice the number of prisoners he had men under his command.
The small garrison of this fort were finally overcome by vastly superior
numbers, but not until the enemy had lost in killed over triple the number
of its brave defenders. The capture of this small redoubt was all they had
gained in two day's persistent fighting, and then only after a fearful
loss in killed and wounded. At 8.30 in the evening Hoke withdrew, having
been defeated at every point with the exception of the capture of this
small redoubt. Our loss was insignificant, as we were behind good works.
During the engagement I was struck on the leg by a bullet out of a
spherical case shot, but as my pants and drawers were inside of a heavy
cavalry boot leg, and owing to the fact that the force of the ball was
nearly spent, it only made a black and blue spot on the side of my leg.
We lay at the breastworks all night, but no further demonstrations were
made in our front that night. Before daylight the next morning, however,
we were aroused by a shot from the two hundred pound Parrot gun in Battery
Worth, and soon the gunboats opened their batteries and a terrific
canonading on the river apprised us of the fact that the long expected ram
Albemarle had come down and encountered our fleet. Within twenty minutes
all was again still, and we anxiously awaited the dawn to learn what had
been the result. When the dawn finally came we were both mortified and
surprised to find that there was no fleet in sight and that the powerful
iron-clad ram Albemarle had full possession of the river, cutting off both
our retreat and re-inforcements.