1864.
PLYMOUTH.
At Portsmouth the companies E, K, G, and B went aboard the steamer
S.R. Spalding and the remainder on the Vidette. The weather was very
fine and we had merry times and a fine sail around Cape Hatteras,
reaching Morehead City on the morning of the 23d and proceeded thence
by rail to New Berne. We left New Berne at midnight on the "John
Farron" for Plymouth, and arrived there at midnight on the 24th. On
the 26th Companies A, C, and H, under Capt. Hintz, went on a raid with
other troops, under Col. Maxwell.
These companies returned on the 28th, and after that there were
several raids into the interior, which the men enjoyed very much, as
they had exciting times in breaking up rebel cavalry camps and
capturing and burning up large quantities of cotton and tobacco,
besides taking a number of prisoners. For some time the regiment lay
here, going on raids, doing picket duty, and making such fine dress
parades that it called forth the entire town every evening. One little
incident which occurred here, and as it has been published, I will
insert it as written by Serg't Maj. Robert H. Kellogg:
"There's one thing, at least, to be said in favor of Plymouth. It was
the home of a few "true blue," loyal Southerners--a _very_ few,
however. They were hard to find, and I fear they are yet. The loyal
men before spoken of, and some who were not loyal, were blessed with
numerous daughters, fair to behold, but apt to have a few little
weaknesses, such as 'dipping snuff' and smoking corn cob pipes. One of
these men lived in a small house half way between the camp of the 16th
and the western or left end of the town, and was blessed (or cursed, I
doubt if he knew which at times,) with three daughters, and pretty
ones they were. 'The prettiest girls I've seen yet!' was the emphatic
declaration of each succeeding man who was lucky enough by dint of
long watching or shrewd stratagem to get a peep at them. For, be it
known, the father was as watchful over these fair scions of his house,
as any ogre, read of in fairy tales, could possibly have been over his
captives. Perhaps he had read some sensation tale of 'excesses of a
brutal and licentious soldiery,' and thereupon resolved to keep his
household uncontaminated from the least approach of such an insidious
foe. I can not think he had taken a good square look into the honest
faces of the 16th men, nor heard Chaplain Dixon preach to his crowded
audience of boys in blue, every Sunday. At all events he seemed
determined that no officer or soldier should form the acquaintance of
his girls. On the other hand, our boys were quite as determined that
they _would_ become acquainted with them. But how was it to be done?
That was the question which was presented to the mind of many a one
who had cast 'sheep's eyes' at that humble dwelling in the hope of
getting a glimpse at its fair inmates. Many and various were the plans
which were made, but alas!
'The best laid schemes o' mice an' men,
Gang aft a-gley,
And lea'e us naught but grief and pain,
For promised joy.'
"None had been successful until at last one day two members of Co. "A"
walked coolly and boldly into the forbidden cottage. First let me give
the names of the ones who did it, then I'll tell _how_ they did it.
The persistent and successful schemers were Corporal Sam Belden,
(remembered by every one of his surviving comrades to-day and by many
friends in this vicinity,) and Private John Quinn. And this was 'the
way the fort was taken.' After much polishing of buttons and brushing
of uniforms, they obtained possession of the Company Clothing Book and
another volume of similar size, which they found in the Orderly
Sergeant's tent; and on a pleasant afternoon quietly left the camp,
unnoticed, and proceeded to the scene of interest. A modest knock at
the door brought out 'pater familias' or 'old tar heels' as the
unsuccessful besiegers spitefully termed him. Corporal Sam coolly
informed him, with that imperturbable gravity of countenance and
manner for which he was celebrated, that they were deputed by General
Wessells, who was in command of the Post, _to take the census of the
town_. There was no getting around _that_, for an order emanating from
such a source was not to be lightly disobeyed; so they were rather
ungraciously admitted to the heretofore unvisited house--couldn't call
it a mansion by any stretch of the imagination. Once seated inside,
Corporal Sam as spokesman, commenced a series of questions which the
U.S. Census Commissioners would have hard work to equal, private Q.
jotting down the replies of the blushing and confused girls, and of
the astonished father. Of course, by this cool and ingenious method
they obtained the names of all, their ages, and other interesting
information, and moreover they did it all with such suavity, and
conducted themselves with such gentlemanly deportment, that, from that
day they were invited, happy, envied, and regular visitors at the
forbidden house."
On March 3d, at noon, the regiment was again on board the "John
Farron," and on its way to Newbern, arriving there the next day
evening and quartering in barracks near the Neuse River.
On the 11th the "Lancer" brought our baggage, and also the sad news of
the drowning of Captain Mix, who in attempting to return to the
regiment took a small schooner for Roanoke Island. While in Albemarle
Sound, a squall struck the boat; and the boom knocked Capt. Mix
overboard, as he sat smoking on deck. A boat was instantly lowered;
but when within twenty-five feet, he sank. He was a good swimmer, but
was encumbered with a heavy overcoat and large boots. He was well
versed in tactics and military discipline, and was the last of the
original captains of the Sixteenth.
On March 17th, Company "G," was ordered to Fort Stevenson, to relieve
the Twenty-first, who were ordered to Little Washington.
On March 20th, a negro riot occurred across the Trent River. Captain
Burke, with one hundred men of the Sixteenth, soon quelled it,
bringing with him between two and three hundred prisoners, whom he
turned over to the Provost Marshal.
_Pack up at once_, was the order soon after tattoo, and at midnight
the regiment with all its baggage was aboard the "Thomas Collyer,"
returning to Plymouth. It was terribly stormy and rough; and at seven
in the evening the vessel got out of the channel and ran aground in
Albemarle Sound, a distance of about seven miles from Roanoke Island
Landing. Here we lay until half past eleven on the morning of the 23d,
the gale blowing terrifically, and the boat going higher and higher on
the ground with every wave. The men were without rations, and
suffering terribly from the cold and freezing spray. _A flag of
distress_ was raised, but not until the storm abated did any vessel
dare come for our rescue. Finally the "General Berry," which was at
Roanoke Island and had been watching for twenty-four hours, came and
took us to Plymouth. The "Thomas Collyer" was nearly dashed to pieces,
and it was some months before she was got off the bank, and was put in
running order. The regiment lost considerable camp and garrison
equipage, and some ordnance stores, which were washed overboard.
BATTLE OF PLYMOUTH, 1864.
I find in my diary, as early as March 24, that our pickets were fired
into by rebel scouting parties, and on the next day we were expecting
to be attacked. This rumor probably arose from some contrabands whom
we traded with at the picket post, on the Columbia road, and who
reported the enemy in large numbers in two counties south of us. These
reports, together with the information General Wessells received, that
the ram Albemarle was about completed, led the General on the 13th of
April to ask for more troops, in order to hold the place if attacked.
General Butler replied: "You will have to defend the district with
your present force, and you will make such disposition of them as will
in your judgment best subserve this end."
About the 14th of April, while officer of the picket, on the Lee's
Mill road, an officer of General Wessells' staff and the officer of
the day, invited me to accompany them outside of the lines, to see
what information we could pick up. Mounting cavalry horses, we went
out a distance of four or five miles, returning by the way of the
Columbia road picket post. At one house where we stopped, a lady who
had just arrived from the interior said that the rebels were
concentrating, and it was reported that they were going to attack
Plymouth. As I had heard these stories before, I paid but little
attention to her report at the time.
On Saturday, April 16th, two days after, I was again officer of the
picket on the Columbia road. The next morning (Sunday) at dawn, while
asleep at the reserve post, I was awakened by the discharge of a
musket by the picket at the bridge. Rushing to the spot, I found the
picket to be William Maxwell, of Company A. He reported five or six
scouts who had come to the edge of the woods suddenly, but fled on
being fired at. I reported the fact to General Wessells, on being
relieved at nine o'clock A.M. He seemed to think them guerrillas, but
they proved to be advance guards, for in the afternoon when most of
the soldiers were in church, the pickets were attacked by cavalry on
the Washington and Lee's Mill roads simultaneously, and so sudden was
the attack on the Washington road that the entire reserve picket were
taken prisoners.
The "long roll" was sounded, and the troops prepared for the attack.
Light artillery and cavalry were immediately sent out to ascertain the
strength of the enemy. They had a short engagement, resulting in one
killed, and Lieutenant Russell of New York Cavalry badly wounded. In
the garrison, there were besides the Sixteenth Conn. Vols., the
Eighty-fifth New York Volunteers, One Hundred and First, and One
Hundred and Third Pennsylvania Volunteers, Twenty-fourth New York
Independent Battery, two companies of the Second Massachusetts Heavy
Artillery, two companies of New York Cavalry, and two companies Second
North Carolina Volunteers, making in all 1,600 effective men. Early in
the evening the enemy made a furious attack upon Fort Gray, on the
river, a mile above the town. By eleven o'clock in the evening it was
ascertained that the enemy had a force of between ten and twelve
thousand men, and all loyal women and children in the place were
embarked on board the "Massasoit," and sent to Roanoke Island. It was
very evident to us that we must either be killed or go to "Libby."
Company "H," Captain Barnum, had been sent that morning to Roanoke
Island for duty, and therefore a remnant of the regiment avoided the
fate of prison life in the south.
The next day the enemy opened with artillery at an early hour, and the
firing on the skirmish line was very lively until eleven o'clock.
Captain Burke was wounded in the shoulder during the morning. At five
o'clock in the afternoon I was detailed with fifty men to skirmish
with the enemy on the Lee's Mill road for an hour or two to allow the
regular picket line a little rest and time to eat. I had hardly got
the line properly deployed, when it seems the enemy were ready to make
their assault on the town. From the woods emerged the Confederates in
great numbers. The loyal line fired a few regular shots, but the enemy
came pouring out of the woods in such numbers that the Union line
withered and shrank back. The enemy's artillery came to the crest of
the hill, and so well was it manned that our camps were completely
riddled, and Fort Williams partially silenced.
It was a regular artillery fight, and many old army officers said it
was the handsomest artillery duel they ever witnessed. Three of the
Sixteenth were wounded in the engagements in the skirmish line, one of
whom was A.P. Forbes, of Company B. The enemy came on so rapidly, and
we retired so slowly, that the two lines nearly met. One of the
Sixteenth was pressed so closely that, in the dusk of the evening, he
dodged behind a stump and thereby saved himself from capture. He was
so near the Confederate battery that he overheard a staff officer give
the order, "It is no use, captain, we cannot endure this fire,--limber
to the rear." The enemy retiring, he returned inside our ranks.
Heavy artillery firing was kept up until eleven o'clock P.M., and
under cover of the darkness, the enemy advanced up to Fort Wessells, a
work about ten hundred yards in front of the line of fortifications.
Fort Wessells was furiously stormed three separate times, by a very
superior force with great loss of life. The third time it had to
succumb, and sixty men were captured. The fort was well supplied with
hand grenades, which were used with great effectiveness. It was during
this night that the famous ram, "Albemarle," came down the Roanoke
river, passing our batteries, sank the Southfield, and drove off the
balance of the fleet of gunboats. The Bombshell had previously gone up
the river, and in returning was so completely riddled by the enemy's
batteries, that she sank on arriving at the dock.
The next day their artillery opened on the right of the town, but the
lay of the ground in front of our works was such that it was really
our strongest point. A few of their infantry advanced into a ravine in
our front, and were unable to extricate themselves until dark.
During the day the town was pretty effectually shelled, and a caisson
was blown up on each side. Our navy being entirely gone, the ram
"Albemarle" did good service for the enemy, with ninety and two
hundred pound shot.
Three separate times were we asked to surrender and save further
sacrifice of life, but each was peremptorily declined. General Hoke
(rebel) the last time replying, "I will fill your citadel _full_ of
iron; I will compel your surrender, if I have to fight to the last
man."
There was no doubt now but what we must succumb sooner or later. There
was no hope unless reinforced, and that could not be as long as the
ram was in the river. The men built bombproofs and traverses, which
were a great protection.
Late in the evening, Co. "G" was ordered to the left of the town, on
the Columbia road. They lay there during the night, preventing the
gunners on the ram from sighting their guns and coming on deck; they
also had two little brushes with cavalry, who broke through the line
to procure beef that was in a yard near by. The enemy, meanwhile, were
concentrating nearly half their force opposite this point.
By 4.30 o'clock on the morning of the 20th, (I find from their
accounts,) they had ten regiments of infantry, four battalions of
artillery, (Pegram's, Blunt's, Marshall's, and Lee's,) and two
companies of cavalry, besides the "Albemarle" and "Cotton Plant." This
must have made a force of five or six thousand in line about six
hundred yards in front of our works. At this hour a rocket was sent up
as the signal for the attack, and a more furious charge we never
witnessed. Instantly over our heads came a peal of thunder from the
ram. Up rose a curling wreath of smoke--the batteries had opened, and
quickly flashed fierce forks of flame--loud and earth-shaking roars in
quick succession. Lines of men came forth from the woods--the battle
had begun.
Company G, being on the skirmish line, fell back and entered "Coneby
redoubt," properly barred the gate and manned the works. The enemy,
with yells, charged on the works, in heavy column, jumped into the
ditch, climbed the parapet, and, with the artillery company (who had
previously occupied the redoubt), for fifteen murderous minutes, were
shot down like mown grass. The conflict was bloody, short, and
decisive. The enemy were in such numbers that we had to yield. The
gate had been crushed down by rebel shot, and the enemy poured in to
the number of five or six hundred, with thousands on the outside.
Great confusion then ensued; guns were spiked, musket barrels bent,
and all sorts of mischief practiced by the Union soldiers, while the
enemy were swearing at a terrible rate, because we would not take off
equipments and inform them if the guns could be turned on the town,
and in trying to reorganize their troops, who were badly mixed, to
take the next work. We were prisoners, and as we marched out of the
fort we could see at what a fearful cost it was to them. There were in
the fort at the time, forty artillery men, who fired grape and
canister, and forty-two of Company "G," (two being unable to get in,
or not hearing the orders, went back to town,) making a total of
eighty-two men, against five or six thousand. Our loss was one
wounded, an artillery man, while the rebel loss, from their latest
accounts, was five hundred killed and wounded. The enemy then passed
in the rear and on the bank of the river, to the right of the town,
and while part of their force was on the right working towards the
center, those on the left were doing the same. Every position was
obstinately maintained. A squad of men here, and a squad there, the
redoubts and forts were but slowly captured. For three or four hours,
Fort Williams, with guns turned, did murderous execution, nearly two
hours of which was in the streets of Plymouth. By half-past ten
o'clock the last gun had been fired, the flag over our citadel
lowered, and _Plymouth had fallen_.
The troops were captured by an overwhelming force, after one of the
severest fights of the war. In the words of J.W. Merrill, the author
of "Records of the Twenty-fourth N.Y. Battery," "there is no question
that the defense of Plymouth by its garrison of 1,600 men against a
besieging force of 12,000 men, was one of the hardest fought battles
of the war." The rebels raised the "black flag" against the negroes
found in uniform, and mercilessly shot them down.
The shooting in cold blood of three or four hundred negroes and two
companies of North Carolina troops who had joined our army, and even
murdering peaceable citizens (as I have the personal knowledge of the
killing, with the butt-end of a musket, of Mr. Spruell, the man whom I
boarded with, and by the way, a secessionist, for objecting to the
plundering of a trunk which he had packed), were scenes of which the
Confederates make no mention, except the hanging of one person, but of
which many of us were eye-witnesses, was but the Fort Pillow massacre
re-enacted.
The following order was issued the day after the capture by Gen. Peck:
HEADQUARTERS ARMY AND DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA, }
NEWBERN, N.C., April 21, 1864. }
General Orders, }
No. 66. }
With feelings of the deepest sorrow the commanding general
announces the fall of Plymouth, N.C., and the capture of its
gallant commander, Brigadier-General H.W. Wessels and his
command. This result, however, was not obtained until after the
most gallant and determined resistance had been made. Five times
the enemy stormed the lines of the General, and as many times
were they handsomely repulsed with great slaughter, and but for
the powerful assistance of the Rebel iron clad ram and the
floating sharp-shooter battery, the Cotton Plant, Plymouth would
still have been in our hands. For their noble defense the
gallant General Wessells and his brave band have and deserve the
warmest thanks of the whole country, while all will sympathize
with them in their misfortune. To officers and men of the navy
the Commanding General tenders his thanks for their hearty
co-operation with the army, and the bravery, determination and
courage that marked their part of the unequal contest. With
sorrow he records the death of the noble sailor and gallant
patriot, Lieutenant Commander C.W. Flusser, U.S.N., who, in the
heat of battle, fell dead on the deck of his ship, with the
lanyard of his gun in his hand.
The Commanding General believes that these misfortunes will tend
not to discourage but to nerve the Army of North Carolina to
equal deeds of bravery and gallantry hereafter. Until further
order, the headquarters of the sub-district of the Albemarle
will be at Roanoke Island.
The command devolves upon Colonel D.W. Wardrop, of the
Ninety-ninth New York Infantry.
By command of
Major-General G. PECK.
J.A. JUDSON, Assistant Adjutant-General.
While I have given an extended account of the position and service, of
Company "G," the remaining companies were not less exposed, nor did
less fighting. The losses in the Sixteenth were one killed and twelve
wounded. The total losses in the garrison were fifteen killed and
about one hundred wounded. The number captured was about sixteen
hundred. The accounts in the northern papers were meagre and greatly
exaggerated, giving generally the losses of killed and wounded equal
to the entire garrison, and the losses of the enemy in equal
proportion to their number. The Richmond papers gave long and very
accurate accounts of each day's operations, but suppressed their
losses and the killing in cold blood of the North Carolina soldiers,
negroes, and citizens. Their latest accounts, however, admit from four
to six hundred killed and from fifteen hundred to two thousand
wounded. The Rebel Government considered Plymouth of great importance,
and promised Gen. Hoke a Major-General's commission if he would take
the place. It was this incentive that made him storm the works with
such desperation. From the Richmond papers we find mentioned as
operating against us sixteen regiments of infantry, eleven batteries
divided into two battalions and commanded by Majors Reid and Mosely.
The artillery, together with two companies of cavalry, were commanded
by Col. Deering. In addition to the above were the ram Albemarle and
consort Cotton Plant. The whole force was divided into three brigades,
(Hoke's, Ransom's, and Kemper's) commanded respectively by Col.
Mercer, Gen. Ransom, and Col. Terry.
EXTRACTS FROM RICHMOND PAPERS.
The comments and correspondence in regard to the capture of Plymouth
contained in the Richmond Whig, Dispatch, Enquirer, and Examiner,
would fill three volumes of the size of this. Only a few of them can
be inserted:
From the _Enquirer_, April 22, 1864.
CAPTURE OF PLYMOUTH--ONE THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED PRISONERS AND
TWENTY-FIVE PIECES OF ARTILLERY CAPTURED.
The following is a copy of a dispatch received in Richmond,
yesterday morning, by General Bragg:
"PLYMOUTH, April 20th.--To General Bragg.--I have
stormed and carried this place, capturing one Brigadier, one
thousand six hundred men, a quantity of stores, and twenty-five
pieces of artillery.
R.D. HOKE, Brig-Gen.
From the _Enquirer_, April 25th:
PROMOTED.--Brigadier-General R.F. Hoke has been
promoted to the rank of major-general, to date from the capture
of Plymouth, N.C.
From the _Enquirer_, April 26th:
THE PLYMOUTH AFFAIR.--The Wilmington _Journal_, of
Saturday, says "our loss in killed and wounded is not large
considering the magnitude of the enterprise; but, as might have
been looked for from the character of the conflict, the works
having been stormed, a large proportion of the wounds are of a
desperate character." When a place is taken by storm, and there
is resistance, as in this case, the fighting is done hand to
hand--guns are fired off at a trifling distance and the wounds
inflicted in most cases are serious if not mortal. We learn that
some of our wounded who have been brought to Wilson, bear
evidence of the desperate character of the struggle whilst it
lasted. They are wounded in almost every imaginable way, and but
few of their hurts can be called slight.
From the _Dispatch_, May 2d, 1864.
A correspondent of the _Raleigh (N.C.) Confederate_, sends that
paper a history of the capture of Plymouth, which is very
interesting.
* * * * *
FEINT ON WARREN NECK.--On the night of the 17th, an
attack was made upon Warren Neck, under the direction of Colonel
Deering. A gunboat of the enemy coming to the assistance of the
garrison was sunk, and a force of infantry sent from the town
was repulsed; but the enemy successfully resisted all attempts
to take this stronghold. On Monday our artillery opened
vigorously on the town; and during the day both parties pounded
away at each other incessantly; but beyond a little skirmishing
with the enemy and manoeuvering for position our infantry did
nothing. Toward evening, however, it became evident that
something was on foot; and Ransom's brigade, and the 8th N.C.
was drawn up in the woods facing the works on the Washington,
Lee's Mill and Bath roads. A heavy line of skirmishers was
thrown out under the command of Captain John Pegram, A.A.G., and
advancing rapidly with the peculiar gait of sharp shooters and
the yell with which our boys go to the charge, drove the enemy
back into his works, and approached within two hundred and fifty
yards of the fort, earnestly demanding to be led into the place.
Meanwhile Pegram's battery dashed forward at a run, supported by
the infantry, and unlimbering, devoted a furious fire upon the
place. Three times we advanced, each time nearer, until within
good charging distance; but the artillery had it all to
themselves. The movement was merely a demonstration to call off
the enemy's attention from Hoke's attack upon Fort Wessells,
which, after a sharp but short resistance, fell before the
superior powers of Hoke's brigade; and that night's work was
done.
The _Gunboat appears on the scene_. Leaving a line of pickets on
the field, the main body of the troops withdrew to prepare, by a
few hours rest, for the attack, which we all felt would be made
on the morrow, and as we lay down by our fires, every one
wondered at the Albemarle's delay, and prayed for her speedy
arrival. At three in the morning we were all awakened by the
thunder of her Blakely guns, as she defiantly saluted Warren
Neck, _en passant_, and sailed safely by over the obstructions
which the enemy had placed in the river. She went to work at
once among the enemy's gunboats, sinking one and driving the
rest to Hatteras, and then turning her attention to the
fortifications, she kept up a speedy fire during the morning,
silencing the enemy's guns, and driving him into his bombproofs.
But still the "stars and stripes" floated over his works, and as
he refused, when summoned to strike his colors, it became
necessary for us to do it ourselves, and the evening and night
of the 19th were devoted to preparing for the assault on the
morning of the 20th. Kemper's brigade had fought gallantly at
Warren Neck. Hoke's men had taken Fort Wessells with three guns
and sixty prisoners. It was now Ransom's turn.
The Columbia road which enters the town at its eastern
extremity, running parallel with the river and near it, crosses
Coneby creek about a mile from town: To this point Ransom's
brigade, the 8th N.C. and Pegram's battery marched late in the
evening of the 19th, behind a screen of woods, which hid the
movement from the enemy, and reached the creek about sunset. The
bridge was destroyed, and the creek was too deep to be forded. A
strong picket of the enemy was on the opposite bank behind
entrenchments, and about three-quarters of a mile off were two
32-pounders and five 12-pounders bearing on the spot. The
pontoons must be laid for the infantry and artillery to cross,
and that quickly or the movement would be a failure. The moon
was shining brightly, turning night almost into day, and not a
breath of air was stirring, so that every movement we made could
be distinctly heard or seen by the enemy. Lieutenant Marshall
Lee, with twenty men of Co. E 24th, was advanced to the water's
edge supported by the rest of the company, and Co. A of the
35th, the whole under the command of Captain Barna Lane. The
pontoon train, under Lieutenant Pool, 10th N.C.T., dashed down
at a gallop, slid one boat into the creek and quickly and
rapidly the two companies crossed and were immediately engaged
with the enemy. The 24th followed at once, the men coming into
line as fast as they got over, and the enemy fell back, closely
pursued by Captain Lane's command, deployed as skirmishers. The
pontoons were now laid and by 8 o'clock the infantry was over
and formed in line of battle, the left resting on the road and
the right on the river in the following order: First on the
right the 55th, second the 25th, third the 8th, fourth the 36th,
fifth the 24th, with two companies on the south of the road. In
this position, we lay during the night, sheltering ourselves as
well as we could from the enemy's two works on the road, which
kept up a constant fire until nearly day break. Just before day
a strong line of skirmishers was thrown out before the brigade
under command of Captain Durham, Q.M., 29 N.C.T., but acting
temporarily on General Ransom's staff. _The Assault._ At just
3-1/2 the morning of the 20th our line began to move forward,
slowly at first, dressing on the center, and halting
occasionally for that purpose. From the start the fire from the
enemy's batteries was rapid and severe, striking down many a
brave fellow; but closing up the gaps, the long line moved
silently on, the left still resting on the road, till Pegram's
battery, dashing forward at a run unlimbered in front, and
opened fire on the enemy's works.
Then for the first time that morning our boys gave a loud
yelling of defiance, and quickening their pace to a
double-quick, pressed with a determination not to be resisted
right upon the enemy's two works, which were taken with scarcely
a moment's delay, the one on the south of the road, by the left
of the 24th, led by Colonel Clarke and the one on the right by
the right of the 24th, assisted by the 25th. The enemy fled in
terror to the houses, Fort Williams, and any other place which
suffered them protection from the fierce fire of our pursuing
ranks. We were now in the town, and the head of every street
running east and west was held by one or more of our regiments;
but their position in line was somewhat changed. The 24th was
still on the Columbia road, now street, with the 56th and 25th
to the right, and the 35th and 8th to the left. Halting a moment
to breathe the men and dress the lines, we pushed slowly and
carefully forward, clearing the enemy from every street, yard,
and house, from the windows of which and from behind the fences
they poured an incessant fire. But nothing could check our
progress and in an hour the enemy were all driven into Fort
Williams or the entrenched camp. The fort was on our left and
the camp in front. Leaving the 35th, the 8th, and a portion of
the 24th, to contend with the fort, the rest pushed on for the
camp, which the 24th being on the direct road soon reached and
opened fire, exposed still to a severe musketry fire from the
fort on the flank and the camp in front. In a few minutes the
56th came up on the right by another street, and by their
arrival decided the contest, for immediately on the appearance
of this additional force the enemy threw down his arms, and
raised the white flag. Captain Lockheart, of the 56th, ran in to
receive the surrender, and instantly both regiments poured into
the camp, and throwing down their own foul guns and empty
cartridge boxes, took the clean, well-filled ones, which were
lying about, and pressed on through the tents to the western
side of the camp, where they could see the United States flag
floating over Fort Williams, evidence that the fighting was not
yet done. Here we were shortly joined by the 43d North Carolina
of Hoke's brigade, who came in from the west, having been
delayed by a morass, which they had great difficulty in
crossing.
_The Town in our own hands._ The town was ours. Every house and
street in it was swept of the enemy, who shut up in his
stronghold, still refused to surrender. This was a case for the
artillerist and the guns of the captured forts were soon turned
upon their stronger brother, fighting as the result shows,
better for us than they had against us. Captain Cooke too of the
Albemarle dropped some of his 90 pound shell among them. Still
they resisted stoutly, showing a disposition to die rather than
to yield. At last, however, some of our boys creeping forward
through the entrenchments, got an enfilading fire upon them,
which soon brought them to terms, and hundreds of them rushed
out of the fort without arms and surrendered. Just at this
moment a shell burst directly on the magazine, and when the
smoke cleared away the hated flag was fluttering rapidly down to
the ground. Without waiting for orders, the brigade swarmed into
the fort, Company B, of the 24th, leading, and the color of
everything was quickly changed from blue to grey."
From the _Examiner_, April 22d:
"The details of the affair at Plymouth are not yet fully
ascertained. It is safe, however, to pronounce it one of the
most brilliant affairs of the war. Its immediate fruits are
important. Those which may ultimately flow from it, the
possession of an abundant country, and the possible command of
the inland waters of North Carolina, though as yet the subject
of uncertain speculation, may well excite high hopes for the
future. General Hoke, judging from the large number of his
prisoners, does not seem to have made such thorough work as that
by which Forrest has so shocked the tender souls and frozen the
warm blood of the Yankees. The resistance he encountered was
probably not as desperate, and the blood of the victors not so
heated; though in a fortification carried by storm the loss of
the garrison must inevitably be large. The strict laws of
civilized warfare acknowledge the power of the victors to put
all to the sword in such cases. However severe such an example
might seem it would strike a salutary terror into the Yankees,
which would be useful to them in the end, and their melancholy
whine, at meeting a part of the punishment their barbarities
merit, is absurd."
From the _Examiner_, April 25th:
"Tuesday evening a flag of truce was sent to Fort Williams,
demanding the surrender of the enemy. The flag was taken by
Colonel Deering and another officer; and General Wessels, the
Yankee commander, refused to treat with them, but requested a
conference with the General commanding. At the interview which
ensued the Yankee commander said to General Hoke, that if he
surrendered he would be sacrificed by his Government, and, he
feared, would be retired from the service. "Then," replied
General Hoke, "I understand that you are fighting for your
commission and for no other cause. If such is your reply, I have
only to compel your surrender, which I will do if I have to
fight to the last man." The general assault followed Wednesday
morning. It was made by all our forces. As our troops came
within range of the enemy's artillery, they suffered very
severely, as the ground in front had been surveyed and was
staked off with target posts for artillery practice. Latham's
battery had been placed just by one of the targets, and was
shelled with such skill by the enemy that all his horses had
been killed. The accounts of his casualties are deplorable, and
we trust they may be reduced by the more exact statements, which
will be officially given."
From the _Examiner_, April 30th:
"_The Capture of Plymouth in the North._ The news of the fall of
Plymouth had reached the North. Of course, after their several
days of felicitation that "the fort would surely hold out," this
news was sudden and unwelcome to them. The _Tribune_ announces
it under this imposing head, in very large capitals: _Surrender
of Plymouth. General Wessels and one thousand five hundred men
prisoners. Our loss one hundred and fifty killed. The rebel loss
one thousand and seven hundred killed. North Carolina troops
taken out and shot after surrendering. All negroes in uniform
also murdered._
* * * * *
It is positively affirmed that the rebels in taking possession
of Plymouth, ordered out the North Carolina (Union) troops, who
formed part of the garrison, and shot them; and that all negroes
found in uniform were murdered. We presume the account is
correct, and it only proves that what was supposed to be an
exceptional barbarity at Fort Pillow, has been adopted as the
deliberate policy of the rebels. As the issue is to be made it
must be met."
From the _Examiner_, May 3d:
(Extract from a letter on the _Victory of Plymouth_, dated
Plymouth, N.C., April 24, 1864.)
* * * "During Monday night Hoke's and Kemper's brigades slept on
their arms in the position they had gained. Before day break
next morning three regiments of Ransom's brigade and Col.
Branch's artillery were ordered to support them, and Ransom,
with two regiments and artillery, was again ordered to the right
to make a demonstration. At light the enemy opened a heavy
artillery fire upon our position, to which we replied, also
turning their own guns from the captured fort upon them. General
Hoke, after making a more thorough reconnoissance on Tuesday
morning, did not attack on the left, hence returned Ransom's
regiments to him on the right. About midday he determined to
send Ransom's brigade, with artillery, to the right, Coneby's
bridge a distance of four or five miles, to make a simultaneous
demonstration with him, while he would attack from his position
on the left with his and Kemper's brigades. Ransom reached the
bridge about dark, threw forward his skirmishers, who found the
enemy in strong position on the opposite side, and the bridge
destroyed. Finding the enemy were in the rifle pits and
stubbornly refusing to yield the position, three pieces of
artillery, under. Captain Blount, were advanced to within three
hundred yards of the bridge and the enemy were soon dislodged.
Our sharpshooters again advanced and the enemy re-appeared when
some gallant fellow of the 24th N.C. regiment plunged into the
creek, brought back a skiff, and immediately a party of select
men were put over in it, and ordered, at all hazards to drive
the enemy. The pontoons were hurried to the front, one placed in
the creek, which ferried over three or four companies that
followed, deployed as skirmishers, and the enemy fled,
abandoning a position of vital importance to them. The pontoons
were soon _laid_, and the infantry consisting of the 24th N.C.,
Col. Clark; 25th Alabama, Col. Rutledge; 56th N.C., Col. Faison;
35th N.C., Col. Jones; and (of Clingman's brigade) the 8th N.C.,
Col. Murchison, passed rapidly over and deployed into line at
about a mile from the enemy's outposts, the right flank resting
on the Roanoke, and the left on Coneby Creek. The artillery
commanded by Col. Branch, did not cross, as the enemy could
easily hear the crossing, and would shell furiously at the least
noise. About twelve o'clock the troops were all in position, and
were ordered to sleep on their arms and rest for the heavy work
just ahead of them. The night was perfectly calm and cloudless,
with the full moon shedding its soothing beams upon the sleeping
veterans as they lay upon the bare ground, covered with their
blankets in groups of two or three for warmth, as the air was
sharp and piercing, seeming not even to dream of the morning's
carnage. The field officers in rear of their regiments paced to
and fro unable to rest from the heavy responsibilities that were
crowding upon them. Along the line of the skirmishers commanded
by "the fighting Quartermaster Durham" and the gallant
Applewhite, the quick blaze of the rifle, like fire-flies at
night, was the only relief from the dead calm that prevailed
around, as the enemy's heavy guns, however, were belching forth
shell and spherical case, firing with great accuracy. When
Generals Hoke and Ransom separated, it was understood that as
soon as the latter was in position, he would signalize the fact
by a rocket, when General Hoke, with his and Kemper's brigades,
would attack on the left, and Ransom on the right, would make an
attack or a demonstration, as he thought best. After making a
reconnoissance, Ransom at one o'clock in the morning
(Wednesday), dispatched General Hoke that he was in position,
but would defer all movements until the dawn of day, when he
would not _demonstrate, but attack, and intended to carry the
place by assault_, asking from General Hoke his simultaneous
co-operation. He called together his field officers,
communicated to them his purpose and plans, and by his
confidence, coolness, and resource seemed to inspire them
thoroughly with his own self-reliance. As a ruse, he determined
to place his artillery in the rear of his infantry, and thereby
cause the enemy to overshoot our lines, which proved a complete
success. The moon had just gone down and the gray streaks of the
morning were faintly visible in the east, when the signal rocket
went up, and the line of skirmishers were ordered to advance,
which they did handsomely, driving in the enemy easily. The
infantry now moved forward, and the artillery, consisting of
Blount's, Marshall's, and Lee's batteries, under Colonel Branch,
dashed forward at a full gallop into position, and opened
immediately upon the town and forts at about twelve hundred
yards. The enemy had by this time concentrated a most terrific
fire from their siege guns and field pieces. Just at this time
General Hoke opened, with his artillery under Majors Mosely and
Reid, a very rapid and tremendous fire, and his infantry sent up
yell after yell as if charging. Ransom caught up the sound, and
rising in his stirrups, from the head and right of the line, in
a clear and ringing voice, gave the command, "Charge, boys, and
the place is yours," and such a charge and yell no one who ever
saw or heard it can ever forget. It baffles description. It was
as the wildest gust of the tornado as it prostrates the forest,
or the mad fire as it dashes through the prairies, it was a
thunder bolt. The hail of shot, shell, canister, grape, and
Minnie balls were not only unheeded but seemed unheard. The
infantry and artillery fell thick and fast, but immediately the
gaps were closed. In ten minutes the two outer forts, with eight
guns, were captured, our infantry scaling their parapets, and
the infantry within one hundred and fifty yards of the forts,
horses, and limbers blown up and cannoneers shot down, and yet
those remaining stood to their guns without shelter, confident
of victory, and to avenge their dead. The whole command of
officers and men, infantry and artillery, seemed enthused with
the inspiration of certain victory. Several hundred prisoners
were captured in these forts, which were immediately sent to the
rear, and now began the contest for the town more than a half a
mile in length, the enemy's infantry slowly retiring and
stubbornly resisting our advance, Fort Williams dealing out
grape and spherical case; their field pieces at the farther
extremities of the broad straight streets raking them with a
murderous fire; their infantry in the houses and cellars and
behind fences, delivering galling charges of Minnie shot, but
all of no avail. Our men were confident, aroused, and
irresistible. They pressed on steadily, without halt or
hesitation, tearing down fences, hedges, and every obstacle that
they met, capturing the enemy at every step. Soon they were in a
rout, and our infantry pressed through the town and waved their
battle flags over the fortifications in front to General Hoke's
forces, who could scarcely believe that so much could be
accomplished in so short a time. * * Ransom's charge has not
been surpassed at any time; his military genius comprehended the
situation, and he was master of it. He determined upon his
charge, knowing what pluck and dash could accomplish, and
satisfied it was the only point of attack. With twenty-two
hundred muskets and nine pieces of artillery, he charged the
enemy's work which they regarded unassailable and carried them
without a halt. His loss, which reached _five hundred in thirty
minutes_, shows how sanguinary was the work." (Signed R.)
From the _Richmond Dispatch_, April 30th:
_The Fall of Plymouth. A Specimen of Yankee Lying. A Sympathetic
order for General Wessels. Negro Soldiers Butchered._ "The
Philadelphia _Inquirer_ contains the official and other
announcements of the fall of Plymouth. The butchery of the negro
troops is news here, though if General Hoke had butchered the
whole garrison in the assault, after a refusal to surrender, it
would have been perfectly proper under the laws of war. It will
be seen that the loss of the Confederates is put down at fifteen
hundred!! The following is a telegram dated Fortress Monroe, the
24th instant: The gallant garrison at Plymouth, after a
desperate struggle with the rebel foe, who besieged them by land
and water, with an infinitely superior force, were compelled to
surrender, but not until they had slaughtered hundreds of the
enemy in their attempts to storm the forts. The fight commenced
late on Sunday afternoon, and continued until half-past ten on
Wednesday morning, when the surrender was made. Our men fought
with the ferocity of tigers, and they would never have yielded
had there been anything like an equality of forces. But the
rebels outnumbered them nearly ten to one. When the attack first
was made the Confederates were twelve thousand strong, and
afterwards received eight thousand more as reinforcements. Aided
as they were by their powerful ram and gunboats, it is not at
all surprising that they succeeded in capturing the Town of
Plymouth."
From the New York _Herald_, April 26th, 1864:
"_The Rebel Losses_ are, beyond the slightest doubt, immensely
heavy. When it is considered that every fort around Plymouth was
stormed from three to seven times, and each assault repulsed
with great slaughter, besides pouring broadside after broadside
into the rebel ranks from the Miami and Southfield, the
casualties among the rebel troops must have been enormous. A
rebel surgeon was heard to say that "the damned Yankees had
killed and wounded one-third of their whole force, and he hoped
that no mercy would be shown the cursed Yankees." The gunboat
Whitehead went on a reconnoissance, on Wednesday, a short
distance above Plymouth, and the officers and crew observed
about three hundred rebel troops engaged in burying the dead.
From a steeple on the town church, overlooking a large tract of
land, it was found that the field of Asa Johnson (about sixty
acres), was completely filled with dead and dying rebels. The
entire rebel force could not have been short of from fifteen to
twenty thousand men, of whom one-third are unfit for future
service.
_The Fort Pillow Massacre Re-enacted._ My informant also
acquainted me with the fact that all the negroes found after the
surrender, were stripped of their clothing and brutally murdered
in cold blood. It must be understood that General Wessels had no
colored troops at Plymouth, save a few recruits for North
Carolina regiments, and the poor unfortunate blacks thus
butchered were merely laborers for the government. The negroes
were formed into line, in a nude state, and fired at by the
brutal soldiery, purporting to represent Southern chivalry.
Nature revolts at these facts; and the plan apparently adopted
by the Rebels for the future disposition of the negroes is
emancipation _from_, and not _for_, life."