Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 26.djvu/179

 ( 'It'tfte Whitin9

On Fridav morning, the fleet opened very heavily. On Friday and Saturday, during the furious bombardment on the fort, the enemy was allowed to land, without molestation, and to throw up a light line of field works from Battery Ramseur to the river, thus securing his positron from molestation, and making the fate of Fort Fisher, under the circumstances, but a question of time.

" On Sunday, the fire on the fort reached a pitch of fury to which no language can do justice. It was concentrated on the land face and front. In a short lime, nearly every gun was dismounted or disabled, and the garrison suffered severely by the fire. At 3 o'clock the enemy's land force, which had been gradually and slowly advancing, formed into two columns for assault.

"The garrison, during the fierce bombardment, was notable to stand to the parapets, and many of the reinforcements were obliged to be kept at a great distance from the fort.

"As the enemy slackened his fire to allow the assault to take place, the men hastily manned the ramparts and gallantly repulsed the right column of assault. A portion of the troops on the left had also repelled the first rush to the left of the work. The greater portion of the garrison being, however, engaged on the right, and not being able to man the entire work, the enemy succeeded in making a lodg- ment on the left flank, planting two of his regimental flags in the traverses. From this point we could not dislodge him, though we forced him to take down his flag from the fire from our most distant guns, our own traverses protecting him from such fire. From this time it was a succession of fighting, from traverse to traverse, and from line to line, until 9 o'clock at night, when we were overpowered and all resistance ceased.

"The fall, both of the general and the colonel commanding the fort, one about 4 and the other about 4.30 P. M., had a perceptible effect upon the men, and no doubt hastened greatly the result; but we were overpowered, and no skill or gallantry could have saved the place after he effected a lodgement, except attack in the rear.

"The enemy's loss was very heavy, and so, also, was our own. Of the latter, as a prisoner, I have not been able to ascertain.

"At 9 P. M. the gallant Major Reilly, who had fought the fort alu-r the fall of his superiors, reported the enemy in possession of the sally-port. The brave Captain Van Benthuysen, of marines, though himself badly wounded, with a squad of his men, picked up the gen- t-ral and colonel, and endeavored to make way to Battery Buchanan, followed by Reilly with the remnant of the forces. On reaching