April 9, 1863, The New York Herald
Our Pamlico Correspondence.
ON BOARD STEAMER JNO. FARON, PAMLICO RIVER,
TWELVE MILES BELOW WASHINGTON, N.C., WITH REBELS ON ALL SIDES OF US, April 1, 1863.
I attempt to write you, though I am inclined to think that the chances of this letter ever reaching you are slim indeed. We are decidedly in a tight place, and, if it was not for the fact that people expect to see all the details of this and every other matter in HERALD, I should wish I was home. Who would be a correspondent in the field, with such a prospect of fun ahead – if the booming of heavy guns, the bustling of steamers to and fro, and the anxiety and tumult arising from hearing and knowing that our friends – a mere handful – only twelve miles off, are invested and threatened by an overpowering force, and we […..] to succor them, and even ourselves on the eve of a battle, which must, from the nature of things, be one of the most sanguinary of the war – may be called fun.
I have to jumble my reports together somewhat, owing to the […..] and confusion,” but will try to make the whole matter intelligible, […..]far as we’ve got.”
On Sunday morning last General Foster received information from the commanding officer at Washington that General Hill, with a large rebel force, had driven in our pickets in front of that town and was menacing the place on all sides. General Foster immediately took the steamer Faron, Captain Agnew, and arrived on Monday morning, to find that the danger was even greater than he had anticipated. The Faron was despatched back to Newbern immediately, with orders to Lieut. Col. Hoffman to send a brigade of infantry and some light field pieces as soon as possible, and General Spinola’s legion was fixed upon for the service. General Spinola received his orders to get his brigade ready at half-past four o’clock on Tuesday morning, and at ten o’clock A. M., he had his entire command on board steamers and sailing vessels, and was en route for the scene of action. Nothing of importance occurred upon the route hither until we arrived at this point when we learned that the rebels had erected a battery at Hill’s Point, at the blockade eight miles below Washington, which commanded the channel of the river, rendering it incumbent upon to us to lay by until a gunboat should arrive to dislodge the rebels from the position.
This morning at daylight the gunboat Lockwood, Capt. A. H. Hicks, came up from Newbern, and without stopping to communicate with our fleet, pushed on up the river. She went up to within a half mile of the battery, without knowing that the place was occupied by rebels, but, finding that the buoys and water guides had been removed, suspected something wrong, and concluded not to go any further, and came to anchor. While lying by her commander discovered – what he might have learned from the fleet – that there was a battery within easy range of him, and, not knowing what might be the reason of its silence, or who it was held by, came back to the fleet. He reported that several guns were mounted, and that a flag was flying, but that the flag was not familiar to him. Capt. Hicks described the flag as illustrated best by the following diagram: – […..].
As soon as Capt. Hicks learned of the character of the works, by request of General Spinola, he moved his gunboat up close to the battery and commenced firing, but could not elicit any reply; but we could see by our glasses the […..] run out of an old house near the beach, and scamper up the bank to place of safety behind the works, as our shells would strike and explode in uncomfortably close proximity to their whereabouts. Our boat also moved up to within about three miles of the battery, but as the gunboat could not find the channel, and as the banks opposite our boat were high and easily approached from the land side, the General concluded to retire a couple of miles further down the river. And here we all are to-night.
All the morning, and all day, in fact, we have heard firing above us, in the vicinity of Washington, and dense clouds of smoke have been rising over the woods. All communication with General Foster has been cut off until to-night, and we have been in a fever of anxiety all day.
But to-night we have succeeded in opening a communication, and the way it has been done reflects so much credit upon certain parties that I cannot forego detailing it.
About a quarter past two o’clock this afternoon Captain G. E. Gouraud, of General Foster’s staff, who came up on the Faron with us, and Lieutenant William M. Cole, of General Spinola staff (formerly Vice Principal of Ward School No. 31, New York), volunteered to take a boatcrew and run the blockade to Washington with despatches. It was broad day, and a heavy wind was blowing directly down the river; but, nothing daunted, the two officers and their brave boatcrew started. We all looked on the adventure as an extremely hazardous one, and indeed it was; but it had to be done. They passed the first battery under cover of the gunboat Lockwood, and proceeded on up the river to within about four miles of Washington, where they met a small sail boat coming out of Washington, having on board Acting Master’s Mate Edwin McKeever, of the gunboat Louisiana, with despatches for us, who informed them that it would be impossible for them to proceed further in the cutter, owing to the fact that their path lay directly in the range of the firing between the upper battery and the gunboat Commodore Hull, so they came back with McKeever, as the north shore of the river was held all along by the enemy. On returning, the lower battery at Hill’s Point opened upon them with a brisk fire; but they came through unharmed. The feat of Mr. McKeever in running the batteries deserves more than a passing notice. When Gen. Foster found that the rebels had possession of both banks, and had established batteries on the river below the town, and it would be impossible to run a gunboat down, he called upon Commodore Renshaw for assistance to get through despatches to General Spinola and to Newbern. Commodore Renshaw did not like to detail any of his men for such a hazardous service; so he called for someone to volunteer. Mr. McKeever immediately came forward, and four sailors, named Bartlett, Donaldson, Lynch and Godfrey, of the Louisiana, also volunteered to accompany him. They procured a small sail boat and started from Washington about three o’clock, while the firing between the battery and gunboat Commodore Hull was at its highest pitch. The wind was high and favorable, and, as the men say, they […..] down killing.” When they had emerged from under the fire of thee batteries they came upon the small boat in which were Captain Gouraud and Lieutenant Cole, and each party mistaking the other for rebels, and, fearing lest each might be captured by the other, both tore up the despatches and threw them overboard. The men in each boat seized their arms, and a miniature edition of a naval fight seemed to be upon the tapis, when Lieutenant Cole swung out his white handkerchief, about the same time that one appeared upon the sailer. The boats approached each other, and, finding friends instead of enemies, both parties joined each other in three rousing cheers, and all came back together. Mr. McKeever and Lieutenant Cole have just (ten o’clock P. M.) gone back together in a yawl boat to carry despatches to General Foster. God speed them, say all of us.
From Mr. McKeever I learn the particulars of the attack upon Washington, as follows: –
On Saturday last, March 28, our pickets beyond the blockhouse on the Washington side of the Tar river were driven by a large force of rebel cavalry and infantry, as were those also upon the opposite shore, and about noon of the same day it was discovered that the town was being invested upon all sides. General Foster, at Newbern was immediately informed of the aspect of affairs, and the forces placed in the best positions possible for defence.
Both armies remained quiet until Tuesday morning, each seeming to have no particular anxiety to expedite hostilities. On Monday Gen. Hill sent in a flag of truce to Gen. Foster, with a communication whose substance, rumor says, was to send all the women and children out of town, as he (Hill) had determined to take and destroy it. Gen. Foster refused the flag of truce, and sent the bearer back without an answer. This course is understood to be in retaliation for the course of Gen. Hill in refusing to receive flags of truce from Newbern. At noon on Monday Gen. Foster sent Capt. Lyon, with one of his companies of North Carolina Volunteers, with one small field piece, over to Rodman’s farm on the south bank of the river, a mile and a half below the town, to throw up an earthwork; but they were soon attacked and driven from their position by the rebels. They fought desperately, however, but finally had to retreat to a flatboat, which they had brought with them, on which they escaped. The next morning they attempted to land again; but when within five rods of the shore they were opened upon by the rebel musketry, and, though they saved their small piece, were repulsed. Capt. Lyon was severely wounded in three places, and has been sent with the other wounded men, to Newbern. The first lieutenant of Capt. Lyon’s company, Wm. H. King, is now upon the farm, and the second lieutenant, Lafayette Riggs, is under arrest in Washington for deserting his company in the morning. The captain and first lieutenant are from Massachusetts, and the second lieutenant is a native of North Carolina.
About ten o’clock on Tuesday the gunboat Commodore Hull commenced shelling the woods on the banks below the town, but with what effect is unknown. The rebels replied only at intervals, and then only from shifting batteries. Some time in the afternoon the rebels got a gun in position at Rodman Point, on the partially finished works from which Capt. Lyon company had been driven in the morning; but as they did not open fire from it, it was not known but that the men who were at work there were Capt. Lyon’s company.
At daylight this morning the battery opened fire from four guns on the Commodore Hull, which was lying in the stream about seven hundred yards distant. The Hull fought them for about an hour with her stern guns, when her officers found that the high wind was fast lowering the water in the river, and it would be necessary to take a position in deeper water. Accordingly they moved about a mile nearer the town, when the vessel grounded, and as the water was still falling it became impossible to move her. She was within easy range of the enemy’s batteries, and remained so until after sundown this afternoon, and was a fine target for over twelve hours. And right heartily did the rebel artillerists ply their guns upon her. Over seventy shots struck her. Her upper works are completely demolished, three of her guns have been disabled by the rebel shots but, strange to say, she has had but three men wounded and none killed during the entire action. Her machinery is all imperfect order and her hull is undamaged. She will probably be out of the range of the rebel guns in the morning.
About sundown last night the rebels opened fire upon the fort back of Washington; but it was of short duration, and on the Washington side of the river everything has been quiet to-day, though the rebels are in plain sight all around.
PAMLICO RIVER, THREE MILES BELOW HILL’S POINT,
April 2 – 12 M.
At daylight this morning we were under way again, headed up the river, preceded by the gunboats Lockwood and Allison, and two sailing vessels, which had on board six small pieces of artillery. The gunboats proceeded to the vicinity of the fort at Hill’s Point, and opened upon the works at short range. They were replied to sharply for a while from eight guns, two at least of which were twelve pounder Whitworths. The Lockwood was struck twice, but was not much injured – one of the shots striking her smokestack and the other hitting her guards and glancing off. No one was hurt on our side. After a fight of an hour and a half the gunboats came back and reported that it would be impossible to silence the battery, as the guns were so high upon the bluff bank as to be nearly out of range of our guns.
About daylight this morning Lieutenant Cole returned from Washington in safety, having passed the three batteries twice during the night, a feat of which he may proudly boast to his succeeding generations when the event shall have passed into his country’s history, and when he shall have been blessed with descendants to boast to. He brings cheering news from General Foster and the beleaguered garrison; but most of it would be contraband; so I shall omit writing it.
At ten o’clock this morning Lieutenant Williams, of General Spinola’s staff, not to be outdone by Lieutenant Cole, volunteered to make a perilous reconnoissance of the south shore below the Hill’s Point battery. He left in company with a boatcrew of picked men, and made the landing at the mouth of Blount’s creek, three miles below the battery, when he was fired upon by a squad of rebels. This satisfied him that the woods were not unoccupied, and that his Southern brethren would pay no regard to the fact that his father was an immense democratic politician of Western New York; so he abbreviated his visit and retired out of range of the rebel rifles, when he coolly adjusted his field glass and took a survey of the premises to his heart’s content. He, too, will have something to brag of. Lieutenant Williams reports that the woods back of the shore and fort are alive with cavalry and infantry – a story which is corroborated by the assertions of contrabands who have come off to us in […..].”
General Prince has arrived here, but brings no additional men or means. Oh for a few more gunboats and a few regiments of the infantry and a few of the transports which have been gouged out of this department by mulishness and the blundering stupidity of the Washington (D. C.) of brains!: If Washington and Newbern fall now we may thank the War Department and the General-in-Chief and General Hunter for it, and no one else.