аСМЙШШУГ
or IOBIS
НАПЕВАЯ
AND CUBE or THE INI FED STATES FLEET, UNDER FUG-OTOCER S7R1XGHAH. C S.N.4*»
»*»»
1
War On the Outer Banks
The pictures on these pages were
drawn for Harper's Weekly, and pub¬
lished in that magazine in September
1861. They depict the battle of Hat-
icras, in which the Fcderals captured
the forts at the Cape, commencing the
conquest of northeast North Carolina.
This was the first major action of the
Civil War in North Carolina, and was
of military significance, for it seriously
impeded water transportation over a
large part of the state, and led to
further occupation.
A condensed version of the Harper
article on the battle follows: It was
reprinted from the N. Y. Herald.
The expedition, consisting of the frigates
Minnesota. Commodore Stringham: Wabash.
Captain Mercer; the gun-boats Pawnee.
Captain Rowan; Moniicello, Commander
Gillis, and the Harriet Lane. Captain Fauncc,
with the transports Adelaide and George
Peabody, conveying troops to the number
of about a thousand, left Fortress Monroe
last Monday, and reached the rendezvous
off llattcras Inlet, fifteen miles below Cape
Hattcras. on Tuesday morning, the Min¬
nesota and Wabash coming in in the after¬
noon. and the Cumberland joined the fleet
the same day.
Preparations were immediately made to
land the troops the following morning, at
which time the transports ran near the
beach, two miles north of the Inlet, and,
covered by the Moniicello, Harriet Lane,
and Pawnee, about three hundred men were
landed through a heavy surf.
The gun-boats swept the beach and neigh¬
boring copse of scrub oaks. All the boats
being swamped and bilged in the surf, no
more men could be thrown ashore. Mean¬
while, the Minnesota and Wabash — the
latter with the Cumberland in tow —
steamed up to the front of one of the rebel
batteries and took their position at long
range.
At ten o'clock the Wabash fired the first
Ein. the eleven-inch shell striking near the
itlery and bursting with tremendous force.
I he battery, which was of sand, covered
with turf and mounting five long thirty-
twos. instantly returned the fire, the shot
falling short. The Minnesota and Cumber¬
land immediately opened fire and rained
nine and eleven inch shells into and about
it.
I he enemy ceased firing a little before
two. and after a few more shells had been
thrown in the Commodore signalized to
cease firing.
When the firing ceased the fort was oc¬
cupied in force, and held afterward.
The Moniicello had proceeded ahead of
the land force to protect them, and had
reached the Inlet when a large fori of an
octagon shape, to the rear and right of the
small battery, mounting ten thirty-twos and
four eight-inch guns, which had till then
been silent, opened on her with eight guns,
at short range. At the same instant she got
aground, and stuck fast, the enemy pouring
in a fire hot and heavy, which the Mon -
ticello replied to with shell sharply. For
fifty minutes she held her own, and finally
getting off the ground she came out. having
been shot through and through by seven
eight-inch shell, one going below the water¬
line. She fired fifty-five shell in fifty min¬
utes, and partially silenced the battery.
In ordering hack copies of
THE STATE, please send 30c
per copy. No charge accounts
opened for single copy sales.
THE STATE. April 2S. t962
15
