State

lit# IN» TRACY Battle of the Banks II mas quilt' a hassle, и ilh thousands involved, hut not a man lost his life. The “Battle of the Banks" can t be chalked up as a Conlcdcratc triumph by any stretch of partisan imagina¬ tion. Hill the loners in that littk struggle must have consoled themselves with the thought that it took a powerful lot ol Union ships and guns and men to grab tiny Fort Hattcras, smaller Fort Clark and infinitesimal Fort Oregon. It was in August 18Ы. the first year of the war. when it all began with a shipmaster, one Daniel Campbell, ar¬ riving at Fsitress Monroe with an alarming story for Major General John Wool. Federal commandant of the foitrcss. It seems that Campbell, obviously л better stuolpifieon than he was a skipper, ran his schooner, the ‘‘Lydia Francis.'' smack dab onto the beach near Hattcras Inlet urinind the first of May. I Uhl. and was taken prisoner by the Confederates who descended upon him with glad cries. For three months Campbell had been held captive and while a prisoner he had been permitted to roam at large and — it developed — sec what he could sec. Turned Is mw. he made a beeline for Fortress Monroe and General Wool. On tlic Carolina Banks, he told the commandant, the Confederates had built three forts, two of which com¬ manded Hattcras Inlet. The first. Fort Hattcras. mounted ten guns although it had been built to hoW fifteen: the sceond. Fort Clark, had mountings for seven guns and held live. These strong¬ holds were built of sand, twenty feet wnl. ai the lop, and il.cy had been turfed. As for armament, all the guns were 1 2-pounders except one eight- inch shell gun at Fort Hattcras. These two forts — Fort Oregon was down the Banks on Ocracoke and not so important — blocked Hattcras Inlet and. therefore, the entrance to Pam¬ lico Sound. Despite his name, the commander ol Fortress Monroe was no wool- gatherer. Hardly had Daniel Camp¬ bell, that ingrate guest of the Banks Confederates’ hospitality. Iclt hiv of¬ fice than the General was bellowing orders, beard bristling. Before the orders stopped coming, the force amassed to proceed against Hattcras Ink! included: U S. S. 'Minnesota." flagship of the flotilla commander. Commodore S. H. String- ham. U.S.S. Wabash.’’ Captain Mer¬ cer; U.S.S. "Monticcllo," Commander Gillis; U.S.S. “Pawnee," Captain I a nine. U.S.S. ‘'Adelaide." Command¬ er Stcllwagcn; U.S.S. “George Pea¬ body," Lieutenant Leroy, und the steam lug Fanny- The “Adelaide” and the ' George Peabody" were char¬ tered schooners used as transports and lowed by gentle Fanny.” General Wool looked over his naval might and shook his head Not enough Off went an order for live steam- frigate “Susquehanna" and the .sail- •rigatc "Cumberland" to join the fleet. Besides the naval personnel that nude up the task force, there were 880 Army troops, consisting of 500 men of the 2Vth New York Volunteer* under СЫ. Мал Weber; 220 gaudy Hawkins Zouaves of the Ninth New York Volunteers. 100 Union Coast Guardsmen under a Captain Nixon and 60 men ol the Second Artillery. Lieutenant Lamed commanding. All these land troops were in charge of Maj. Gen. Ben Butler who was to gain dubious fame later under the name of “Beast Butler.” The expedition kft Fortress Moo- roe on Monday afternoon. August 26, and hove to off Hattcras the next afternoon at four o’clock. At daylight on Wednesday, the 28lh. troops were begun to be landed on the beach. The surl soon took care of that. After only 315 men, including 55 marines off the warships, had gained the bench with a twelve-pound cannon and a howitzer, all the landing craft were swamped by the Southern-minded seas Meanwhile, the warships had opened a bombardment on the five- gun fort. Clark, with everything they had The littk fort answered with all ii had (not much compared with the fire power of six of that era’s battle- wagons) until I p m., when discretion overcame valor and Fort Clark’s (lag was run down, the garrison moving over to Fort Hattcras. With Fort Clark emptied. Captain Nixon of the Coast Guard thundered into the battered stronghold and raised the Union flag amid cheers The "MoanceHo” moved in close to Fort Clark to join the cckbration. where¬ upon Fort Hattcras proceeded to give her hell. The warship was hulled several times by the Rebel guns and the “Monticcllo” hollered for help Up churned the “Wabash" the “Sus¬ quehanna" and the "Minnesota,” every gun blazing away at Fort Hat Ига*. In the melee. Captain Nixon decided this was no place for him and he and his 315 men skedaddled back down the beach The Confederates TMC STATE. Januasv IB. I9S5