GRAND NAVAL COMBAT IN MOBILE BAY.
CAPTURE OF FORTS MORGAN, POWELL, AND GAINES.
August 5–23, 1864.
Admiral Farragut, who had anchored off Mobile Bay for more than a month, awaiting reinforcements and military cooperation, at length saw the day approach on which he was prepared to undertake the most dangerous if not formidable naval combat that history has ever recorded.
At the head of Mobile Bay, nearly thirty miles from the Gulf of Mexico, lies the city of Mobile. Dauphin’s Island lies at the mouth of the bay, and almost closes the entrance, having a narrow strait on either side. The western channel affords but five feet of water, and is therefore not navigable for heavy vessels. The eastern strait channel has a depth of twenty feet. The entrance to the bay is guarded by two strong forts. The principal defence is Fort Morgan, which is built on a low, sandy point opposite Dauphin’s Island, and four miles from it. The rebels had blockaded the whole passage between Fort Morgan and Dauphin Island with tiers of piles, chains, and torpedoes, leaving a channel of fifteen hundred yards in width for the blockade-runners, which flowed directly under the guns of the fort.
Opposite Fort Morgan, on Dauphin Island, is Fort Gaines; and about a mile distant from the latter structure was Fort Powell.
Early in August, Admiral Farragut’s fleet was reinforced by two iron-clads from James river, and two from the Mississippi.
Soon after sunrise on the morning of the 5th of August, signals were given to all the fleet, and at twenty minutes to six the gunboats and monitors were underweigh, moving up the bay.
The vessels were lashed side by side in couples, for better protection, and in order to assist each other when any became disabled. Chains and sand bags were laid on the decks over the machinery, to resist a plunging fire; while sheet chains and other protective material were hung on the sides of the vessels. The first object of the Admiral was to pass the forts, inflicting as much damage to them as possible in the transit, and then to engage and overcome the rebel gunboats, and the formidable ram which lay in the inner waters. The attacking fleet comprised fourteen wooden vessels, and four iron-clad monitors.
About seven o’clock the leading vessels came under fire from Fort Morgan, and the rebel gunboats anchored under the guns of the fort; while the Federal vessels, advancing in as close order as safety permitted, replied with their rifled bow guns, and as soon as the range permitted, with their formidable broadsides, driving the rebels from their guns, and breaching the walls of their defences. The Admiral was lashed in the main-top of his flagship, the Hartford, from which exposed situation he had a good view of the battle, and communicated his orders through speaking tubes.
At half-past seven the leading Monitor, the Tecumseh, struck a torpedo, which exploded with terrific and fatal force, and the staunch vessel, overcome by the terrible concussion, sank in the vortex, engulfing her brave commander, Captain T. A. M. Craven, and all but ten of her crew. This remnant was picked up while struggling in the water by a boat from the Metacomet, under a storm of shot and shell. The fate of the Tecumseh did not check the advance of the fleet, for all the brave sailors in the squadron well knew that they were exposed to the same frightful fate, and had entered the combat prepared to encounter the danger. The flagship Hartford, with the Metacomet lashed to her port side, now took the lead, and, boldly followed by the remainder of the squadron, passed the forts without serious damage, and were out of range in an hour’s time.
The Hartford was now assailed by the rebel ram Tennessee; a most formidable vessel upon which the rebels confidently relied for the destruction of the whole Federal fleet, should they succeed in passing the forts, and avoiding the dangerous obstructions. The Confederate gunboats Morgan, Gaines, and Selma, also courageously took part in the combat, but were soon disposed of by the Union vessels as they came up. In half an hour the Selma was a prize to the Metacomet, and the Gaines had ran ashore under the guns of Fort Morgan, while the Morgan had escaped to the city docks.
The iron-clad Tennessee, bearing the flag of Admiral Buchanan, maintained a fierce and sanguinary combat with the heavier Union vessels for nearly two hours. This vessel was one hundred and eighty feet in length, sheathed with iron plates, five inches in thickness, of narrow plates, strongly bolted, and backed by two feet of solid oak. She was armed with a powerful ram, and had two ports on either side, closed by iron shutters turning upon a pivot. The wooden ships defiantly encountered the Tennessee, although her armor was impervious to their guns, while the iron-clads grappled fiercely with their formidable antagonist. The Manhattan, with one of her fifteen-inch shot, broke through the armor of the Tennessee, and a monitor shot disabled the steering gear, and thus rendered her helpless. At ten o’clock she surrendered. Twenty officers and about one hundred and seventy men were captured in this vessel, and ninety officers and men in the Selma. The capture of these two vessels terminated the glorious battle of the 5th of August. On the following day one of the iron-clads shelled Fort Gaines with such effect that Colonel Anderson the commander sent a communication to Admiral Farragut offering to surrender. General Granger, commanding the United States military forces then investing Mobile, was sent for, and the terms of capitulation were signed by the respective parties on board the Hartford.
On the night of the 5th of August, Fort Powell was attacked, and blown up, the guns falling into the hands of the naval commander. From this time onward movements were in preparation for attacking Fort Morgan, and on the 22nd of August, with day-dawn, a bombardment was opened from the shore batteries, the Monitors and ships inside, and the vessels outside the bar. At six A. M. on the 23d, a white flag was displayed by the rebels, and at two o’clock the fort was unconditionally surrendered to the navy and army of the United States by General Page, the commander.
The capture of Forts Powell, Gaines and Morgan, and the destruction of the rebel fleet, gave the navy possession of the bay, and closed the port to all ingress or egress of blockade runners. This was all that was contemplated. Possession of the city of Mobile could not make the blockade more effectual, and without a sufficient cooperating land force, which could not then be spared to take and hold the place, further demonstration was not advisable.
To obstruct naval operations, the bay had been strewn with torpedoes, and as late as the 13th of September, Rear Admiral Farragut wrote the department that he was still engaged in removing them. One hundred, it was reported, had been placed in the bay by the rebels.
SHERMAN’S MARCH FROM SAVANNAH TO GOLDSBORO’, N. C.
January to March, 1865.
The city of Savannah, and the forts around it, were, on the 18th of January, 1865, transferred to General Foster, who commanded the Department of the South, and General Sherman once more pushed forward—this time to reach Goldsboro’, in North Carolina, and open communication with cooperating forces from that point. The capture of Charleston was incidental to this campaign; but was left to General Foster’s command. The order to march was given on the 19th of January. Savannah was garrisoned by a division of the 19th Army corps, under General Grover, while General Schofield’s corps, the Twenty-third, was sent to reinforce Generals Terry and Palmer, who were operating on the coast of North Carolina.
Sherman’s march lasted about two months, and was attended by skirmishes and small battles, but was never checked; and, in the end, was thoroughly successful in accomplishing its intended purpose. The condition of the rivers, swollen by thaws and rains, at first caused the army some trouble. But all obstacles were speedily overcome.
An engagement at Rivers’ Bridge, on the 3d of February, was the earliest fighting of moment. The point was carried with the loss of one officer and seventeen men. The troops engaged were a division of the Seventeenth corps, under Generals Thomas and Smith. Heavy skirmishing took place, at Blackville, Williston and Aiken, between General Kilpatrick’s cavalry, and the rebel cavalry of Wheeler.
On the 12th of February, General Sherman was at Orangeburg, where there was some fighting. By this time he had isolated Branchville and Charleston, so that the rebels would probably be obliged to evacuate those places. His next blow was aimed at Columbia. This beautiful city is one hundred and twenty-eight miles from Charleston. The rebels, under Hampton, abandoned it on the 16th, having first fired a large quantity of cotton which was there accumulated. On the 17th it was surrendered to General Sherman, who, in anticipation of the occupation of the city, had issued to General Howard orders concerning the conduct of the troops. These were to destroy absolutely all arsenals and public property not needed for his own use, as well as all railroads, depots, and machinery useful in war to an enemy, but to spare all dwellings, colleges, schools, asylums, and harmless private property. But, as it turned out, before one single public building had been fired by order, the smoldering fires, set by Hampton’s orders, were kindled by the wind, and communicated to the buildings around. About dark they began to spread, and got beyond the control of the troops, and raged until about four A. M., when the wind subsiding, the flames wore subdued. “I was up nearly all night,” says General Sherman, “and saw Generals Howard, Logan, Woods, and others, laboring to save houses and protect families thus suddenly deprived of shelter, and of bedding and wearing apparel. I disclaim on the part of my army any agency in this fire, but on the contrary claim that we saved what of Columbia remains unconsumed. And without hesitation I charge General Wade Hampton with having burned his own city of Columbia, not with a malicious intent, but from folly and want of sense in filling it with lint, cotton, and tinder.” During the 18th and 19th, the arsenal, railroad depots, machine shops, foundries, and other buildings were destroyed by detailed working parties, and the railroad track torn up down to Kingsville and the Wateree bridge, and up in the direction of Winnsboro’.
The next principal point was Cheraw, which was entered, after a toilsome march, on the 3d of March. Charleston had, meanwhile, been evacuated by General Hardee, on the 18th of February, and many guns and much ammunition had been conveyed thence to Cheraw. These were now captured by General Sherman, who also broke up the railroad as far as Darlington, and the branch road from Florence to Cheraw. He then pushed on to Fayetteville, which he occupied on the 11th of March. The enemy, broken into small detachments, were all the while retiring before Sherman’s advance, but at the same time were harassing him by occasional dashes. One of these, made by Hampton, on the 9th, led to a brisk engagement between his forces and Kilpatrick’s cavalry, in which the latter were victorious. But the rebels, fearing for Raleigh, now endeavored to concentrate in Sherman’s front. Beauregard’s troops, from Columbia, Cheatham’s from the West, the garrison of Augusta, and Hardee’s from Charleston, were to be speedily massed together, under the command of General J. E. Johnston. General Sherman’s plan was to feign an attack on Raleigh, but really to push on to Goldsboro’. One obstacle in his path was Hardee, who, with twenty thousand men, had made a stand between Cape Fear river and South river. General Williams, with the Twentieth corps, was thereupon ordered to dislodge Hardee and capture the position. The result was the
BATTLE OF AVERASBORO’.
March 15–16, 1865.
This fight commenced about noon, and lasted till night. Skirmishing continued all night, and on the morning of the 16th, the battle was renewed, with great fury. Severe fighting took place during the day, without satisfactory results. The enemy held his position, although suffering heavy loss. Everything indicated the presence of Hardee’s whole army corps. He evacuated the line, during the night of the 16th, however, and fell back to Averasboro’, pursued by Ward’s division of the Twentieth corps. His dead and wounded were left on the field, and abandoned along the road to Averasboro’. General Ward pressed up to Averasboro’, holding the plank road in front, while the balance of the command moved off to the right, across Black river, on the Goldsboro’ road, now uncovered. The National loss in this fight was four hundred and forty-six in the Twentieth corps, one hundred and eight in the Fourteenth, and one hundred and seventy-one in Kilpatrick’s command—total, seven hundred and thirty-seven. The number of rebels, buried on the field, and paroled wounded, was three hundred and twenty-seven—exclusive of those they carried off, and the unhurt prisoners captured by the Unionists.
The advance of General Sherman was immediately continued, in an easterly direction from Averasboro’, along the Goldsboro’ road. General Johnston had suddenly moved from Raleigh, and concentrated his entire force at a village called Bentonsville, on this road, eighteen miles from Averasboro’, intending to fall on Sherman’s left flank and overwhelm it, before the arrival of its cooperating column. But the Union commander, anticipating such a movement, was wholly prepared for it.
A battle ensued at Bentonsville, the Union line being complete and strong, and the rebels on the defensive, in intrenchments.
BATTLE OF BENTONSVILLE.
March 20, 1864.
At noon the enemy left his works and advanced on Jeff. C. Davis’ two divisions. Buell and Hobart were overwhelmed, and pressed back through the woods more than a mile and a half. Vandeveer’s, Mitchell’s, Fering’s and Cogswell’s brigades, on the right, fought stubbornly and desperately, and lost but little ground. There was temporary confusion, and a rout was imminent. Five batteries of artillery were massed at a point where a hospital had been established in the morning, the balance of Jackson’s division, Twentieth corps, were placed on the left, and a new line formed. During the day five grand charges were made by the enemy, massed, but each was repulsed. They succeeded in capturing three guns of the Nineteenth Indiana battery, but only two were taken off. There was desperate fighting all day, the musketry firing being very heavy. Although they gained considerable ground on the left during the day, the rebels retired to their main line, when night fell, leaving the greater part of their dead and wounded on the field.
The rebel loss was twenty-five hundred in killed and wounded. Seven hundred were captured. The Twenty-sixth Tennessee regiment was captured entire, colors and all, with a large part of the Twelfth Louisiana.
The National loss was quite severe, being estimated at sixteen hundred and forty-three. During the temporary confusion caused by the furious charge on Carlin’s division, the Unionists lost about two hundred and fifty prisoners.
This was the last important battle in which General Sherman was engaged. General Schofield had entered Goldsboro’ on the 21st, and General Sherman’s forces, immediately after the fight at Bentonsville, advanced to that place.
On the 25th the Newbern railroad was completed, and the army was receiving its supplies from that base. Between the 27th and 30th General Sherman had visited City Point, and conversed with the President and General Grant, for the arrangement of the final campaign of the war, and had returned to Goldsboro’.
THE OCCUPATION OF CHARLESTON, S. C.
February 18, 1865.
General Sherman’s advance, as has already been noted, isolated Charleston, and caused its evacuation by General Hardee. The rebels abandoned the city on the night of the 17th of February, and the National forces occupied it next day. General Foster, suffering from wounds and ill health, had, meantime, been relieved by General Gilmore, and it was by the forces of this officer and of Admiral Dahlgren, that the far-famed cradle of the rebellion was finally occupied.
The following was General Gilmore’s dispatch, announcing the capture of the city:
“Charleston, S. C., February 18, 1865.
“Major-General Halleck, Chief of Staff:—
“General—The city of Charleston and all its defences came into our possession this morning, with about two hundred pieces of good artillery and a supply of fine ammunition.
“The enemy commenced evacuating all the works last night, and Mayor Macbeth surrendered the city to General Schemmelfinnig at nine o’clock this morning, at which time it was occupied by our forces.
“The cotton warehouses, arsenals, quartermaster’s stores, railroad bridges and two iron clads were burned by the enemy. Some vessels in the ship yard were also burned.
“Nearly all the inhabitants remaining behind belong to the poorer class.
“Very respectfully,
“Q. A. GILMORE, General Commanding.”
The rebel movement of evacuation commenced on the night of Friday, the 17th, the garrison of Sullivan’s Island and Point Pleasant quietly withdrawing and retreating over the road by Christ’s Church, just in time to escape Potter’s advance cutting them off. The troops in the city moved out on the northeastern railroad, as did the garrison on James Island, which was finally evacuated on Saturday morning.
Shortly after daylight on Saturday, it was discovered that there were no troops in and about Sumter, or Moultrie, or in the works on James Island. Lieutenant-Colonel Bennett, of the Twenty-first United States colored troops, commanding Morris Island, immediately dispatched Major Hennessy, of the Fifty-second Pennsylvania volunteers, to Fort Sumter, in a small boat, to ascertain whether the fort was evacuated. Major Hennessy proceeded to Sumter, and soon waved the Stars and Stripes over the battered battlements of the work, from which they had been torn down in April, 1861. The sight of the old flag on Sumter was an assurance that the enemy had evacuated all their works, and it was hailed by every demonstration of joy on ship and shore. Another boat, in charge of Lieutenant Hackett, of the Third Rhode Island artillery, was immediately sent to Fort Moultrie to take possession of that work, and raise again the National colors upon its parapet. The navy, anxious to share in the honors of the day, also launched a boat, and strove to gain the beach of Sullivan’s Island before the army, and an exciting race ensued between the boats of the different branches of the service.
The army boat, under Lieutenant Hackett, reached the shore in advance. As she touched, the officer and crew sprang off on the beach, through the surf, and rushed for the goal. The parapet was soon gained, and the flag given to the breeze, amid the cheers of the soldiers and sailors, who had come up a moment or two behind him. The guns were all spiked, and the carriages somewhat damaged. A large quantity of munitions was found in the magazines, which the enemy had not time to destroy.
When the flag floated over Moultrie, Lieutenant-Colonel Bennett, Major Hennessy, and Lieutenant Burr, of the Fifty-second Pennsylvania, started for the city, giving orders to have troops follow. They pulled up the bay, while the rebel iron-clads and vessels were in flames and the city itself was burning at various points. Reaching Fort Ripley, or what is known as the Middle Ground battery, the Federal flag was displayed over the work. The party then pushed on to Castle Pinckney, when the same ceremony of taking possession was observed, and then the boat was pulled cautiously, but directly, toward the city. No hostile force was seen, although a large number of negroes and some whites were congregated on the docks, watching the approach of the “Yankee boat.” Colonel Bennett immediately landed, and the United States flag was displayed again in the city of Charleston, amid the cheers and cries of joy of the crowd assembled about it. It was a perfect storm of applause and outbursts of unfeigned joy and satisfaction.
Colonel Bennett, on landing, immediately demanded the surrender of the city, which was formally yielded by the mayor, Charles Macbeth, who asked protection for the firemen, who were being impressed by the retreating rebels, who had fired the city in several places. Colonel Bennett promptly promised the assistance of his troops, to save the city from conflagration. His first step was to rescue the arsenal, which the rebels had prepared for blowing up.
The firemen got out their apparatus, and devoted themselves to the extinguishment of the fires now raging with violence at various points in the city. They were aided by the Union troops, who now began to arrive in numbers, and, after a long struggle, the flames were checked, but not until many buildings had been destroyed. A large quantity of cotton, probably two thousand bales, was destroyed, together with a considerable amount of supplies.
The worst feature of the conflagration had, however, occurred in the morning—being the blowing up of the Northeastern railroad depot. In this building a quantity of cartridges and kegs of powder had been stored by the rebels, and, as they had not time to remove it, they left it unprotected. A number of men, women, and children had collected to watch the burning of a quantity of cotton in the railroad yard, which the rebels had fired, and, during the conflagration, a number of boys, while running about the depot, had discovered the powder. Without realizing the danger they incurred, they began to take up handfuls of loose powder and cartridges, and bear them from the depot to the mass of burning cotton, on which they flung them, enjoying the dangerous amusement of watching the flashes of the powder and the strange effects on the cotton, as it was blown hither and thither. A spark ignited the powder in the train, there was a leaping, running line of fire along the ground, and then an explosion that shook the city to its very foundations. The building was, in a second, a whirling mass of ruins, in a tremendous volume of flame and smoke. The cause of the terrific explosion soon became known, and a rush was made for the scene of the catastrophe. Such a sight is rarely witnessed. The building was in ruins, and from the burning mass arose the agonizing cries of the wounded, to whom little or no assistance could be rendered by the paralyzed spectators. Over one hundred and fifty are said to have been charred in that fiery furnace, and a hundred men were wounded more or less by the explosion or were burned by the fire.
From the depot the fire spread rapidly, and, communicating with the adjoining buildings, threatened destruction to that part of the town. Four squares, embraced in the area bounded by Chapel, Alexander, Charlotte, and Washington streets, were consumed before the conflagration was subdued. Everything in the houses was destroyed with them. Another fire on Meeting street, near the Court House, destroyed five buildings. This was set on fire by the rebels, with a view of burning Hibernian Hall and the Mills House. It did not succeed, although it destroyed the five buildings alluded to. One or two other fires also occurred, destroying several buildings each. A large number of smaller conflagrations occurred, burning government storehouses, &c.
A large quantity of rebel property and material of war was captured at Charleston. The city was immediately put under martial law, and, in a very short time, under the energetic administration of General Gilmore, was restored to order, and, to some extent, favored with the blessings of peace. The poor people here were found to be in a very destitute and mournful condition; but they were speedily relieved by the United States authorities.