Reminiscences of Two Years in the United States Navy

by John M. Batten

Sunday, December 18.—At 2 p.m. we got under weigh to dredge the river. At 5 p.m. we anchored for the night. The nights are dark and foggy, and the rebel musketeers and sharpshooters frequently come up under cover of the darkness behind the dykes, and give us a wholesome dose from their rifles; but they are soon hurled back again by a dose of grape from our guns. During the nights, to prevent floating torpedoes coming down the river, small boats or skiffs that we had captured from the enemy were tied in line across the river above the fleet.

Monday, December 20.—The launches that have been dredging the river have been fired into, and Acting Master Wells and two men of the Chicopee were wounded. This event caused the rowers to become so much panic-stricken that they dropped their oars, lay down in the bottom of the launches, and allowed their boats to float down with the current. It was with much difficulty that Captain J. A. J. Brooks, by calling to them from the Valley City, could get them aroused; but finally they came alongside. We, however, kept on dredging the river till we came to a point in the Roanoke river, where we anchored. The river at this point where the fleet is anchored makes a bend like that of a horseshoe. The ground on the inside of the bend, on the right bank of the river, is low and level, and covered with young saplings or undergrowth. At the heels of this horseshoe bend ran a high ridge, covered partly with poplar trees and partly with white-oak trees. The fleet lay on the Plymouth stretch of the river, or near stretch, and at the end of the far stretch where the river runs under the high bluff, the rebels, as we ascertained afterwards, had fortified with artillery, and an army said to be ten thousand strong. We did not then suspect we would find the rebels in force, till we got to Rainbow Bluff. This place was known by the name of Poplar Point.

All the fleet was at anchor, and had been since 3 o'clock p.m. The day was beautiful. The fish were nibbling at pieces of hard tack which had been thrown overboard by the sailors. The current of the river rushed swiftly past, making the rudder flap in the water. The men were lounging about on the berth deck, resting. The cook was preparing supper, the messenger boys were carrying victuals from the galley to the ward-room, and placing them on the table. The officer of the deck was pacing to and fro on the starboard side of the vessel. Captain Brooks was in his cabin. Many of the officers were in the ward-room. All else was quiet. I was pacing the port side of the Valley City. Pilot John A. Lewis was standing on the after hatchway, a little above the gun-deck amidships. As I approached him in walking from the bow of the vessel towards him, I said to him, "Pilot, what do you think of the prospect of getting to Rainbow Bluff?" He replied, "I think we will get there by and by, if we have patience and the rebels don't blow us up." Just as I was turning to pace to the bow of the Valley City, I heard a report ashore like that of a number of barrels of fire-crackers exploding. Simultaneously with this explosion, I heard the zipping of bullets in the air close to my head, and striking the bulwarks of the vessel close by me. Then artillery fire commenced.

In the meantime three loud and prolonged rattles were sprung by the officer of the deck, calling all hands to quarters. I ran down the forward hatchway and through the berth-deck to the dispensary, which was my station, and which was just in front of the boiler on the berth-deck, and at the foot of the steps of the hatchway on which John A. Lewis was standing when the firing commenced. He was passed down to me, killed by a bullet from a sharp-shooter, passing through his head from ear to ear. John A. Lewis was pilot of the ill-fated Otsego, and had been ordered aboard the Valley City for general duty after the sinking of that vessel. At the time that pilot John A. Lewis was killed, I had my full officer's uniform on, but he had on a blouse and soft felt hat. I felt certain at the time that the ball that killed John A. Lewis was intended for me, as I was nearly in line of the shot.

The rebels made it pretty warm for us from 5 to 9 o'clock p.m. The Valley City was struck three times with shell, and fired one hundred and thirty-six shots. One of the shells that struck the Valley City came into a lamp-closet just over my head and near the end of the boiler, but did not explode. An old sailor sitting near by where I was standing, upon seeing the ceiling broken above my head, said, "Don't be alarmed; lightning nor shells never strike twice in the same place." Another shell went crashing through the ward-room, down through an old family Bible (which Acting Ensign Milton Webster had captured ashore), and then out of the ward-room through a passage-way in which some negroes off the Otsego were lying concealed, killing them, and then exploding in the river. In the meantime, the remainder of the fleet kept up a constant fire.

During the battle, Acting Ensign Milton Webster performed some acts of daring, by taking the end of a hawser in a cutter, manned by negroes, ashore, and making it fast to a tree, under a shower of bullets and shells. The cutter was pierced several times with bullets, but nobody in it was hurt. The hawser was made fast to the tree for the purpose of drawing the stern of the Valley City around so as to bring her guns to bear on the enemy.

After a brisk fire from the fleet for four hours, the rebels ceased firing, but annoyed the fleet during the night by squads of infantry firing from behind the dykes and then running away. It was dangerous to have a light aboard the vessel, and we were therefore compelled to take our suppers as best we could in the dark.

Tuesday, December 20.—We are engaged in burying the dead and skirmishing with the enemy, the rebels with their accustomed barbarity firing on the burying party. We were annoyed all day by the sharpshooters and batteries of the enemy, but continued to hold our own and to keep the enemy back.

On Wednesday, December 21, the Valley City weighed anchor at 2:10 o'clock p.m. The Confederates were firing musketry at the Wyalusing. At 2:40 p.m. the Valley City steamed ahead, around the turn which opened up the far stretch of the river. This stretch of the river was covered by rebel artillery. The Valley City had scarcely showed her bow around the turn, till she received a severe shot from the rebel batteries, which plunged diagonally through the pilot-house, which was lined outside with half-inch iron, knocking off the door thereto, wounding three men—the pilot John A. Wilson, Charles Hall, and John Wood: the latter two were mortally wounded. The Valley City immediately dropped out of range of said battery, and came to anchor at 3:05 p.m. In the evening the fleet dropped farther down on the near stretch of the river. The Valley City lost her torpedo-fender.

December 22.—Last night we were again annoyed by musketry and sharpshooters ashore. During the day, after burying the dead, the Valley City dropped down below the fleet to arrange on her bows another torpedo-fender. About 2:20 p.m. we heard loud whistling from steam launch No. 5, which was bringing up the mail from Plymouth. I was standing on the poop-deck, and through the bushes on the flat on the inside of the bend I saw a regiment of rebels running towards the launch, at the same time keeping up a rapid fire at her. The Valley City dropped her torpedo-fender, steamed down, and after firing a few shots of grape at the rebels, they retreated. In the meantime, Commander W. H. Macomb learned that the rebels had been removing their batteries that commanded the far stretch of the river to a point below us, so as to command the near stretch, and if possible prevent our returning down the river, and thereby capture the fleet. Matters were becoming desperate, and Commander Macomb therefore determined to retreat down the river. The Valley City was the first to go by the rebel batteries, the remainder of the fleet keeping up a rapid fire at them. The current of the river was so strong, and the bend under the rebel batteries so sharp, that the Valley City whirled round like a water-wheel, first striking the bow against the shore, and then the stern. I was fearful we might be boarded. An attempt was also made to fell trees on the fleet whilst passing. After the Valley City had passed safely by the rebel batteries, she came to anchor, trained her guns on the enemy, and in conjunction with the remainder of the fleet above the bend of the river, kept up a rapid fire whilst a second vessel passed; and thus one vessel of the fleet after another passed safely around the turn of the river, under fire of the rebel batteries.