THE DEFENSE OF FORT FISHER.

651

fourth gun-chamber from the left bastion. Mymen, led by Whiting, had driven the standard-bearer from the top of the traverse and the enemyfrom the parapet in front. They had recoveredthe gun-chamber with great slaughter, and on theparapet and on the long traverse of the next gun-chamber the contestants were savagely firing intoeach other’s faces, and in some cases clubbing theirguns, being too close to load and fire. Whiting hadquickly been wounded by two shots and had beencarried to the hospital bomb-proof. I saw thatthe Confederates were exposed not only to the firein front, but to a galling infantry fire from thecaptured salient. I saw also a fresh force pouringinto the left of. the work, now offering no resist-ance. I doubt if ever before the commander of awork went outside of it and looked back upon theconflict for its possession; but from the peculiarconstruction of the works it was necessary to do soin order to see the exact position of affairs. I wasin front of the sally-port and concealed from thearmy by a fragment of the palisade, j

extreme left and had been repulsed by the fire ofthe Napoleon and by the infantry ; that the torpedowires had been cut by the fire of the fleet and theelectrician had tried in vain to execute my orders ;that, driven from the extreme left, the enemy hadfound a weak defense between the left salient andthe sally-port in their third charge, and had gainedthe parapet and, capturing two gun-eliambers, hadattacked the force in the left bastion on the flank,simultaneously with a direct charge of a freshcolumn, and that our men after great slaughter,especially those at the Napoleon , had been forcedto surrender just as we had repulsed the navalcolumn; that to add to the discomfiture of theConfederates, as soon as the Federal battle-flagsappeared on the ramparts, Battery Buchanan hadopened with its two heavy guns on the left of thework, killing and wounding friend and foe alike.Major Reilly had failed to lead the men to the topof the parapet on the right of the western salient,firing instead from the two gun-chambers on theassailants, who were not within range until theyreachedthe parapet. Had the parapet been mannedby fifty determined men at this point, I do notbelieve the enemy could have got into the fortbefore reenforcements had arrived. Reilly was aveteran soldier, and showed his indomitable cour-age later in the day, but his mistake was fatal.

1. TI-IE MOUND BATTERY FROM THE FORT SIDE. 2. THE SEA-FACE OF TIIE SIXTH TO THE ELEVENTHTRAVERSES. 3. BATTERY BUCHANAN. FROM PHOTOGRAPHS.

Ordering Captain Z. T. Adams to turn his Napo-leons on the column moving into the fort (the gal-lant Mayo had already turned his Columbiad uponthem), I returned into the work, and, placing menbehind every cover that could be found, poured atclose range a deadlier fire into the flank of the en-emy occupying the gun-chambers and traversesthan they were able to deliver upon my men fromthe left salient. While thus engaged I met myaide, who informed me that the South Carolinianshad failed to respond to my order, although theirofficers had pleaded with them, and with a few ofthem had gone into the fight; that the assaultingcolumn had made two distinct charges upon the

i I was told, several years after the war, by a UnitedStates marine named Clark, that I was distinctly seenand recognized by a comrade and himself who hadfeigned death in front of the north-east salient, and that

This was disheartening, but I told Captain Blockerif we could hold the enemy in check until darkI would then drive them out, and I sent a telegramby him to Bragg, imploring him to attack, and say-ing that I could still save the fort.

Notwithstanding the loss of a portion of thework and a part of the garrison, the men were ingood spirits and seemed determined to recover thefort. We had retaken one gun-cliamber in thecharge on the parapet, and since we had openedon their flank we had shot down all their standard-bearers, and the Federal battle-flags had disap-peared from our ramparts. I was encouragedto believe that before sundown we could recover

his comrade rose from his place of concealment to shootme, but before he could fire was shot in the head by asoldier in the fort. I never thought of danger from thatdirection.— W. L.