GENERAL SMITH'S ROUT OF FORREST. orders were not correctly apprehended by Pleasanton, since he pursued Price to the Big Blue, with all his cavalry. The rebels now were getting into close quarters. Had Smith and Mower gone to the southward, as proposed, Price must have been caught in a net from which escape would have been impossible. But, Pleasanton feeling that the Big Blue was the place to strike, telegraphed for Smith to be ordered to that point-to the west instead of the south. This request was complied with, and no force moved to Lone Jack. Price on the Run. 459 | again was sent flying, and the several commands well broken up. Fayetteville, Arkansas, then was held by Colonel Larue Harrison, with the First Arkansas cavalry. A rebel command under Brooks invested the place Oct. 28th. Being joined by Fagan's brigade, of Price's command, Nov. 14th, Harrison's position became critical. He held out, however, in his entrenched lines, until Curtis' pursuing column came up, Nov. 15th, when the "siege" was raised in a manner most disastrous to the enemy. Thus ended the last invasion of Missouri. The corps of Smith, having seen Price routed, was dispatched to Thomas, at Nashvillereaching that point, as we have seen, at the interesting moment when Hood appeared before the town. In the defeat of Hood the divisions took an important part. A. J. Smith Routs Pleasanton found Price in position beyond the Little Blue, on the morning of Oct. 22d. A spirited passage at once occurred, when the Federal forces succeeded in passing the river, and at night-fall, by a gallant charge, drove the enemy from Independence. Advancing next morning to the Big Blue, Price was discovered ready for battle, confronted both by Curtis and Pleasanton. For several hours the fight continued, when the enemy broke and ran. This was the beginning of a retreat which, to Price, was ridiculously disastrous. Whipped out of every point of rest, dropping his plunder, wagon by wagon and package by package, the race for the south was a frolic for the Federals, which, though severe enough on men and horses, yet was too full of excitement to be abandoned. Pleasanton's cavalry for awhile kept the lead. At the Little Osage crossing, Oct. 25th, Price resolved on making a stand, and went into line of battle with his eight guns in position. The brigades of Phillips and Benteen were put into a charge, directed by Pleasanton in person, when the enemy broke and the field was won. Eight guns and many small arms were secured, and one thousand prisoners made-among them Generals Marmaduke and Cabell, and five Colonels. Blunt, "the old war horse," then took the trail, and, with his own division and Benteen's brigade, again succeeded in overhauling the enemy at Newtonia, where Price had made his second stand. The fight which ensued (Oct. 28th) did not promise well for Blunt. Indeed, he was in some danger of defeat, but, at the critical moment, Sanborn rode up-having marched 102 miles in thirty-six hours!-and the enemy I Federal column returned to Memphis, having This command of Smith may be termed the flying column of the war. The story of its services would comprise a history of much of the most important campaigning in the west. One service has not yet been referred to, viz.: its defeat of Forrest at Tupelo, Miss., July 14th. The indefatigable raider having disposed of the command of Sturgis, dispatched against him from Memphis, thereaf ter moved almost at pleasure through Northern Mississippi and Western Tennessee, destroying communications, annoying posts, and capturing not a few prisoners in attacks upon small commands. He became, in fact, quite a terror to the region, and A. J. Smith was put into the field to hunt the rebel down. Smith's and Mower's men, returning north from the Red river, left their transports at Memphis, and, joined by Grierson with his cavalry brigade, moved at once into the interior. Leaving Lagrange July 5th, the combined commands marched to Columbus. Approaching Pontotoc July 13th, Forrest was found in position; and thereupon, for three days, a running fight was maintained, in which the rebel was worsted. Forrest, with his own and the commands of Lee and Walker, was driven from each position, and, when beyond Tupelo, broke his forces into sections and escaped. Five conflicts occurred, in all of which Smith was victorious. The 44 Wilmington, N. C. was the most important seacoast port left to the enemy through which to get supplies from abroad, and send cotton and other products out.by blockade runners, besides being a place of great strategic value. The navy had been making strenuous exertions to seal the harbor of Wilmington, but with only partial effect. The nature of the outlet of Cape Fear river was such that it required watching for so great a distance, that without possession of the land north of New Inlet, or Fort Fisher, it was impossible for the navy to entirely close the harbor against the entrance of blockade-runners. "To secure the possession of this land required the co-operation of a land force, which I agreed to was thought all would be ready by the 6th of Dec., if not before. Learning on the 30th of November that Bragg had gone to Georgia, taking with him most of the forces about Wilmington, I deemed it of the utmost importance that the expedition should reach its destination before the return of Bragg, and directed General Butler to make all arrangements for the departure of Major-General Weitzel, who had been designated to command the land-forces, so that the navy might not be detained one moment. "On the 6th of December the following instructions were given: "CITY POINT, Va., Dec 6th, 1864. "General-The first object of the expedition under Gen. eral Weitzel is, to close to the enemy the port of Wilmington. If successfal in this, the second will be to capture Wilmington itself. There are reasonable grounds to hope for success, if advantage can be taken of the absence of the greater part of the enemy's forces now looking after Sherman in Georgia. The directions you have given for the number and equipment of the expedition are all right, except in the unimportant matter of where they embark and the amount of entrenching tools to be taken. The object of the expedition will be gained by effecting a landing on the main land between Cape Fear river and the Atlantic, north of the north entrance to the river. Should such landing be effected while the enemy still holds Fort Fisher, and the batteries guarding the entrance of the river, then the troops should entrench them. selves, and, by co-operating with the navy, effect the reduc tion and capture of those places. These in our hands, the navy could enter the harbor, and the port of Wilmington would be scaled. Should Fort Fisher and the point of land on which it is built, fall into the hands of our troops immediately on landing, then it will be worth the attempt to capture Wilmington by a forced march and surprise. If time is consumed in gaining the first object of the expedition, the second will become a matter of after consideration. "The details for execution are entrusted to you and the officer immediately in command of the troops. "Should the troops under General Weitzel fail to effect a furnish. Immediately commenced the assemblage landing at or near Fort Fisher, they will be returned to the in Hampton Roads. under Admiral D. D. Porter, of the most formidable armament ever collected for concentration upon one given point. This necessarily attracted the attention of the enemy, as well as that of the loyal North; and through the imprudence of the public press, and very likely of officers of both branches of service, the exact object of the expedition became a subject of common discussion in the newspapers both North and South. The enemy, thus warned, prepared to meet it. This caused a postponement of the expedition until the latter part of November, when, being again called upon by Hon. G. V. Fox, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, I agreed to furnish the men required at once, and went myself, in company with Major-General Butler, to Hampton Roads, where we had a conference with Admiral Porter as to the force required and the time of starting. A force of six thousand five hundred men was regarded as sufficient. The time of starting was not definitely arranged, but it | The Fort Fisher Affair. armies operating against Richmond, without delay. "U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General. "Major-General B. F. BUTLER.' '' This most wretched fiasco gave rise to a great deal of controversy and ill feeling. Butler, finding Porter acting wholly independent of him, was not satisfied with the co-operation promised; and when Weit zel, after a careful examination of the enemy's works, by a close approach, pronounced them exceedingly strong, the order to re-embark was given. Referring to this decision to return, Butler explicitly assumed all responsi bility for it-declaring that he was entirely unwilling to make the sacrifice of life necessary to win the fort. Grant, on the other hand, spoke in severe terms of the failure. He did not, it appears THE FORT FISHER AFFAIR. 461 by his own statement, design that Butler | repetition of the expedition*-the land comshould command the land forces in person. mand being given to General Alfred H. TerHe said: ry. With the same troops first embarked,† "General Butler commanding the army from viz.: Ames' division; Terry's division, comwhich the troops were taken for this enterprise,manded by Hawley; Paine's colored division, and the territory in which they were to operate, and the same chief engineer, Colonel C. F. military courtesy required that all orders and in- Comstock, and with instructions very nearly structions should go through him. They were so repeating the first orders, the attempt was sent; but General Weitzel has since officially inrepeated. Grant reported: formed me that he never received the foregoing instructions, nor was he aware of their existence until he read General Butler's published official report of the Fort Fisher failure, with my endorsement and papers accompanying it. I had no idea of General Butler's accompanying the expedition until the evening before it got off from Bermuda Hundred, and then did not dream but that General Weitzel had received all the instructions, and would be in command. I rather formed the idea that Gen eral Butler was actuated by a desire to witness the effect of the explosion of the powder-boat. * "The expedition finally got off on the 13th of December, and arrived at the place of rendezvous, off New Inlet, near Fort Fisher, on the evening of the 15th. Admiral Porter arrived on the evening of the 18th, having put in at Beaufort to get ammunition for the monitors. The sea becoming rough, making it difficult to land troops, and the supply of water and coal being about exhausted, the transport fleet put back to Beaufort to replenish. This, with the state of the weather, delayed the return to the place of rendezvous until the 24th. The powderboat was exploded on the morning of the 24th, before the return of General Butler from Beaufort; but it would seem from the notice taken of it in the Southern newspapers, that the enemy were never enlightened as to the object of the explosion until they were informed by the Northern press. “On the 25th a landing was effected without opposition, and a reconnoissance, under Brevet Brigadier-General Curtis, pushed up toward the fort. But before receiving a full report of the result of this reconnoissance, General Butler, in direct violation of the instructions given, ordered the reembarkation of the troops and the return of the expedition. "The expedition sailed from Fort Monroe on the morning of the 6th, arriving on the rendezvous, off Beaufort, on the 8th, where, owing to the difficulties of the weather, it lay until the morning of the 12th, when it got under way and reached its destination that evening. Under cover of the fleet the disembarkation of the troops commenced on the morning of the 13th, and by three o'clock P. M. was completed without loss. On the 14th a reconnoissance was pushed to within five hundred yards of Fort Fisher, and a small advance work taken possession of and turned into a defensive line against any attempt that might be made from the fort. This reconnoissance disclosed the fact that the front of the work had been seriously injured by the navy fire. In the afternoon of the 15th the fort was assaulted, and, after most desperate fighting, was captured with its entire garrison and armament. Thus was secured, by the combined efforts of the navy and army, one of the most important successes of the war. Our loss was: killed, 110; wounded, 436. On the 16th and 17th the enemy abandoned and blew up Fort Caswell and the works on Smith's Island, which were immediately occupied by us. This gave us entire control of the mouth of the Cape Fear river." The fleet most brilliantly co-operated. "It moved up to its work," said Coppee, "in three grand divisions, called the inner, middle, and outer columns; while the iron *Soon after the return of the expedition, I received a dispatch from the Secretary of the Navy and a letter from Admiral Porter, informing me that the fleet was still off Fort Fisher, and expressing the conviction that, under a proper leader, the place could be taken. The natural supposition The re-embarkation was accomplished by the with me was that, when the troops abandoned the morning of the 27th." Per contra: Butler stated that Grant was fully aware of his purpose to direct the land operations; being chief of the forces dispatched, he could not be superseded by one of his subordinates without specific orders from the Lieutenant-General. expedition, the navy would do so also. Finding it had not. however, I answered on the 30th of December, advising Admiral Porter to hold on, and that I would send a force and make another attempt to take the place." — Grant's Report. † Abbott's brigade only was added. A siege train also was sent to Fortress Monroe, to be in readiness for use, but was not called into requi Be all this as it may, the failure induced a sition. Richmond at the head of his colored divisions enlisted a popular sympathy which no military mandate could repress. Having secured Fort Fisher, Wilmington was valueless to the Confederates, yet the enemy held it as a base for operations covering Goldsboro'. This disposition to retain it compelled Terry to await the appearance of Schofield--then en route from Thomas' army with his corps, to take command in North Carolina; and for a month the land and naval forces rested in and above Fort Fisher. Advances were made to the rebel defences above, but no immediate action for their reduction was taken. clads ranged in a distinct column directly | man-an indefatigable worker-a shrewd diunder the guns of the fort. The bombard-rector, and a most devoted patriot, Butler's ment began at a quarter before seven on the suspension excited regrets in civil circles 15th, and continued until early afternoon, which only eminent services could have when the guns of the fort were silenced. | awakened. Among the very first to march Under cover of this fire, sixteen hundred sail- to the endangered National Capital—when ors and marines were landed, under the com- the presence and zealous labors of such a mand of Fleet-Captain Breese, to attack the man were of incalculable value-to have deeastern or sea front, while the storming par-prived him of the privilege to march into ty of land troops consisted of the brigades of Curtis, Pennypacker and Bell. The rebel General Hoke, in our rear, toward Wilmington, with five thousand men, was held in check by Abbot's brigade, which had not been with the former expedition, and Paine's division of colored troops. The fire of the fleet was now deflected from the points of attack, and at a given signal, at half-past three o'clock, the stormers rushed to the assault. The fort was held by about two thousand five hundred men, and the northern front was filled with traverses. The rush of the sailors was so gallantly made, that for a brief space the enemy thought it the chief attack. They were soon undeceived. Terry's assaulting column, led by the chivalric Ames, broke down the al-lantic coast. ready weakened palisades with axes, and were soon on the western part of the northern parapet; and although the enemy fought with great valor, the stormers swept in, followed by the reserves, and in a few minutes the fort was ours, with all its garrison and equipage. The naval column, under Captain Breese, although it failed to en-islands. The Florida was particularly bold ter the work, did effective service as a diversion, and thus aided in producing this result. Terry's loss was-one hundred and ten killed, and five hundred and thirty-six wounded. The navy lost three hundred and nine in killed and wounded. All this was on the 15th. On the 16th and 17th the enemy blew up Fort Caswell at the lower entrance, and Bald Head Battery opposite was taken, and thus we were in undisputed possession of both entrances by the Cape Fear river to Wilmington." During the summer several privateers made sad ravages along the At Privateers. In August the Tallahassee swept suddenly up toward the Chesapeake bay, to strike the coastwise commerce, and in ten days succeeded in destroying over thirty unarmed vessels. The Chickamauga, and Florida followed, each doing great damage, and escaping all pursuit to the friendly ports of the West India and successful in preying upon northern shipping. Numerous fleet armed steamers were put upon her track, but she evaded them all, and steering for the Brazilian port of Babia, anchored for protection in the midst of the Brazilian fleet and under the guns of the fort, October 5th. The Federal gunboat Wachusett, Captain Collins, being in the harbor, hoped to draw the rebel cruiser out for conflict, but failing in this, and seeing that the enemy was likely to remain at pleasure under Brazilian protection, Collins resolved upon a breach of neutrality so far as to cut the corsair out and bear her home as a prize. This he did, early on the morning of October 8th. Running down upon the This success sealed not only the harbor but the fate of Butler, who, at Grant's request, was relieved of his command of the Army of the James, January 7th, and General Ord named as his successor. A brave | Florida, her commander, Morris, and a num THE VOTE FOR PRESIDENT. ber of her crew were found to be ashore, enjoying the hospitalities freely extended the freebooters. The rebel ship was quickly lashed to his own craft, and the Wachusett put to sea ere the alarm was fairly given, The Brazilians pursued and the fort fired three shots at the disturbers of the peace, but Collins was too fleet for capture, and proceeded in safety to Fortress Monroe, with his "prize." Much diplomatic excitement ensued. The Brazilian Government, through its Washing ton minister, of course protested. Secretary Seward disowned the act by ordering Collins to a court martial trial, and by suspending Wilson, the United States Consul at Bahia, 463 who was supposed to have advised the seizure. The Secretary also ordered all those on the vessel at the time of her seizure to be set at liberty. This action was in deference to the well established principles of national comity, but, as in the case of Wilkes' seizure of Mason and Slidell, though the act was disavowed, the offending officer was commended by public opinion. The Florida, happily, was placed beyond contention, by being run down in Hampton Roads. It was announced that a "collision" had occurred, by which the corsair ship was sunk, but it is not improbable that it was an accident cunningly devised to dispose of what promised to be a humiliating subject. CHAPTER VI. AFFAIRS NORTH AND SOUTH, FROM JULY FIRST, 1864, JANUARY FIRST, 1865. то The Vote for President. their purpose. A fresh influx of these agents occurred early in July, and, in their interest, the following note was dispatched, July 12th, to a well known Republican journalist (Horace Greeley): "SIR-I am authorized to say that Hon. Clement C. Clay, of Alabama, Professor James P. Holcombe, of Virginia, and George N. Sanders, of Dixie, are ready and willing to go at once to Washington, upon complete and unqualified protection being given, either by the President or Secretary of War. Let the permission include the three names and one other." ENOUGH already has been | ministration-using certain Democratic leadsaid of the political condi-ers and journals in the North, and establishtion of the North to pre-ing treasonable secret organizations, to effect pare the reader for the statement that Mr. Lincoln was re-elected by a large majority a vote not only significant of the continued determination of the people to carry on the war to final success, but of the favor with which the administration's measures were received. The popular vote of the loyal States (Tennessee not included) stood: Lincoln, 2,213,665; McClellan, 1,802,237. The change in the House of Representatives was equally significant. The XXXVIIIth (or old) Congress stood: Republican Union, 106; Democrats, 77, The XXXIXth (or new) Congress stood: Republican Union, 143; Democrats, 41. Peace missions were not wanting during this season of excitement of alternate hope and gloom. One came from Confederates in Canada, then the resort of Southern intriguants, whose efforts were directed to injuring the influence and crippling the power of the Federal ad Peace Efforts. This being construed, by the recipient, as an effort for peace, he so wrote the President; advising a favorable response. Receiving this on the 17th, he offered the requisite protection-basing it, however, upon the correctness of the inference drawn, i. e.: that the persons named "were duly accredited from Richmond, as the bearers of propositions looking to the establishment of peace." |