The New York Herald Newspaper, January 18, 1865, Page 1

a WHOLE NO. 10,369. NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 1865. WILMINGTON... THE CAPTURE OF FORT FISHER. FORT FISHER OURS|Scene of Admiral Porter’s and General Terry’s Brilliant Operations on Saturday HRS CAPTURE BY ASSAULT. WHAT A SOLDIER CAN DO. wn The Despatches of General Terry, Admiral Porter, Colo- nel Comstock and Com- mander Nichols. Hy jd ODS C) THE REBEL OFFICIAL ACCOUNT. ITS EFFECT IN RICHMOND. rire oni’ GF ne dyriecn G\FORT\FRENCH YQ, RON chee YAUTH T LRON \ (MasoNgor! HOUSE BATTER! Ne .: THE HERALD DESPATCHES. The Rebel General Whiting, Colonel Lamb and Twenty-five Hundred Prisoners Captured. SEVENTY-TWO ° GUNS TAKEN, Our Loss Reported at Five Hundred. The Union Geveral Curtis and Colonels Pennypacker and Bell Wounded. dieutenants 8, W. Preston and B. Il. Porter, of the Navy, Killed, Wilmington Closed to Blockade Runners. Sketches of Some of the Naval and Military Heroes of the Fight. TLE CONGRATULATORY ORDERS, &e., &., &e. THE ARMY. Assistant Scaretary Dana to General Dix, Wasnreton, Jan. 17, 1865. Major General J. A. Dix, New York:— ‘The following official despatches have just been seecived at this department:— GENERAL TERRY TO OMNERAL RAWLINS. Brigadier General J. A. Rawnins:— Gexenat—I havo the honor to report that Fort Pier was carricd by assault this afternoon and tvening by Gen. Ames’ division and the Second brigade of the First division of the Twenty-fourth army corps, gallantly aided by a battalion of marines and seamen from the navy. The as- gault was preceded by a heavy bombardment from the federal fleet, and was made at half-past three P. M., when the first brigade (Curtis’) of Ames’ division effected a lodgment within the fperapet; but fall possession of the work was not ebtained until ten P.M. The behavior of both @ificers and men was most admirable. All the works south of Fort Fisher are now occupied Dy our troops. We have not less than one thou- gand two hundred prisoners, including General Whiting and Colonel Lamb, the commandant of the fort. Iregret to say that our loss is severe, @specially in officers. Lam not yet able to form Gny estimate of the number of casualties. ALFRED H. TERRY, Brevet Major General, Commanding Expedition. SEZ a MF oe ORT soso = SMITHVILLES COLONEL COMSTOCK TO GENERAL TERRY. Fort Fisuer, Jan 16, 1865, SBajor Goneral A. 1, Tenny:— After a careful reconnoissance on the 14th, it was @ecided to risk an assault on Fort Fisher, Paine’s division, with Colonel Abbott's brigade, to hold our lines, alresdy strong, across the peninsula, and facing Wilmington against Boke, while Ames division should as. Poe 2 eee ganit on the west end. After three hours of heavy navy firing the assault was made at three P. M., on the 15th, Curtis’ brigade led, ana the west end of the Jand froat it was followed by Peunyfacker’s eb as soon as ‘it got on e_—_—_—— Nt Sit os el daca and tho latter by Bell's, After desporate fighting, | at tenP. 3 ve took the reat of the work with | quite one thousand prisoners, Thope our own oss | but Ys Pennyfersior and Dell dangerously. | gallantly; bat tho mosketry fro from the | Eriuing foot by foot and sovere ios, at five P. M. | little rotftance, the garrison falling wack to the | may not exceed five hunreds bat it is impo Tie land fron’ was ay formidable one, the parapet | east end of the land front was #o severe we had possesion oF about half the lend! O-crome of the pentasule, where pod were fol | sible to judge in the night. Among the wounded | ia places being ‘urteen or f that thoy did not saccead in entering the work. front. — Abbot's Mrigade waa thon taken / owed and captared—among others Gen. Whiting | aro tie commanders three leading brigades, | butt a Went at it nobly, unda pocacetapaiatyadh rk, judging from the holes, seston! i anor ro. a po Col. Lamb, both wounded. I think we bavo ' Genera) Curtio beog wousded, mos severely, keby ie. “The matives aud sailors went up ' masthavo heen terri, Many-ot the guns were Sart Kishor, pr on pwhing ih Seward, HE NEW YORK HERALD. PRICE FOUR CENTS. injured. How many there were on the point I cannot say, perhaps thirty or forty. Cc. B. COMSTOCK, Lieut. Colonel, A. D. C. and Chief Engineer. Another despatch estimates the namber of Prisoners captured at twenty-five Kundred, and the number of guns at seventy-two, General Grant telegraphs to this department that in honor of this great triamph, achieved by the united valor of the army and navy, he has ordered @ salute of one hundred guns, to be fired by each of the armica ‘operating against Rich- mond, C. A. DANA, Assistant Secretary of War. The Rebel Official Reports, War Derartuent, Jan. 17—9 P.M. Major General Dix, New York:— . The Richmond Wiig of this morning contains the following account of the capture of Fort Fisher by the naval and land forces of the United Btates:— FALL OF FORT FISHER, The unwelcome news of the fall of Fort Fisher, eom- manding the entrance to Cape Fear river, was made this morning, and occasioned a sensation of profound regret. The capture of this fort is equivalent to the closure of the harbor of Wilmington by the enemy's fleet. It is situated about eighteen miles below the city, but was the main defence of the entrance to the river, and tts full, there- fore, will prevent in future the arrival and departure af blockade runners. rious to our cause remains to be seen, but at present we regard it as rather an unfortunate than a disastroua event. The following ts the official report:— Heangvarrens, Noxrazex Viraixis, Jan. 16, 1864. How far this reverse may prove tnju- General Bragg reports that the enemy bombarded Fort Fisher furiously all day yesterday, At four o'clock P. M. their infantry advanced to the assault, a heavy domonstration at the same hour being made against their rear by our troops, ‘At half-past six o'clock P. M. General Whiting reported that their attack had failed aud the garrison was being strengthened with fresh troops. At about ten o’clock P, BI. the fort was captured with most of the garrison, No further particulars at this time known. RE. LER. No despatches have been received from General Terry since that of Sunday night, announcing the rosult of the aszault. Cc. A. DANA, Assistant Secretary of War. THE NAVY. Commander Nichols, the Bearer of Des- patches to the Secretary of the Navy. Fortress Moxnosz, Jan. 17, 1865 Hon. Grpgon Waves, Secretary of the Nayy:— The Atlantic is just in from Wilmington. Fort Fisher and the works on Federal Point aro in our possession. The assault was made by the army and sailors on Sunday afternoon, and by eleven P.M. the works were ours. ‘The losscs are heavy. Lieutenants 8. W. Preston and B. H. Porter, of the navy, are killed, Our captures were seventy-two guns and about twonty-five hundred prisoners. Generals Whiting and Lamb (rebels) are prison- ers and wounded. The Vanderbilt ia on her way North with des- patches. Two fifteen-inch guns burst on the Monitors. E. T. NICHOLS, Commander. Admiral Porter's Deapatehes. Fraceute Matvers, Oy Fort Prune, N. C., Jan. 14, 1805. Sm—TI have the henor to tuform you that operations have been resumed against the forts at the entrance of Cupe Fear river since the first attack om that place and the subsequent withdrawal of the troops. Lhave been employed in fi tho ships with ammn- nition and coal, The did ies we have encountered no one can conceive, All our work had to be done with the larger vessels anchored oa the coast, exposed, you may Almost say at sea, to the viviont gales that blow here al most incessantly. On these gales the enemy depended to break up our prep. s. Woe will soe, We have gone throvgh the worst of it, Havo held on through gules heavy enough to drive anything to sea, and wo have sustaine damage whatever, After the troops errived the weather setin bad, andthe galo was very heavy. As soon as it wasoyer I got under way, on the 12th inst., and, forming the vessels in three lines, with the transports in company, On the morning of fleet took its stat threo lines, close tot ach, and the boats were nent at once to take off pe. These were landed, with about twelve days! py ns, at about two o'elock I, M. This time I pursued @ dierent plan im attacking the rebel works. I seut in th modore Rudie load the Monitd du gue, Canonicus, Mer ks jac, At Lalf-payt seven A. M. the ned on them approached, but jong Within one thou- y they oponed epemy to en they quictly took up their old sand yards of Fort Fisher, end when read their bat L tempted t gage tho Monitors that we might seo what guns they had, and, secing where they were, be able to dismount ein this way them by our fire, Quite a spirited engagement went on de. twoen the forts and the Irousides and Monitors, It was soon apparent that the iron vessels had the Dost of it, Traverses began to diaappear, yand tho southern angle of Fort Fisher commonced to look ¥ pldated. The gans wera gilenced one after the 6 4 only : the southern an pt up its fire, was not at all ac to, a8 it inflicted no damage on the fron vessels, They were hit, though, several times. By way of letting the enemy known we had some shelle left on board the wooden ships, and did not intend to take any unfair advantage of him by using tho irom vossolt alone, I ordered tine No. 1 on the plan, Captain Alden, of tho Brook! line No. Commodore Thatcher, of the Colorado, to go and attack tho batteries. This was done in tho handsowest manner; not a mistake was committed, except fring too rapidly, and making too inuch smoke. The heavy ‘ire of tho large vessels shut up the enemy's guns at once, and after firing Ull after dark the wooden veasela dropped out to their anchorage. The Tronsides and Monitors maintained their y through the night, firing a shell now and then. The; ow lying within ‘fone thonsand yards of the fort, and the Monitors within seven hundred yards, a fort does not fire gun at them, thinking, no doubt, that it i a waste of pow der. Tho firing from the fleet will commence as soon an wo got breakfast, and be kept upas long as the Ordnance Dopartment provides as with shetis and guns, There is a perfect understanding between General Terry and my- self, I believe everything has beon done tosuit him. [ card no complaint, and know that we have felt the army along. v's hero will ho font in ev a strip tend ples which our [QONTLNULD UM FIFTH PAGEI