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although two precious hours were thereby lost.
We left here at 2:30 P. M. with about two hundred of the 8th Georgia regiment, Colonel W , who is a man after my own heart in such matters, accompanying them.
A little before 5 P. M. we came in sight and soon after opened fire upon the enemy, which was returned at first with spirit; but in about twenty minutes he attempted to escape, and in the attempt ran aground, and shortly after surrendered.
The
Fanny had on board, when captured, a captain and 30 men of the 20th Indiana regiment, and the
sergeant-major and 11 men of the 9th New York.
The Confederate vessels engaged were the
Curlew,
Raleigh, and the little tug
Junaluski.
As soon as I heard of the disaster I sent an order for
Colonel Brown to retreat.
On the 4th of October a large body of Confederates, under
Colonel A. R. Wright, assisted by gun-boats, landed at
Chicamacomico, and
Colonel Brown commenced a successful retreat down the island.
Having received early news, by a native messenger, of the landing and
Brown's march, I moved, with my regiment, toward the north, and met
Colonel Brown's command early the next morning at the light-house.
Colonel Wright was closely following the retreating troops, but as soon as he saw the reenforcements he faced about and commenced a retreat which only ended in the landing of his forces at
Roanoke Island.
During the march back the steamer
Monticello, from the ocean side, with her heavy guns, maintained a fire at the
Confederates across the low sand-fields, which may have annoyed them without doing any serious damage.
This was the end of an elaborately conceived plan on the part of the enemy to capture our troops, destroy Hatteras Light, and recapture the forts of the inlet.
From that time until the arrival of the “
Burnside expedition,” the
Federal forces at the inlet pursued the even quiet of routine duty.
The news of the loss of the
Fanny created some excitement both at
Fort Monroe and at
Washington, and I was severely censured for having divided so small a force, and was superseded by
Brigadier-General J. K. F. Mansfield.
I am still of the opinion that my course was right, as no other disposition of the small force at my command would have saved the light-house and prevented the landing, opposite the light-house, where there was a wharf and deep water, of the whole Confederate force of about two thousand men. That landing would have given them a safe base for a decisive movement against the
Union troops at the inlet.
I afterward heard that
Colonel  |
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Retreat of the Confederates to their boats after their attack upon Hatteras. |
