[
527]
water communication with the
Capital.
Captain Ward, of the
Potomac flotilla, was with the
Freeborn, his flagship, below this point, when information of the presence of an insurgent force on the promontory reached him.
He determined to drive them off, and on the evening of the 26th of June,
he requested
Commander Rowan, of the
Pawnee, then lying near
Acquia Creek, to send to him, during the night, two boatloads of marines, well equipped, with a competent leader.
They were accordingly sent in charge of
Lieutenant Chaplin Ward's plan was to land, drive off the insurgents, and denude the
Point of trees, so that there might be no shelter for the aggressors from the observation of cruisers on the river.
On the morning of the 27th,
the
Freeborn, with the boats from the
Pawnee, went up to Matthias Point, when the former commenced firing shot and shell into the woods.
Under cover of this fire,
Lieutenant Chaplin and his party, with others from the
Freeborn, landed at about ten o'clock.
Captain Ward accompanied them.
Skirmishers were thrown out, and these soon encountered the pickets of the insurgents, who fired and fled.
Just then a body of four or five hundred of the foe were seen coming over a hill.
Ward hastened back to their
Freeborn, to renew the shelling, while
Chaplin and his men took to their boats.
The insurgents were checked, and, in the course of fifteen minutes,
Chaplin was again ordered to land, and to throw up a breastwork of sand-bags.
This was nearly ready for the guns that were to be sent ashore to arm them when a signal was given for him to retire, for the insurgents were too many for them.
Before the men could reach their boats, the foe fired upon them with muskets.
They safely embarked.
Chaplin was the last to leave.
The boats
