O.R.-- SERIES I--VOLUME 9 [S# 9]
CORRESPONDENCE, ORDERS, AND RETURNS RELATING TO OPERATIONS IN NORTH CAROLINA FROM JANUARY 11 TO AUGUST 20, 1862.
CONFEDERATE CORRESPONDENCE, ETC.
HEADQUARTERS FORCES ON ROANOKE ISLAND,
Camp Raleigh, January 8, 1862.
Brig. Gen. HENRY A. WISE,
Commanding District of the Albemarle:
GENERAL: in compliance with your special order, I have the honor to submit the following report upon the defenses of this island, quantity of provisions and ammunition on hand, strength of this command, &c.
The defenses of Croatan Sound consist of four batteries, mounting in the aggregate thirty guns, all 32-pounders, as follows: At Weir's point (Fort Huger), ten smooth-bore and two rifled guns; at Fort Blanchard, four smooth-bore guns; at Pork point (Fort Bartow), six smooth-bore and one rifled gun; at Red Stone point (Fort Forrest), seven smoothbore guns. There is another battery on the Tyrrel side of Croatan Sound, at Roberts' Fishery, already completed, but no guns have been mounted, General hill having ordered a discontinuation of the work. Its capacity is six barbette guns. The two 32-pounders now lying on the beach at Weir's point will, agreeably to your orders, be mounted as soon as possible. Upon Roanoke Sound there is a small battery of two smooth-bore 32-pounders at Midgett's Hommock. The battery at Pork point ought by all means to be strengthened by the addition of two pivot mounted guns.
Orders have been given for the construction of bomb-proof quarters for the detachment at Fort Blanchard, but up to this time lumber ordered for that purpose has not been received. Quarters should be constructed in the immediate vicinity of Fort Huger for the accommodation of at least one of the companies by which the guns at that battery are manned. There ought also to be built at Fort Forrest quarters not only for the company already there, but for another company necessary at that fort. Most of the guns require sights; nearly all of them have nothing but the dispart sights, which I believe is very unreliable, especially in the hands of inexperienced gunners. I submit that it is very necessary that the most improved sights be obtained at once, and, if needful, an expert artisan sent at once to adjust them.
Of light artillery there are three pieces at this post, one 24-pounder howitzer, one 18-pounder Mexican piece, and one 6-pounder; the latter brought to this place from Elizabeth City, N. C. These pieces are all mounted on carriages, with limbers, but no caissons. For operations upon this island I am not sure that caissons are necessary.
Ammunition on hand.--Three hundred and eighty-seven charges for 32-pounder guns, 1,300 rounds shot, 250 rifle shell, 300 match primers, 83 rounds fixed ammunition (24-pounder howitzers), 1 box percussion wafers, 150 port-fires, 98 rounds 6-pounder shot (1,000 rounds obtained from Elizabeth City, N. C.), 250 pounds powder, 315 stand grape (32), 2,000 friction primers, 500 percussion primers, 150 junk wads, 400 gromet wads, 98 canister (6-pounder), 28 spherical-case shot, 10 slow matches.
Ammunition for small arms.--Fifty-two thousand one hundred and fifty-seven ball cartridges for percussion (16,578 ball cartridges issued), 17,183 ball cartridges for flint and steel, 3,320 balls, 150 pounds lead, 5,500 (about) percussion caps.
Quantity of provisions on hand.--Thirteen thousand six hundred and eighty-two pounds bacon and pork, 3,420 pounds beef, 598 pounds lard, 3,692 pounds rice, 649 pounds coffee, 1,570 pounds candles, 12½ bushels salt, 1 barrel fish, 20 barrels and 2,158 pounds hard bread, 265 barrels flour, 10,554 pounds meal, 54½ bushels pease and beans, 3,082 pounds sugar, 460 gallons vinegar, 1,348 pounds soap, 58 gallons whisky, 5 bushels yapon [a kind of wild tea].
Aggregate number of entire command 1,822
Four cooks allowed to each company 92
To be subsisted 1,914
Effective force, officers included, absent and sick being deducted, 1,435.
A call has been made for 250 free negroes for service in the engineer department. These will have to be subsisted, as will also the gang of 8 men on the pile-driver.
Horses, mules, and oxen in charge of quartermaster's department.--Nine officers' horses, 6 yoke of oxen hired by quartermasters of Eighth and Thirty-first Regiments, 2 pair mules, property of the Government. The mules and oxen are used for general purposes of land transportation.
Amount of forage on hand.--Seven hundred and twenty-five pounds fodder, 2½ bushels corn, 1¼ barrels oats.
Orders have been given for the construction of a magazine. No regular ordnance officer has been appointed. Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
H. M. SHAW,
Colonel, Commanding.
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O.R.-- SERIES I--VOLUME 9 [S# 9]
CORRESPONDENCE. ORDERS, AND RETURNS RELATING SPECIALLY TO OPERATIONS IN SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA FROM JANUARY 11 TO MARCH 17, 1862.
CONFEDERATE CORRESPONDENCE, ETC.
ENGINEER BUREAU,
Richmond, March 12, 1862.
Hon. J.P. BENJAMIN, Secretary of War:
SIR: The following report is respectfully submitted as a partial reply to the resolutions of Congress of the 24th February, calling for information, surveys, and reports connected with the defenses of Richmond: In ascending the James River the defenses consist of.
1st. Fort Boykin, Day's Neck.--Mounting ten guns; 42-pounders and 32-pounders, hot shot, &c.
2d. Fort Huger, Harden's Bluff.--Mounting thirteen guns; one 10-inch columbiad, pattern rifled, en barbette, four 9-inch Dahlgrens en barbette, two 8-inch columbiads en barbette, six hot-shot 32-pounders on ship carriages.
3d. Mulberry Island Point Battery.--Five 42-pounder guns en barbette, two 8-inch columbiads en route, fifteen casemates building rapidly, and large covering work nearly completed.
4th. Jamestown Island Batteries.--Thirteen guns; four 9-inch Dahlgrens, four 8-inch columbiads and two more en route, five hot-shot long 32s.
5th. Drewry's Bluff Battery, coupled with obstructions in the river, is being rapidly constructed, under the direction of Lieutenant Mason, of the Provisional Engineer Corps.
The first is completed, while the second and third are being rapidly and intelligently improved with bomb-proofs, &c., by Captain Clarke, of the Provisional Engineer Corps, who has a force of at least 1,000 hands.
From 20 to 30 miles below City Point there are two positions--Fort Powhatan and Kennon's marshes--which have been thoroughly examined by the ablest officers at the disposition of the department, and reported to be good locations for batteries. If they are placed at either of the above points obstacles should be constructed in connection with them. The final and intelligent selection of a site can consequently not be determined except by a thorough hydrographic survey.
In regard to the Richmond defenses, it was the opinion of General Leadbetter that the works around the city were rather near, but so much had been done at the time he took charge of them, that he directed me, on leaving for Tennessee, to carry out the plans adopted by the Engineer Department of Virginia. This I have sought to do with the means at my disposition, and a large proportion of the leading works are completed. Intermediate secondary breastworks could be thrown up with sufficient rapidity by the troops who are to defend the main works when there is occasion. Labor in that direction at present would seem to be injudicious. Most of the works are closed, and those which are not so can be rapidly protected. Directions have been given to drain the magazines thoroughly, and if necessary to construct new ones.
There are but few guns mounted on the works. A full armament for them would be exceedingly difficult to procure, and the propriety of concentrating so many pieces on a contracted local defense would seem at least doubtful.
The batteries on the Manchester hills are very nearly, if not entirely, constructed, and a force has been called out to repair and complete them. Drewry's Bluff, a most commanding point where the James River is narrowest, about 7 miles below Richmond, has been selected as the best point for a battery coupled with obstructions. In its immediate vicinity also is a strong commanding ridge on the line of approach from Petersburg to Richmond.
In regard to the line of the Chickahominy, I can as yet make no definite report, although an officer is on duty in its examination. The recent calls for engineers by General Johnston and others have left me but limited professional resources. I have heard, however, that Colonel Talcott, Chief of the Virginia Engineer Corps, examined this line, but did not think very favorably of it. It may, however, be possible to erect, in a reasonable time, a series of dams, with properly-constructed covering works, which would add greatly to the strength of the Richmond defenses on the north. As soon as the surveys are completed a full report will be promptly made.
The James River defenses, which are rapidly improving, afford already a good protection against wooden fleets, but not against ironclad vessels. From recent developments it is evident that nothing but the very heaviest ordnance, and that in connection with obstructions and perhaps torpedoes, can contend successfully with this latter class. It is to such means we are resorting on the James River. In positions similar to those of Fort Huger, Yorktown, and Mulberry Island Point the only course left to pursue seems to be to mount the guns on the bluffs, where they are not liable to be struck, or in well-constructed casemates, to contend with wooden ships, keeping sand bags ready filled to protect them against iron-clad vessels. This class is so excessively expensive and confined as to be ill-adapted to the transportation of troops in large numbers. The effect, however, of passing our lower batteries by preventing the safe navigation of our rivers above them will probably be to force us at no distant day to rely in great measure on land transportation.
A mistaken impression my part that this report was called for on the termination of the surveys has led to this delay, for which it is the only excuse.
With great respect, your obedient servant,
ALFRED L. RIVES,
Acting Chief Engineer Bureau.
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O.R.-- SERIES I--VOLUME 9 [S# 9]
CORRESPONDENCE, ORDERS, AND RETURNS RELATING TO OPERATIONS IN NORTH CAROLINA FROM JANUARY 11 TO AUGUST 20, 1862.
UNION CORRESPONDENCE, ETC.(*)
GENERAL ORDERS No. 10.
HDQRS. DEPT. OF NORTH CAROLINA,
Roanoke Island, February 10, 1862.
The names of the forts and batteries captured on this island in the action of the 8th of February are hereby changed as follows:
I. Fort Huger, at the head of the Island, to Fort Reno.
II. Fort Blanchard to Fort Parke.
III. Fort Bartow to Fort Foster.
IV. The inland battery is named and will be called Battery Russell.
V. The battery on Shallow Bag Bay is named and will be called Battery De Monteil.
By command of Brig. Gen. A. E. Burnside:
LEWIS RICHMOND,
Assistant Adjutant-General.
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