The most important operations of the navy during the year were those performed by the North Atlantic Squadron, acting in coöperation with the large land force under Gen. Terry, in the successful attack upon Fort Fisher, on January 13th and 15th, of which, as they were intimately connected with the history of the first attack, in December, 1864, a full account was given, under the head of "Operations of the United States Navy," in our volume for 1864. Of this remarkable attack full details, not accessible when our narrative was written, were included in the documents accompanying the report of the Secretary of the Navy for 1865. Although the vessels participating in that engagement varied in size from small gunboats of five hundred tons to powerful frigates like the Wabash or Colorado, or the New Ironsides, yet in weight of metal and in the rapidity and force of their fire they probably exceeded any fleet that ever attacked fortifications. The accompanying diagram illustrates the position of every vessel in the attack, and the manner in which their fire was concentrated upon the fort. The attacking squadron numbered fortyfour vessels, mounting upward of five hundred guns. Admiral Porter declared that the same fleet which was used at Fort Fisher could silence Fortress Monroe, considered the strongest and most important work in the United States, in a day, and dismount all the conspicuous guns; and that the iron-clads could demolish all the casemates in a few hours. The result of the engagement convinced him that the old maxim, that 66 one gun on shore is equal to many on shipboard," was no longer true, at least with respect to forts of earth or masonry, having guns mounted according to the present system; and that turrets, similar to those in monitor vessels, must be employed to protect the guns of land defences from such a fire as an effective fleet of iron-clads can concentrate upon them. In view of the experience derived at Fort Fisher, he advised that all works hereafter constructed shall be earthworks, and that those already built shall be covered with earth, the guns to be mounted in monitor turrets, which can be constructed of any thickness of iron deemed necessary. In this way only, he thinks, can the advantage formerly possessed by forts over ships be restored. The fall of Fort Fisher compelled the abandonment by the enemy of Forts Caswell, Campbell, and Shaw, and other works defending the entrances to Cape Fear River, which were immediately occupied by the navy. In February a number of the light-draught vessels ascended the river and coöperated with the troops under Gens. Schofield and Terry in the reduction of the strong works guarding the approaches to Wilmington. The capture of this place in the latter part of the month enabled Admiral Porter to reënforce the squadron in the James River. The enemy upon their retreat from Wilmington took the large iron-clad Chickamauga some distance up the Cape Fear River, and sunk her across the stream at Indian Wells. On March 12th the gunboat Eolus passed safely up the river and opened communications with Gen. Sherman, at Fayetteville. Nothing else of interest in which the navy participated occurred on this station previous to the termination of hostilities. In the latter part of March Admiral Porter went up the James River, to superintend whatever duties might devolve upon the navy in the final series of battles around Petersburg and Richmond. As the operations were almost exclusively of a military character, his vessels were not actively employed. After the evacuation of Richmond, the gunboats proceeded up the river, removing torpedoes and other obstructions to navigation. At Richmond the unfinished ram Texas, and the tug gunboat Beaufort, were found uninjured. The following vessels had been blown up by the enemy: Virginia, flagship, four guns, iron-clad; Richmond, four guns, iron-clad; Fredericksburg, four guns, iron-clad; Nansemond, two guns, wooden; Roanoke, one gun, wooden; Torpedo, tender; Shrapnell; and Patrick Henry, school-ship. The operations of the South Atlantic Squadron had little of that stirring character noticeable in former years of the war. Admiral Dahlgren rendered efficient service in January in transferring a part of Sherman's army to Beaufort, S. C.; and in the succeeding month a division of his squadron demonstrated along the approaches from Bull's Bay to Mount Pleasant, with a view of embarrassing the Confederate commander at Charleston and deceiving him as to the Federal plan of campaign. The city was meanwhile carefully watched, and on the morning of February 18th it fell without a struggle into the hands of the naval and military forces of the United States. Previous to their departure from Charleston, the enemy destroyed most of their effective vessels afloat; but the ram Columbia, which had grounded in coming out of her dock in January, was left by them, and was floated on the 26th of April. She was pierced for six guns, and was plated on her casemate with six inches of iron. The harbor was found to be plentifully filled with obstructions, and the numerous powerful earthworks, which had so long defied the efforts of the fleet, were uninjured. Georgetown and other places on the coast were immediately occupied by the gunboats. On the night of January 15th, the monitor Patapsco, Lieut.-Com. Quackenbush, while engaged in covering the scout and picket boats, which were searching the entrance to the lower harbor of Charleston for obstructions and torpedoes, struck and exploded a large torpedo on her port side, and almost immediately sank. Five officers and thirty-eight men were saved, and sixty-two officers and men were lost. Two other vessels were lost during the year. The Dai Ching gunboat, having grounded in the Combahee River, under the fire of a Confederate battery, was destroyed by her commander, after she had been much cut up and her guns disabled in a seven hours' engagement. |