Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 295, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 December 1913 — CANP FIRE STORIES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CANP FIRE STORIES

CAPTURE OF PLYMOUTH, N. C. » mi m - - Town Was One of Most Important Places on Sound and Was Commanded by General Wessells. In reply to a query the National Tribune gives the following account of the capture of Plymouth, N. C., and the reason for the surrender of General Wessells: It was felt necessary to keep a garrison at Plymouth and other places around the North Carolina sounds, though these were reduced to the minimum. They were kept there in Isolated position for two years, this giving the enemy time to plan operations to overpower them. Plymouth, N. C., one of the most important places on the sound, was held by a brigade commanded by General Wessells and which consisted of the Eighty-fifth New York, One Hundred and First and One Hundred and Third Pennsylvania, Sixteenth Connecticut and six companies from other regiments, in all 2,400 men. The position was fairly fortified, with three gunboats in the water to assist the garrison, and it was fell that this would be sufficient, but the enemy had built an ironclad ram, the Albemarle, and collected a force of three brigades, uqder Gen. R. F. Hoke, numbering in all. at least 7,000 men. For some reason our people knew nothing of this gathering of forces, nor of the strength of the Albemarle. ‘April 17, 1864, Hoke suddenly appeared at the same time as the ram came down the river and attacked Fort Warren, the up-river putpost. One of our vessels went to the assistance of the fort, but was quickly disabled. Hoke pushed down a mile and attached Fort Wessells, but was repulsed several times in his assaults. However, the enemy surrounded the fort and got within 200 yards of It, while the Albemarle ran by Fort Warren, rammed the Southfield and sunk her, and. then disabled the Miami, killing her captain, Lieut.-Com-mander Flusser. The Albemarle then shelled the garrison, the attack on the forts was renewed, and, though the enemy lost heavily, they were carried, and the Confederates reached the town, so that Wessells was'compelled to surrender, giving up about 1,600 prisoners, 25 guns, 2,000 small arms and much valuable stores. The Confederates admitted a loss of only 300, but our people estimated it at 1,000. The prisoners were taken to Andersonville, where most of them died.