Report of Brig. Gen. Richard H. Anderson, C. S. Army.
Headquarters Second Brigade,
Camp near Warrington, Fla., November 28, 1861.
Major:At 10 o�clock a. m. on the 22d instant the enemy opened fire upon the navy.yard and the batteries in the Second Brigade. This attack was made suddenly and with great fury.
Capt. J. T. Wheat, Louisiana infantry, commanding Battery No. 2, was the first to return the fire. Capt. S. S. Batchelor, Louisiana infantry, commanding Battery No. 1, and Lieut. G. W. Mader, of the same regiment, commanding one of the mortar batteries, followed a few moments after, and they all replied to the attack as hotly as it had been begun, until the orders of the general commanding, regulating the rate of fire, were communicated to them, and it was then more moderately continued until after dark, when it was suspended on both sides.
Capt. A. C. Van Benthnysen, C. S. Marine Corps, who commanded the battery on the stone wharf, misconstruing an order which had been given on the occasion of the Santa Rosa expedition, did not open until he received orders to do so. After firing two shots he was ordered to cease, on account of the damage which it was feared the steamer Time, lying at the wharf, would sustain, by provoking a continued fire in that quarter from the guns of the enemy. The steamer Time and the steam gunboat Nelms were both at the wharf when the attack began, and it seemed to be the design of the enemy to damage or destroy them, but the Nelms made her escape at once, and the Time, although struck by several balls, was not much injured, and effected her escape after dark.
The enemy reopened the fire at about 10 o�clock a. in. on the 23d, and was responded to until dark, when it again ceased, with the exception of an occasional shell from the other side, directed against the navy-yard, and a reply from Van Bentlinysen�s battery. Near daylight it was discontinued by both parties. The attack was not resumed on the following morning, and the batteries have consequently remained silent.
Agreeably with instructions �previously given the troops not needed at the batteries retired from the navy-yard and its vicinity at the commencement of the attack and took a position outside the north wall. To be prepared for anything the enemy might attempt, Colonel Adams, commanding the Louisiana infantry, was ordered to post his regiment near the navy- yard. This order was executed with the utmost promptness, and the most commendable zeal was exhibited by the regiment, which remained on duty on the beach until near midnight.
The skill and enthusiastic spirit displayed by the officers and troops at the batteries is worthy of all praise, and I am happy to report that no casualty whatever occurred amongst them. While the troops withdrawn from the navy-yard were standing near the north wall, where they had been ordered to rendezvous, a shot penetrated the wall, and the fragments of brick wounded a soldier of Captain Cropp�s company, of Florida Regiment Volunteers, and two of Captain Thom�s company of Marines.
The batteries commanded by Captains Wheat, Batchelor, and Van Benthuysen were manned by the companies of these officers respectively. Lieutenant Mader�s mortar battery was manned by a detachment from the Louisiana infantry.
A trunnion was knocked off one of the 8-inch guns in Wheat�s battery, and slight damage was done to the carriage of Batchelor�s 42-pounder. One of the mortars in Lieutenant Mader�s battery was cracked and rendered useless after the seventeenth discharge. These comprise all the injuries sustained by the batteries of the Second Brigade. Very little damage has been done to the navy-yard. About fifty of the buildings in Warrington and Woolsey have been burnt.
The reports of Lientenant-Colonel Jaquess, Louisiana infantry, and Captain Van Benthuysen, C. S. Marine Corps, are herewith submitted.
I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
R. H. Anderson,
Brigadier-General, P. A., Commanding Second Brigade.
Maj. George G. Garner, A. A. G., C. A.
Report of Col. Harvey Brown, Fifth U. S. Artillery, Commanding Department of Florida.
Headquarters Department of Florida,
Fort Pickens, November 25, 1861.
General: That Fort Pickens has been beleaguered by the rebels for the last nine months, and that it was daily threatened by the boasting rebels with the fate of Sumter, is a fact notorious to the whole world. Since its occupancy by Lieutenant Slemmer the rebels have been surrounding it with batteries and daily arming them with the heaviest and most efficient guns known to our service�guns stolen from us�until they considered this fort as virtually their own, its occupancy being only a question of time. I have been in command since the 16th of April, and during the whole of that time their force has averaged, so far as I can -learn, from eight to ten times the number of mine. The position in which I have thus been placed has been sufficiently trying, and I have at three separate times intended to free myself from it by opening my batteries on them; but imperious circumstances, over which I had no control, have unexpectedly in each instance prevented.
Affairs were in this state on the morning of the 9th of October, when the enemy, 1,500 strong, attacked by surprise a portion of my command on an intensely dark night. They were defeated and driven from the island with great loss by less than 200 regulars and 50 volunteers, all the efficient force I had disposable for the purpose. An insult so gross to the flag of my country could not by me be passed unnoticed, and I designed immediately to take appropriate notice of it, but, as I said before, circumstances over which I had no control prevented. I make these prefatory remarks to explain why I have now opened my batteries on the enemy, when from the smallness of my forces�about one-sixth of his, 1,300 to 8,000�I have not the means of producing any decisive results, and as evidence of my having accomplished what I designed� the punishing the perpetrators of an insult on my country�s flag.
Having invited Flag-Officer MeKean to co-operate with me in attacking the rebels, and to which he gave a ready and cordial assent, I on the morning of the 22d opened my batteries on the enemy, to which in the course of half an hour he responded from his numerous forts and batteries, extending from the navy-yard to Fort McRee, a distance of about 4 miles, the whole nearly equidistant from this fort, and on which line he has two forts, McRee and Barrancas, and fourteen separate batteries, containing from one to four guns, many of them being 10-inch columbiads and some 12 and 13 inch sea-coast mortars, the distance varying from 2,100 to 2,900 yards from this fort. At the same time of my opening Flag-Officer McKean, in the Niagara, and Captain Ellison, in the Richmond, took position as near to Fort McRee as the depth of water would permit, but which, unfortunately, was not sufficiently deep to give full effect to their powerful batteries. They, however, kept up a spirited fire on the fort and adjacent batteries during the whole day. My fire was incessant from the time of opening until it was too dark to see, at the rate of a shot for each gun every fifteen or twenty minutes, the fire of the enemy being somewhat slower. By noon the guns of Fort Meltee were all silenced but one, and three hours before sunset this fort and the adjoining battery ceased to fire. I directed the guns of Batteries Lincoln, Cameron, and Totten principally on the batteries adjacent to the navy-yard, those of Battery Scott to Fort McRee and the light-house batteries, and those of the fort to all. We reduced very perceptibly the lire of Barrancas, entirely silenced that in the navy-yard and in one or two of the other batteries, the efficiency of our fire at the close of the day not being the least impaired.
The next morning I again opened about the same hour, the Navy unfortunately (owing to a reduction in the depth of water, caused by a change of wind), not being able to get so near as yesterday, consequently the distance was too great to be effectual. My fire this day was less rapid and, I think, more efficient than that of yesterday. Fort McRee, so effectually silenced yesterday, did not fire again to-day. We silenced entirely one or two guns, and had one of ours disabled by a shot coming through the embrasure. About 3 o�clock fire was communicated to one of the houses in Warrington, and shortly after to the church steeple. The church and the whole village being immediately in rear of some of the rebel batteries (they apparently having placed them purposely directly in front of the largest and most valuable buildings), the fire rapidly communicated to other buildings along the street until probably two-thirds of it was consumed, and about the same time fire was discovered issuing from the back part of the navy-yard, probably in Woolsey, a village to the north and immediately adjoining the yard, as Warrington does on the west. Finally it penetrated to the yard, and, as it continued to burn brightly all night, I concluded that either in it or in Woolsey many buildings were destroyed. Very heavy damage was also done to the buildings of the yard by the avalanche of shot shell, and splinters showered unceasingly on them for two days, and as they were nearly fire-proof (being built of brick and covered with slate), I could not succeed in firing them, neither my hot shot nor shells having any power of igniting them. The steamer Time which was at the wharf at the time, was abandoned on the first day and exposed to our fire, which probably entirely disabled her.
The fire was again continued until dark, and with mortars occasionally, until 2 o�clock the next morning, when the combat ceased. This fort at its conclusion, though it has received a great many shot and shell, is in every respect, save the disabling of one gun-carriage and the loss of service of 6 men, as efficient as it was at the commencement of the combat, but the ends I proposed in commencing having been attained, except one, which I find to be impracticable with my present means,I do not deem it advisable further to continue it, unless the enemy thinks proper to do so, when I shall meet him with alacrity. The attack on �Billy Wilson�s� camp, the attempted attack on my batteries, and the insult to our glorious flag have been fully and fearfully avenged. I have no means of knowing the loss of the enemy, and have no disposition to guess at it. The firing on his batteries was very heavy, well directed, and continuous for two days, and could hardly fail of having had important results. Our losses would have been heavy but for the foresight which, with great labor, caused us to erect elaborate means of protection, and which saved many lives. I lost 1 private killed, 1 sergeant, 1 corporal, and 4 privates wounded, only 1 severely. My officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates were everything I could desire. They one and all performed their duty with the greatest cheerfulness and in the most able and efficient manner.
I am much indebted to Major Arnold, my executive officer, for his valuable assistance. His whole conduct was admirable, and Captains Allen, Chalfin, Blunt, Robertson, Hildt, and Duryca, and Lieutenants McFarland, Langdon, Closson, Shipley, Jackson, Pennington, Seeley, and Taylor, merit my warmest encomiums for the coolness and deliberation with which they performed, without one exception, their duty under a heavy and continuons shower of shot, shells, and splinters for two successive days. Lieutenant Todd, ordnance officer, had full supplies of all required articles which were on hand at the post, and his department was conducted with system and efficiency. Major Tower, Surgeon Campbell, and Assistant Surgeon Sutherland, in their respective duties, sustained their high reputations. Captains Robertson, Duryea, and Blunt, and Lieutenants Pennington and Seeley, respectively, commanded Batteries Lincoln, Scott, Totten, and Cameron, and a small battery at Spanish Fort, and the other officers batteries in the fort, with distinguished ability. Captains Dobie�s and Bailey�s companies were with the batteries at Lincoln and Cameron, and did their duties faithfully and efficiently. The companies of Captains Henberer and Duffy, of the Sixth Regiment New York Volunteers, were successively on duty at the fort, and rendered cheerfully important assistance to me. The regular companies engaged at the batteries, all of whom performed their duty so efficiently as to preclude my making a distinction, are Companies A, F, and L, First Artillery; C, H, and K, Second Artillery; C and E, Third Infantry, and Companies G and I, Sixth Regiment New York Volunteers.
In closing, I tender to Flag-Officer McKean and Captain Ellison, of the Navy, and to their officers and crews, my best thanks for their able co-operation, which would have had the happiest results but for the unfortunate. fact that the great draught of water prevented their sufficiently near approach to the works of the rebels.
I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
Harvey Brown,
Colonel, Commanding
Brig. Gen. Lorenzo Thomas,
Adjutant- General U. S. Army, Washington, D. C.