Battle of Elizabeth City
Battle Summary Battle Reports Prisoners USN Casualties CSN Casualties Commanders Ships Fort Cobb Anecdotes Links to other web sites concerning northeastern North Carolina in the Civil War Contact me at: ecbattle@coastalnet.com Last revised: 4 July 2008 © 2008 Bruce Long	“Dash at the enemy!” With that command from Commander S. C. Rowan, the Union flotilla of fourteen vessels engaged the tiny six ship “mosquito fleet” of Flag Officer William F. Lynch. Fifteen minutes later, the battle of Elizabeth City was over. The CSS Seabird and CSS Fanny had sunk, the Black Warrior was abandoned and on fire, a boarding party had captured the CSS Ellis, and the CSS Beaufort and CSS Appomattox had escaped up the river towards the Dismal Swamp Canal. The four-gun battery at Cobb’s Point had been silenced. The back door to Norfolk was open. Rowan pursued the Confederate flotilla to Elizabeth City, NC, following the fall of Roanoke Island to Union forces on 8 February 1862. In a naval battle fought on the Pasquotank River between Cobb’s Point and Hospital Point during the morning of 10 February 1862, the Union fleet crushed the North Carolina Squadron with overwhelming numbers and vastly superior firepower. Looking SE down the Pasquotank River towards the battle site Union Strategy “I then called on board the commissioned officers in command and informed them that the vessels of the enemy were either drawn up behind his battery on Cobb’s Point or had made their escape through the canal to Norfolk. I reminded them of our embarrassment with regard to ammunition, having but twenty rounds for each gun, and proposed to organize the force in such a manner as to answer the double purpose of a close reconnaissance in force, to be converted into an attack if I deemed it prudent. It was positively enjoined upon them not to fire a single shot until the order was given, and, in order further to economize ammunition, I directed that each vessel as she approached the enemy should run him down and engage him hand to hand.” “At daylight on the morning of the 10th the flotilla weighed anchor and formed in the order prescribed. The Underwriter, Perry, Morse, and Delaware in advance to reconnoiter, with the little Ceres on their right flank, followed by the remainder of the force, led in order by the Louisiana and Hetzel, the Valley City and Whitehead being under orders to leave the lines as soon as the battery had been passed by the flotilla and attack it in reverse.” - Commander Stephen C. Rowan Confederate Strategy “…my idea was to land the guns of the vessels and mount them on shore, not together, but distributed on both sides of the river, and to place Henningsen’s guns in pits or behind temporary embankments in the same way. By this method the enemy, after getting up with the fort, would have been brought under a very heavy cross fire, and his vessels being of light construction Henningsen’s guns would have done them as much damage as our large cannon. The infantry were to seek the best cover they could find and act as sharpshooters along the bank of the river, which was not two hundred yards wide. But there not appearing to be enough time to make this disposition of our guns, it was decided that the schooner Black Warrior should be put over on the left bank of the river a little below the fort, and the remainder of the squadron which now consisted of the Sea Bird, Ellis, Appomattox, Beaufort, ... and Fanny, should form line abreast across the channel, opposite the fort, and that Henningsen’s artillery should be held in reserve. - Lt. Commanding William H. Parker, CSS Beaufort The Defenses Colonel Lucian Starke, local newspaper publisher and militia leader, was appointed by the court to supervise the building of a fort at Cobb’s Point. The earthwork fort was completed in early September of 1862. Facing downriver, the fort boasted four 32-pounder cannons, one of which was mounted on a barbette carriage. At the time of the battle, none of them could be turned to fire across the river. No traverses were built to protect the guns from enemy fire in the event of the fort being outflanked by attacking gunboats. Having a report from a deserter about the fort’s design, the Union strategy was to pass the fort and attack it from the rear instead of following the normal procedure of trying to reduce it by bombardment from the front before passing.