The following eyewitness account of the Engagement at Sewell’s Point appeared in the book The History of Norfolk, Virginia by Harrison W. Burton (1840-1902), a journalist who served in the 1st Virginia Infantry and Otey’s Battery during the Civil War. It was written anonymously by a member of the Norfolk Light-Artillery Blues. There is no date on the account, but the book was published in 1877, so it must have been written within 10-15 years after the events.
“At 11 o’clock A. M., Sunday, the 19th of May, the detachment of N. L. A. Blues, stationed at this post, (Boush’s Bluff) under Lieut. Thomas Nash, Jr., and a detachment of Juniors, under Lieut. Holmes, received orders to march immediately to Sewell’s Point and report there for duty. Upon our arrival we found the Columbus (Ga.) Light Guard, under Captain Colquitt, and the Woodis Rifles, just from Ocean View, under Capt. Wm. Lamb. Gen. Gwynn with his Aid, Major Wm. E. Taylor, was on the ground giving orders. At 4 o’clock P. M. one gun was mounted on its carriage, but not fastened. Two others were at that hour buried in the sand. By 5 o’clock they also were mounted, and one of them fastened. While the work of arranging the guns for action was hastily but steadily progressing, a shot came whizzing from a U. S. Government steamer and struck the battery, throwing the turf some distance in the air.
“All the Battery was now in confusion, but immediate preparation was made to return the fire with the two 32-pounders, and two rifled cannon brought and manned by the Woodis Rifles. Captain Colquitt being in command of the forces at this time, called for a Virginian to hoist the Georgian flag (that being on the spot) and Major Wm. E. Taylor, of Norfolk, mounted the ramparts and unfurled it to the breeze in defiance of the enemy, who had initiated the battle. Orders were then given to open fire, and the first gun was discharged by the detachment of Juniors, Thad Gray having command of the gun. The Georgians who had worked manfully in mounting the guns (in conjunction with the Juniors, Blues and Rifles) took charge of the other two and fought bravely during the whole engagement.
“Every man acted the true soldier, and though our forces only numbered 250 men, every one stood at his post, whether in the battery or out of it, ready to answer the call of his commanding officer. Those present on that occasion will scarcely ever forget the sound of a bomb or the whistle of a ball, and though they cracked the trees and ploughed the ground around us, ‘nobody was hurt,’ and ‘every one remained to tell the tale’ of the first battle in this State in defence of our liberties.
“Never was a battery worse prepared for such an engagement. The guns were not in order; not a sight had been placed on them, nor was there time even to think of putting them on, had they been in place, consequently the fire was at random, and very few shots were effective. It is enough for our friends to know that we did all we could under such circumstances, and we are sure it will be satisfactory to them. The soldiers suffered greatly during the night on account of the rain and wind, especially those on guard.”
The details in this account lend some credence to its veracity. The “Thad Gray” mentioned was likely Pvt. Thaddeus S. Gray (1826-1895). According to his obituary in the Norfolk Virginian, he was a member of the Woodis Rifles before later joining the 12th Virginia Infantry. “Upon that occasion [Sewell’s Point] Gray acted as a gunner, in charge of one of the pieces belonging to the old Blues’ Battery.”
What stands out to me in this account is just how unprepared the Confederates were to confront federal ships. As at Gloucester Point eleven days earlier, they were still in the process of erecting the battery when the USS Star (Monticello) appeared, without even having time to mount the gun sights. These improvised encounters were typical of the war’s opening weeks, when neither side yet knew what to expect.
Spirit of '61 