March 3, 1865: Clearing the Cape Fear of Torpedoes-- Part 2

This date Lieutenant Commander Ralph Chandler, USS Lenapee, reported to Lieutenant Commander George W. Young, Senior Naval Officer at Wilmington:  "In obedience to your order of the 1st instant, I got underway with this vessel on the 2nd instant and proceeded up the North West Branch  to a a point where the Cape Fear River forms a junction with the Black River.

"The bends of the river I found too short to attempt to get the vessel higher without carrying away the wheelhouses and otherwise damaging the ship.  I remained  there until 1 o'clock p.m. to-day.

"During the night some negroes came down, and, on questioning them, they informed me that they had been told that General Sherman's forces were at a town called Robeson, 20 miles from Fayetteville."

--Old B-R'er