The Express.
London, England, 1865-01-31 00:00:00

THZ CAPTURE OF FORT FISHER.

--0.1..... .

OFFICIAL DESPATCHES.
The following are the official despatches in which

the capture of Fort Fliber is detailed :
Himmlrivalars Ilaited OWN Nies+, es Federal Mar,
NOVI Oarollas, Jaa. 15 (via Fortress Monroe,
Jae 171.

_
Ftripalksr4saenil J. A. Rawllaa.
Gesseul,-1 kayo the boaour to mart that Fort Fisher
wigwag! by assault this afMraosa sad *Teeing by Goss-
.

r•l itTiot's dfoision aid*. Floootri Hdpd• of the First
Dirido• of th. 24th Army Oorp. pf••tl, •Idd by •

battalion of marines alai aransaci lam the airy. The

mai& was preeeded by • heavy bombardment from the
Fadieel lest, sad was made at 3.30 p.m., when the First
Bripde—Ourtis's, of San's divialoe—effseted a lodgement
on the parapet, but toll passeasion of the work wee sot ob.
taiosd will 10 p.m. The behaviour of both (Awe sod mew
was most admirable. All the works south of the Fort Fisher
are sow *mooted by oar troops. We have not less than
MOO primmer, Melodist Geneeal Whiting and Ooloeel
Lamb, the matiosadeet of the fort. I regret to say that
ear Mesh ems" elpeolally is officers. I sin sot yet able
to for. sly eilimate of the ember of menalliem
weed) AL/1111D H. TIZZY, Brevet Major-General
Oommiading Expedities.
Fort Fisher. Jan. 16, 2 s. m.
os the 14th it was decided

Attor • careful

risk an assault on Fort Fisher. Puma's division, with
Colonel Abbott's brigade to hold our line, already straw.
woes the peninsula, and faring Wilmington against Hoke.
while Amse's division should assemble on the woe sod.
After three bouts of heavy navy firing the assault was
snide at 3 p.m. on the 15th. Ourties brigade led, and, se
soot as it was on the west sod of the land frost, it
was followed by Pounelmoker's, and the latter by Bell's.
. _ . .

After demote fighting, pining foot by foot, sad seem
lees, M p.m., we bad pommaion of about half the land
trout. Abbott's Brigade was thm takes from oar lief
facing Wilmbigtou, sad put tato Fort Fisher, and oe
push* it forward. at 10 pm., It took the rat of the
work with little resittame—the garrison filling book to

the extreme of the Peo where they war; followed
end captured ; among others, General Whiting and Colosel
Lamb. I think we have quite 1,000 prisoners. I hope
oar own loss may not exceed 500, but ills impossible to
to judge in the night. Among the wounded are the ens-
menders of the three leading brigades ; (lee. Curtis being
wounded, not severely, but Colonel. Poinebsoker and Sell
dangerously. The land frost was s formidable one, the
parapet is places (enema or fifteen feet high, but the men
west at it nobly, seder • severe mus►etry fire. The ma-
rims and tailors west up gallantly, but the musketry fire
from the met sod of the land frost wee so severe that they
did sot mooed in ,staring the works. The navy fire on
the work, jedgiog from the holes, must have been terrific.
Many of the gum were injured. How many there were os
the point I cannot say—perhape thirty or forty.
(Signed) C. B. domeroci,
&D.C., and Chief Engineer.
THE NAVAL ACCOUNT.
Fortress Monroe, Jam. 17.
To lion. Gideon Wales, fleerstery of the Navy.

The Atlantic is just in from Wilmington. Fort Fisher
sad works on Federal Point are in our pommies. The
ament was made by the army and Milo?, on Sunday obi/-
Dom, and by 11 PA. the works were oars. Loewe heavy.
Lieut. S. W. Preston and B. If. Porter of the navy were
killed. Our captures were 72 gnu and about 2,500 pri-
mmer'. Commis Whiting sad Lamb (rebels) are prisoners
sad wounded. The Vanderbilt is on its way north with
despatches. Two 15-inch guns burst on the monitors.
E. T. Simms, Commander.
Washington, Jan. 17.
The following has just been received at the Navy
Department from Admiral Porter :
Flagship Malvern, a Fort Fisher, N.C., Jen. 14.
81r,-1 lave the honour to inform you that °menials
have boos resumed against the forts et the entrance of
Cape Fear River. Siam the first attack on that place and
the milisequest withdrawal of the troops, I have bees
employed is filling the ships with =mealtime and eon.
All ear work had to be done with the larger vends
maimed oe the meet, exposed, you may almost ay, m
at ess to the violist gales that blow bens almost inem•
meetly. Oe theme gales the enemy depended to break cop
oar preperatioss. We will me. We here gore through
the worst of it—here held as through gales heavy enough
to drive anything to sea—end ham sustained no d►mage
whatever. After the troops arrived the weather set in bad,
sad the gals was very heavy. As soon as it was over
I got under way, on the 12th, sad, forming the vessels in
three lines, with the transports in company, steamed for
Port Fisher ois the morning of the 13th. The fleet took Hs
station in three lime close to the beech, and boats were at

at thee to take off the troops. Thee. were leaded with
shoat twelve der' provisions at shoat 2 o'clock p.m.
At this time I pursued • different plan in attaeldag the
rebal works. I seat in the New Ironsidee, Commander
Bearded, leading the =allots Banton Cumulous, Yuma-
n**, and Mahopso. At 7.30 a.m. the forts opened on
them as they approached, bat they quietly took up their
old positiots, within 1,000 yards .ef Fort Fisher, and
when reedy they opened their batteries. In this way
I tempted the many to engage the monitors that we
might is. what gnus they had, and seeing where they
were, might be able to dismount them by our fire. Quite
a spirited engagement went on betwein the forts and the
Izonthise and monitors. It was soft apparent, that the
iron vessels had the beet of it. Traverse' began to dis-
appear and the seethera angle of Fort Fisher common/led
to look very dilapidated. The guns were silenced 001) after
the other, and only one heavy gun in the southern angle
kept up its fire. The fire of this gun was not at all
secants, as it inflicted no damage on the iron vessels.
They were bit, though, seven"! times. By wsy of letting
the enemy know that we bad some shell left on board the
woolen ships, and did not intend to take any unfair dum-
per' of him by neje' inn vessels alone, I ordered line No.
lon the plan, led by Capt. Alden, of the Brooklyn, and
line No. 2, led by Commodore Mat:ober, of the Colorado,
to go and alma the batteries. This was done in the
handsomest manner. Not a mistake was committed, except
firing too rapidly and making too much smoke. The heavy
fire of the large vessels shut ap the enemy's guns at ones,
and after firing until after dark the wooden vessels dropped
out to their anchorage. The Iromides and Manton main-
tained their position through the night, firing a shell sow
sad thee. They are now lying within 1,000 yards of the
fort, and the Monitors are within 750 yards, sad the fort
does not fire a gun at them, thinking, no doubt, that it ia a
waste of powder. The firing will recommeam as Noce as
we get breakfast, and be kept up as long es the ordnance
demi:tweet provides us with *bells and guns. There is •
perfect understanding betweee Gen. Terry and myself, and
I believe everything has hem done to snit him. I have
heard no complaint., and knew that we have felt every die-
position to help the army akin. A detailed report of our
operations here will be sent In when we get through. I see so
reason to doubt our spoons. The forts will he need up. We
haves revealable forth landed on the strip of lend which
I our naval gnus completely command. It is • place of des
: teeth which would enable us to hold on against • very large
! army. I will report to you every opportunity.
Washington, Jan. 17.
Secretary Wallets has addreosed the following
congratulatory despatch to Admiral Porter :
Navy Department, Jan. 17.
To Rear-Admiral D. D. Porter.

eir,—The department has just received your brief but
highly gratdyirig despatch, announcing the tall, on the 15th
inst., of Fort Fisher, under the combined assault of the
navy and army, and hastens to oongratulate you and General
Terry sad the brave caws, salon, sod soldiers of your
resplative commands on your slot-loos moons. Accept any
thanks for your good work.
°LIMON Wanes, Sooretary of the Navy.
Immediately upon the receipt of the news the
following despatch was sent to the commandants of
each of the navy yards

Navy Department, Jan. 17.

_ .
Fhe a national mint* in bottoms of the capture on the
15th lost. of the rebel works on Federal Point, wear Will•
sdnstoo, by a ecenbieed attack of the army sad eas7.
Oioiot Wsuss, fieeretery of the Navy.
The Baltimore American has the following from
its special correspondent with the Wilmington ex-
pedition, who had just arrived at Fortress Monroe :
Farkas Nooses, Jan. 17, 6.30 p.m.
After three days sad eights of bombardment Fort Fisher

JANU.

eis with an eh. Ailoguous mow cow
The assault wee bade by the army andinaval
AXIS o'cleek es der" sfternooe. One corner r the fart
Ili assured In belt an hour, but we bade head to hand fight
with do poison which lasted until 9 o'clock at night. It
WY • very stubborn end bloody reskitsaes, and the fort was
down with the dead. The pains had been strongly
ninfersed. The number of winners taken was over 2,000,
and the number of guns oapturml 72. All the forts, in-
cludiag Mound and Seek Island batteries surreadered.
The rebel loss in the moult was 500 dead besides the
wounded. Oar lou was about 900 in killed and wounded.
Fleet Lieutenant Preston and Lieutenant Porter, oomman•
dant el the flagship, were both killed in the assault. Ge-
Deal Whiting and Colonel Lamb are both prisoners acid
wooded. The rebel pirates Tallahassee sod Chickamanp
were both in the fight, end driven up the river. Our gun-
boats wept up the river on Monday morning. Onr;prisooers
will be immediately sent North. We had *eve& days of
delightful weather. The masons* in the fort exploded by
en:ideal as Monday manioc, killing ibred wounding 200 at
oar men. The &atlas° de Cuba brings the bodies of Lieu-
, tenants Preston and Porter and the wounded of the navy.

,Now

Additicual correspondence from off Fort Fisher
states the troops under General Terry to be the
same that came down with General Butler, with
one additional brigade, and numbering not less than
10,000 men.
The Boston Advertiser of the 18th says :

The object, (said General Grant in the rematly published
iststroctions). " is to close to the enemy the port of Wil-
mington." The capture of Fort Fisher and the batteries
effects this object. A vigorous movement following up the
victory, may place Wilmington itself In our bands ; but
eves without this, the enemy have lost the command of
their most available port—that which could not be deo-
tually blockaded, from which the rebel* have met oat
two-thirds of the cotton which his supported their flounces
shined, end where they have received probably a larger
proportion of the stores sod ammunition which have
supplied to their armies the means of keeping the field.
Considering the time at w►ich tt falls, the knees which
have preceded it, sad the thickening perils at all
points, the lam of the command of Wilmington must be
ranked among the heaviest blows which have been
dealt to the rebellion, and placed in a similar scale of
importance with the fall of Vicksbarg and Sherman's
march from ebattaeooga to Samanah. This great mean
has not been achieved without the loos of many brave man.
But the blood poured out before that work is not wasted.
It ia the price paid by the fallen for lasting honour- -a part
of the ransom of a nation. iuoh is the stern condition of
wet, which ally yields up Ito successes to thous who will
take such hazards and will thus pay the amt.