The Express.
London, England, 1865-01-12 00:00:00

THE EXPEDITION AGAINST WIL-

MINOTON.

The following is the official report of General But-
ler respecting the expedition against Wilmington :
0111311 LL Bona's Ammosonextre or TEI Famous or

TEI LIED Policia.

likadquirlan Department of Virgiaia and North Caro-
Una, Dm 25, 1864.—Admiral: Upon landing this troops,
. _ _

maintain( s thorough

of Fort Fisher, both

General Weibel and myseU are fully of the opinion that
the pleas could not be carried by wank, as it was left sr&
stantislly uninjured as • defensive work by the navy fire.
We found seventeen guns protected by traverses, two only
of which were dismounted, bearing up the beach and cover-
ing a strip of land the only practicable route, not wide
enough for • thousand men in line of battle. Having
captured Flag Food Battery, the garrison of which,
sixty-five MSG and two commissioned °Moors, were
take• off by the navy, we also motored Half-
Moos Battery, and levee officers and 208 men of
the Third North C►rolina Jaaior Reserves, iscludiog its
ocentnander, from whom I learned that a portion of Hoke.
division, consisting of Kirkland'. and Elopgixd's brigades,
had been sent from the lines before Richmood on Tuesday
last, arriving at Wilmington on Friday night. Gomm'
Weitaal advanced his skirmish line within 50 yards of the
fort, white the garrison was kept in their bombproof. by the
fire of the navy, and so closely that three or four men of the
picket Hee violated upon the parapet sod through the
sally port of the work; capturing • horse, which they
brought off, killing the orderly, who was the bearer of •
despatch free the chief of artillery of General
Whiting to bring a light battery within the fat; and
also brought away from the parapet the flag of the
fart. This was done while the shells of the navy were
falling about the heads of the daring men who
entered the work ; and it was evident, as soon as the fire of
the navy ceased bemuse al the darkness, that the fort was
fully massed again. and opened both grape and canister
upon our picket line. Findieg that nothing but the opera-
tions of a regular siege, which did not come within my in•
*ructions, would reduce the fort, and in view of the threat-
ening aspect of the weather, the wind arising from the
month-west reediting it impossible to make farther lauding
through the surf, I wised the troops, with their prisoners,
to re-embark, and I see nothing further that can be done
by the land forces. I shall therefore sail for Hampton
Reeds as woe as the Unsaved Leer c►n be got in order.
My mimeses and oaken report Fort Fisher to me as sub-
steatially ordain/id as • defensive work.—l have the
ha•oar to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
Bin. F. Burma, M•j.-Gea. Commanding. To Bear-
! Admiral Porter.

',FLY OF ♦DX3LL FORTIS.

North Atlantis Sgmedroa, U.S., Flag Sbip Naive's, off
Nos hist, N.C., Dee. 28, I.B6l.—Geomul,-1 bog imam to
rakaowledigo des receipt of your Jotter of this dete, Um sub.
Mosso et wbia cue oommunisted to ma by GemaraWeitzel

lost sight. lUm cosiorsd the issaist ossasls to pressed off
Basalost, to all up WWI saosaaitirst, lobo essay far soother
salsa fa ass is is 4-idsd to roma' with this mates by
masks Wart sessfp•Stla Ws ban as* mss-