The Sun.
London, England, 1865-01-19 00:00:00

AMERICA.

The Charleston Courier publishes an interesting
Confederate account of the evacuation of Savannah

by General Hardee :
" Our fortifications extended from the Savannah
river, some four miles above the city, on our right,
to the Little Ogeechee river, near the Gulf Railroad,
some eight miles from the city, on our left. We held
Fort M'Alister, on the west bank of the Ogeechee,
a few miles below the Gulf Railroad. We had also

strong, batteries at Rose Dew, between the two
Ogeechees, at Beaulieu, Thunderbolt, Causlin's
Bluff, &c., and troops stationed on Isle of Hope and
Whitmarsh Islands. Our newly erected fortifica-

tions on the land side of the city were very strong

and capable of turning back almost any kind of as-
sault, though they were not commenced till after
Sherman had nearly reached Milledgeville. Sher-

man's army appeared before these works about the
Bth or 9th December, and on Saturday, the 10th,
considerable fighting occurred. Several severe as-

saults were made, in which the enemy were signally

repulsed. Early on Sunday morning the 11th a tre-
mendous cannonading began and was kept up for
half the day. Itwas supposed in the city that a heavy
engagement was going on, but it proved to be only
a general shelling from the heavy guns on our lines.
Sherman was in no condition to attack our works.
He was scarce of ammunition and had no heavy
_ _

.• _ _
guns, as well as other difficulties in the way of his
giving battle. During the siege severe assaults were
several times made on particular points, with a view
of storming our works and breaking through our
lines, but all these were handsomely repulsed. On
Saturday, the 17th, a flag of truce was sent in by
Sherman, demanding the surrender of the city, and
on Sunday, the 18th, a reply was given by General
Beauregard, refusing to comply with the demand.
On Monday the evacuation commenced, the first squad
coining out about midday, another came out at 4
p.m., and two other at night. How rapidly the eva-

cuation was thereafter conducted I know not except
from report. It is said the evacuation took place on

Tuesday night. I fear all our soldiers did not get
out. Some of them were 12 or 14 miles from the

city, while many were eight miles off. The heaviest
fighting of the siege took place on Monday evening
and night, the 19th. The enemy were repulsed in all
their attempts on our lines, so the soldiers must have
been there, and not on the retreat. If so, I cannot

perceive how it is possible for all to have come off by
Tuesday night, though they may have done so. We
had several boats, capable of carrying 500 to 1,000
each across the river at a trip, and a pontoon bridge
besides. Very few of the citizens left the city. Many
would have done so if they could, but the realisation
of their position came too late. It found them all
unprepared,• and escape impossible. There was no
alternative but to submit to their terrible fate. It
does seem to me that our military authorities should
by some means have given some notice or hint to the
people, or time allowed those who desired to do so,
either to get away or set their houses in order if
they intended to stay. Perhaps lam wrong in this
conclusion ; I will not say, positively. As before
stated, the people were in the dark as to what was
going on. They hoped we would be able to force
Sherman to the coast, either to the right or left, and
save the city, and in this belief very little private
property of any sort was sent off. Neither of the
newspaper offices were removed, and all the material
of both—including a considerable quantity of paper
—fell into the hands of the enemy. If they remain
there long, we may expect soon to have them issuing
Yankee newspapers from the offices of those hitherto
substantial Southern journals. The last issue of the
News was on Saturday morning, the 10th. The enemy
had cut all the railroads and telegraphic wires, thus
cutting off any outside information by mail or other-
wise, and the military authorities desired nothing
concerning the situation, or what was there taking
place, to be made public. Under these circumstances
the paper was stopped, and editor and printers went
into service. The Republican continued to issue a
quarter sheet, but it contained no news, either local
or from abroad, and was, under the circumstances, the
most unsatisfactory newspaper that I ever tried to
read. I never witnessed such a forcible illustration of
the value of newspapers in a communityl Everybody
wasin a state of suspense. There was a pretty general
hope that the city would be saved, but no one could
give any substantial reason for this hope, having no
certain grounds upon which to base it, and igno-
rance of the real condition kept them from arriving
at a different conclusion, and preparing for the
worst. All was uncertainty and doubt. Hope was
mingled with fear, and it was difficult for any one
to decide which preponderated in his own mind.
Every man, when he met his neighbour, inquired
and was inquired of after the news, and neither
could gratify the other. All were the victims of
every imaginable kind—rumour and opinion, from
the best to the worst. I hope never to pass through
such dreadful days, again. Such suspense is worse
agony than any reality, be it ever so dreadful."
The following account of the Federal attack on
Fort Fisher is from the Richmond Dispatch of the
4th inst.:—

" Wilmington, Dec. 25, 8 p.m

" The Federal fleet which had been lying off this
port for some days, and which consisted, it was sup-
posed chiefly of transports, was found to be com-
posed of over 50 ships-of-war, including two Moni-
tors, several armoured vessels, and a large propor-
tion of heavily-armed frigates and sloops. This
formidable fleet stood in at 11 o'clock yesterday
morning, and at 20 minutes to 1 it opened a furious
fire upon Fort Fisher, the principal work at the
mouth of the Cape Fear. An English naval officer
who was with Sir Charles Napier in the Baltic, and
at Sebastopel,, says the fire exceeded anything he
had ever seen.. It was maintained with unabated
the w
eoff.
vigour until 'half-past 5, when the fleet dre
b
9,000 for th.e five hours he engages the
ot . z
uffs of
space above. the fort was filled with whitei
which
.rTi
The enemy's, shot averaged 30 to the minute,ge
smoke fr Pm bunting-- shells, many 0