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

and herewith enclose a letter from General Butler, assigning

his reasons for withdrawing the troops.

I also enclose my

answer. In the bombardment of the 25th the men were en•

gaged firing slowly for seven hours. The rebels kept a
couple of guns on the upper batteries firing on the vessels,
hitting some of them several times without doing much
damage. The Wabash and Powhattan, being within their
range, the object seemed mainly to disable them, but a rapid
fire soon closed them up. Everything was coolly and syste-
matically done throughout the day, and witnessed some
beautiful practice. The army commenced landing about 2
o'clock, Captain Glesson, in the Santiago de Cuba, having
shelled Flag Pond Battery to insure a safe landing, and then
commenced to re-embark about five o'clock. The weather
coming on thick and rainy, about a brigade was left on the
beach during the night, covered by the gunboats. As our
troops landed 65 rebel soldiers hoisted the white flag, and
delivered themselves up, and were taken prisoners by
the seamen landing the troops and conveyed to the
Santiago de Cuba, and 218 more gave themselves up to
the reconnoitering party, all being desirous to quit the
war. 1 don't pretend to put my opinion in opposition to
General Weitzel, who is a thorough soldier and an able en-
gineer, and whose business it is to know more of assaulting
than I do ; but I can't help thinking that it was worth
while to make the attempt after arriving so far. About 12
clock I sent in a detachment of double tenders, under com-
mand of Commander John Guest, to see if I could effect an
entrance through the channel. The great number of wrecks
on and about the bar has changed the whole formation, and
where the original channel was we found a shallow bar. I
sent Lieut. W. B. Cushins in to sound and buoy out the
channel if he could find one, with orders to Commander
Guest to drag for Torpedoes and be ready to run in by the
buoys when ordered. One boat belonging to the Tacony
was sunk by a shell, and a man had his legs cut off ; still
they stuck to their work until ordered to withdraw for
other duty. In conclusion, allow me to draw your atten-
tion to the conduct of Commander Rhind and Lieut. Pres-
ton. They engaged in the most perilous adventure that
was, perhaps, ever undertaken, and though no material re-

suits have taken place from the effects of the explosion
that we know of, still it was not their fault. As an incen-

tive to others, I beg leave to recommend them for promo-
Alsojhat of Lieut. R. H. Lamson, who piloted them
in and brought them off. No one in the squadron consi-
dered that their lives would be saved, and Captain Rhind
and Lieut. Preston had made an arrangement to sacrifice
themselves in case the vessel was boarded, a thing likely
to happen. I enclose herewith the report of Commander
Rhind, with the names of the gallant fellows who
volunteered for the desperate service. Allow me to men-
tion, also, the name of Mr. Bradford, of the Coast Survey,
who has also patiently performed every duty he has been
called on to carry out. My thanks are due to Lieut.-Com-
mander R. R. Breese, fleet captain, for carrying about my
orders to the fleet during the action, and for his general

tion.

usefulness ; to Lieut.-Commander 11. A. Adams.

promptness in supplying the fleet with ammunition; to
Lieut. 31. W. Sandars, signal officer, whose whole time
WAS occupied in making signals, and who performed his
duty well ; and to my Aids, Lieutenant S. W. Terry
and Lieutenant S. W. Preston, who afforded me valuable
assistance. I have not yet received a list of the casual-
ties, but believe they are very few from the enemy's
guns. We had killed and wounded about forty-five per-
sons by the bursting of the Parrott guns. I must not omit
to pay a tribute to the officers and crews of the monitors,
who rode out the heavy gales on a open coast without mur-
muring or complaining of the want of comfort, which must
have been very serious. They have shown a dedree of for-
titude and perseverance seldom witnessed. Equally brave
in battle, they take the closest work with pleasure, and the
effect of their shells is terrific. The following are the names
of the commanders, and I hope I shall ever keep them un-
der my command :—Commanders E. G. Parrott, of the
Monadnock, and E. It. Calhoun, of the Saugus ; Lieut.-
Commanders George L. Belknap, of the Canonicus, and E.
E. Potter, of the Mahopac. There are about 1,000 left on
shore by the army, who have not got off yet on account of
the surf on the beach. They will be got off in the morn-
ing, and then the soldiers will be sent home. I enclose the
general order for the attack—l am, sir, very respectfully
your obedient servant, _ •
. .

" DAVID D. PORTER, Rear-Admiral.
" Hon. Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy, Wash-
ington, D.C.'
64 GENERAL BUTLER. TO ADMIRAL PORTER.
" Headquarters Department of Virginia and North
Carolina, Dec. 25, 1864.

" ' Admiral—Upon landing the troops and making a tho-
rough reconnaissance of Fort Fisher, both General Weitzel
and myself are fully of opinion that the place could not be
carried by assault, as it was left substantially uninjured as
a defensive work by the navy fire:: We found 17 guns, pro-
tected by traverses, two only of which were dismounted,
bearing on the breach and covering a strip of land, the only
practicable route, not wide enough for 1,000 men in line of
battle. Having captured Flag Pond Battery, the garrison of
which, 65 men and two commissioned officers, were taken off
by the navy, we also captured Half Moon Battery, and 7
officers and 208 men of the 3d North Carolina Junior Re-
serves, including its commander, from whom I learned that
a portion of Hope's division, consisting of Kirkland's and
Hapgood's brigades, had been sent from Richmond on
Tuesday last, arriving at Wilmington on Friday night.
Gen. Weitzel advanced his skirmishing line within 50 yards
of the fort, while the garrison was kept in their bomb-proofs
by the fire• of the navy, and so closely, that three or four
men of the picket line ventured upon the parapet, and
through the sally-port of the works, capturing a horse,
which they brought off, killing the orderly, who was the
bearer. of a despatch from the Chief of Artillery of General
light battery within the fort ; and also
Whiting,
was
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while t
awaybring
a
e
f r ohme the
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pas
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fthefaflloiurt.g
about
the heads of the daring men who entered the work, and it
was evident, as soon as the fire of the navy ceased because
of the darkness, that the fort was fully manned again,' and
opened with grape and canister upon our picket line. Find-
ing that nothing but the operations of a regular siege, which
did not come within my instructions, would reduce the fort
and in view of the threatening aspect of the weather, the
wind arising from the south-west rendering it impossible to
make
further landing through the surf, I caused 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 Roads as soon as the transport fleet can be got
in order. My engineers and officers report Fort Fisher to
me as substantially uninjured as a defensive work.—l
have, &C.,

Rear-Admiral Porter.'Alajor-General Commanding.
,' ' To'
ENc:Eß:isiewß:
44 4 ADMIRAL PORTER .
S uadron, United States
R"eßarE_N.T. F. BUTLER,
UT: Gil
cc 6 North Atlantic
flagship Malvern,
1864.
Carolina,nleEt:t.North
of which was com-
municatedyour letter of this date, the substance
Weitzel last night. I have
General,—I beg
to me by General
d off Beaufort to fill
ordered the largest vessels to
leave Dec.Dtoeca.cknowledge the receipt of
by making other
it is decided to proceed with this matter
firing rapidly yet,
arrangements. We have not commenced
and could keep any rebels inside from
liP with ammunition, to be readpyrofocereanother attack in case
moving their head
until an assaulting column was within 20 yards of the works.
I wish some more of your gallant fellows had followed
the
officer who took the flag from the parapet and the brave
fellow who brought the horse out from the fort. I think
they would have found it an easier conquest than is sup-
posed. Ido not, however, pretend to place my opinion in
opposition to General Weitzel, whom I icuov, to be an ac-
complished soldier and engineer, and whose opinion has
great weight with me.

" 'D. D. PORTER, Rear-.A.droiral.l