The Sun.
London, England, 1861-11-30 00:00:00

THE CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA

LIVERPOOL, FRIDAY.
The Canadian mail Steamship Tara, and the In-
man steamship City of New York, have arrived, the
former with advices from Quebec to the 16th and
the latter from New York to the same date.
The following are the official reports from the
expeditionary squadron on the Carolina coast :

4, To the Adjutant-General of the United States'
Army, Washington, D.C.

" Port Royal, South Carolina, Nov. 8.

" Sir,—l have the honour to report that the force
under my command embarked at Annapolis, Mary-
land, on the 21st Oct., and arrived at Hampton-
roads, Virginia, on the 22d. In consequence of the
delay in the arrival of some of your transports, and
th 3 unfavourable state of the weather, the fleet was
unable to sot out for the Southern coast until the
29th, when under the convoy of a naval squadron,
in command of Commodore Dupont, and after
the most mature consideration of the object of the
expedition by that flag officer and myself, it
was agreed to first reduce any works that might
be found at Port Royal, South Carolina, and thus
open the finest harbour on the coast that exists
south of Hatteras. It was calculated to reach Port
Royal in five days at most, but in consequence of
adverse winds and a perilous storm on the day and
night of the Ist November, the fleet arrived at Port
Royal Bay not until the 4th, and then but in part,
for it had been almost entirely dispersed by the gale
the vessels have been struggling in up to this date.
The transport steamers Union, Belvidere, Osceola,
and Peerless have not arrived. Two of them are
known to be lost, and it is probable all are. It is
gratifying, however, to say that none of the trcop
transports connected with the land forces were lost,
though the -Winfield Scott had to sacrifice her whole
cargo, and the Roanoke a portion of her cargo, to
save the lives of the regiments on board. The for.
mer will again be unable to put to sea. The vessels
connected with the naval portion of the fleet have
also suffered much, and some have been lost. After

a careful:reconnaissance of Port Royal Bay it was

ascertained that the rebels had three fieldworks of
romaikable strength, strongly garrisoned, and
covered by a fleet of three gunboats, under Captain
Tatnell, late of the United States' Navy, besides
strong land forces, which the rebels were concen-
trating from Charleston and Savannah, The troops
of the rebels were afterwards ascertained to have
been commanded by Gen. Brayton. One of the forts,
and probably the strongest, was situated on Hil-
ton's Head, and the other two on Phillips's Island.
It was deemed proper to first reduce the fort on
Hilton's Head, though to do this a greater or less
fire might have to be met from the batteries on Bay
Point. At the same time our original plan of co-
operation of the land forces in this attack had to
be sot aside in consequence of the loss during the
voyage of the greater portion of our means of dis-

embarkment, together with the fact that the
only point where the troops should have landed
was from five to six miles, measuring around
the intervening shoal, from the anchoring place of
our transports, altogether too great a distance for
successful debarkation with our limited means. It
was therefore agreed that the place should bo re-
duced by the naval force alone. In consequence of
the shattered condition of the fleet, and the delay
in the arrival of vessels that were indispensable for
the attack, it had to be postponed until the 7th
inst. I was a mere spectator of the combat, and
it is not my province to make any report of this
action. I deem it an imperative duty to say that
the firing and manoeuvring of our fleet against that
of the rebels and their :formidable land batteries
was a masterpiece of activity and professional skill
that must have elicited the applause of the rebels
themselves as a tactical operation. I think that too
much praise cannot be awarded to the science and
skill exhibited by the flag officer of the naval squa-
dron and the officers connected with his ships. I
deem the performance a masterly one, and ought to
have been seen to be appreciated. After the works
were reduced, I took possession of them with the
land forces. The beautifully constructed work on
Hilton's Head was severely crippled, and many of
the guns dismounted. Much slaughter had evi-
dently been made there, many bodies having been
buried in the fort, and some 20 or 30 were found
some half a mile distant. The land for many miles
was found strewed with army accoutrements and
baggage of the rebels, which they threw away in
their hasty retreat. We have also come into pos-
session of about 40 pieces of ordnance, most of
which is of the heaviest calibre and of the moat
approved makes, and a large quantity of ammuni-
tion and camp equipage. It is my duty to report
the valuable services of Mr. Panhelle, assistant in
he coast survey, assisting with his accurate and
extensive knowledge of this country. His services
are invaluable to the army as well as to the navy,
and I earnestly recommend that important notice
be taken of that very able and scientific officer by
the War Department. —I am, very respectfully,
your obedient servant,
" T. W. STIERMSN, Brigadier-General,
Commander."
After landing and taking possession of the forts,
eneral Sherman issued the following proclama.
Lion :

" Port Royal, South Carolina, Nov. 8.

"To the People of the South,—ln obedience to
the orders of the President of these United States
of America, I have landed on your shores with a
small force of national troops. The dictates of a
fluty which, under the Constitution, I owe to a great
sovereign State and to a proud and hospitable
people, among whom I have passed some of the
pleasantest days of my life, prompt me to proclaim
that we have come against you with no feeling of
personal animosity—no desire to harm your citizens,
destroy your property, or interfere with any of your
lawful laws and rights, or your social and local in-
stitutions, beyond what the causes herein briefly
alluded to may render unavoidable.
" Citizens of South Carolina,—The civilised world
stands appalled at the course you are pursuing—
appalled at the crime you aro committing against
your own mother—the best, the most enlightened,
and, heretofore, the most prosp6rous of nations.
You arc in a state of active rebellion against the
laws of your country. You have lawlessly seized
upon the forts, arsenals, and other property belong-
ing to our common country, and within your border,
with that property, you are in arms, and making a
ruthless war against your constitutional Govern.
ment, and thus threatening the existence of a Go-
vernment which you are bound, by the terms of
solemn compact, to live under and faithfully sup-
port. In doing this you are not only undermining
and preparing the way for totally ignoring your
own political and social existence but you are
threatening the civilised world with the odious
sentiment that self-government is impossible with
civilised man.

eg Fellow-Citizens,--1. imploreiirti
to pause and
reflect upon the tenor and consequence- yon
°dyour acts,
evastation
of the awful sacrifices mad
of our property, the shedding of fraternal blood
in battles. The mourning and Wail-
lug of widows
and orphans throughout our land are •
insufficient
to deter you from further pursuing this unholy
war. 'Then ponder, I beseech you, upon the
ultimate, but not less certain, result which its
further progress must necessarily and naturally
entail upon your once happy and prosperous State.
Indeed, can you pursue this fratricidal strife and
continue to imbrue your hands in the loyal blood
of your countrymen, your friends, your kinsmen,
for no other object than to unlawfully disrupt the
Confederacy of a great people, a Confederacy esta-
blished by your own hands, in order to set up, if
possible, an independent Government, under which
you can never live in peace, prosperity, or quiet-
ness ?

" Carolinians,—We have come among you as
loyal men, fully impressed with our constitutional
obligations to the citizens of your State. Those
obligations shall be performed as far as in our
Power but, be not deceived : the obligation of
871:ieasing armed combinations against the con-
tonal authorities is paramount to all others.
The ig111.13 dePeudent on the laws of the State must