New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-12-31
FROM SOUTH CAROLINA.
EVACUATION OF FORT MoULTRIE.

'N'"'r' ~ SOinuluhltJ
y as Tremendously excited by ac N. unusuo, 90.
,unerce. | soon found tb a. ,he excitement
relnt,d to the forts in TN bar.or oonseonsnt,v
adr Tor the ButtV,.. Hundreds had arrived
there before me- Chanc,us down the bay,
mlcld the sta's AID Strips floating Fort
Sumter, aud a clsAd Of smoke rising from Fort
MoGlire.
frecisrly what had taken place, there
positive 'niormst;on. TIE impression wa, that,
during the night there bod been an engagement,
which had resulted IN the evacuation of Fort
MoV,le soa the occupation of Fort Sumter by
M,,ior Andersen 1t was not loog, however,
b,riore the b 1T that had gone down the bay to
ASCERTAIN tbe facts, retained with the intelligence
that lo fsft had taken place, but that Major
Anderson lad, during the night, removed his
GARRISON to Fort Sstster, not, bswever, before
/ spitsug The guns an Fort Moultre, set fire to
s,s,e If the works asd rendered il useless in the
haids oi M ENEMY.
These y, rtculars, without further details or
essaa. ation, were ut that could be ascertained,
turtler tbso that Cap. Foster Of the Engineers,
Sirh soRre half dozen men, EemaDs at M"uitrie,
yGrobably tc complete che dismaDtline of her.
As the rws spread the excitement increased.
tsl sorts Il rumors were aHoat. One was, that
several huisarcd United States troops had ar
rized, ard chat a feet %as outside the harb0r.
Whether trse or false, this was what was most
leaied and 10y many expected. To say that the
excitement sas intense, would be falling short OF
the truth. Rage, chagrin, disappointment. fury,
were depicted on the couMenances, and forcibly
expressed by the language Of the Revoluti0Dists,
as they ccnrrehended tie character OF Maj Au-
dersou's strategic movement. They were con
Tot nded and utterly at lose what 10 d.. Gov
,beus was Ies0rted TO by the leaders, aud
some say he was actually pulled out of bed at
the MiIls House; but he was csnfounded as
much as The rect.
Tie PIERS and the Battery now swarmed with
the excited multitude. 1t aas not long before the
secret leaked out that il was Fort Sumter the
Re, outOniss intended 10 attack and capture with.
in the next few days. This they could easily have
done, ungsrrisOntd as it was, and with its COlam-
biads blow Major Anderson and his command out
Of Fort NOutrie. 1t now seems that the Occu.
paLcy Of Fort Sumter, instead of Fort Moultrie,
practical fact that was to marguerite Secession.
Probably Major Anderson judged Gov. Pickens
did, that FOIt Sumter was the key to everything,
on The possession of which rested the solution of
the question whether the Federal laws were TO |
be- executed or not and thus thinking, Major An
derson APPEARS to have acted promptly.
If this has been the character of the movement,
the, Interpretation Of ihe fact that the American
flag row waves over Sumt"r, and the e1plana-
t on ~ the cloud oi smoke that rises from Fort
Moultrie, predict that the act will send thrill
through the country, ut least that portion OF IT
tEut is true to the Union. At any rate. such 1
." a't w" Prov c.,u,.aeno Us 70 who shall :
lald -
80. forts. Major Anderson, If be has doA |,
no more. has settled that question: aud pr osoly
without bl' odsbed.
Az to the real motives of Major Anderson, Of
ctur,e nothing ia yet known. can only judge
Of the effect Of his extrsor daary movement as
confessed by the revelut1onists themselves.
1t is reported that Gov. Pickeus has ordered
II mihtay olt, with the view Of taking posses-
sun of fGrt Moultrie and Castle Pinckpey,
Will Maj Anderson lst them do it We're the
E.; TO nia to do so, it would be locking the
door al er the horse was stolen. sunters O.
FOUNDER Columbiads will unlock the same again
whenever that becomes desirable.
An hour later: Another arrival from the
neipLborhOod of the forts only confirms the
above. 1t ia believed that the act was m ex-
erciae of bis own discretion by Maj. Anderson.
Tie Revolutionists say that they regard IT as an
act Of war, unless it lie promptly disavowed by
tue Federal Government, aud Anderson recalled.
Buchanan is denounced for being guilty of
breach of faith.
Fort Sumter, which has suddenly become the
object of SO much interest, and over which the
American flag waves, through the stern exercise
of Will and fearless discharge Of daty by brave
and capable officer, is comparatively new work,
Of FIST magnitude and scarcely yet complete. 1t
is built on an artificial Island, at the entrance of
Charleston Harbor, its foundations being OF stone,
firmly anchored, all above the water-lne being of
brick, with concrete filing, Of the most SUBJ
s,autial character. According to q descrip-
ton given some days since by The Mercury,
the value and general correctness of which
l beg II acknowledge, the plan of the
fort it q truncated pentagoD, with one side
parallel to the adjoining shore, thus pro-
seutiDg an angle 70 the channel Of the trun.
Gated angles, the eastern, western, and northern
are simply formed into Pan-conpees, while the
other two are formed Of two small faces, making
an angle of about Is degrees with the sides Of
the pentagoo. At each intersection Of the small
faces is Il sally-pOrt. The hight Of the parapet
above the water-ne is 60 feet. On the eastern