Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1861-06-02
A correspondent Of the New York Times
writes from Pensacola, oD board the frigate
Poghattan. on III a 9Th inst. as follows:

A correspondent Of the New York Time
writes from Pensacola, oD board the frigat,
PoWhattan, on the 18th inst, as follows:
But President Davis visit was an important
one. He came here,I understand, to canvass
the praclicability of erecting, nearer the navy
yard than Fort Blrrancas, o new impregna.
BILE iron fortress, said to be the invention OF
some Mr.. Hall, an enterprising EnglishmaD,
who sends journeymen around the world TO build
"indestructible forts for the best bidder" | be.
lieve that three Of this gentleman's assistants
are, while write, in the city Of Montgomery,
devising means by which the new invention
may be made available 10 Florida. As the
blockade will doubtless interfere with the i'm
portation ofthe aff4ir-it certainly could not be
manufactured in provinces, where cannon can
not be riaed without destroying four to ten
the conclave may not amount 70 q great DEAL
A somewhat peculiar way Of ferreting out se-
crets has enabled me to discover the primary
cause Of JEFF. 8 visit, although there are others,
and hardly less portentOus ones that led to u, of
which more bye-and bye.
AS to the fortress--my courier not being so
far advanced la literature as TO be able TO put
one Ineligible word on paper-l have failed TO
obtain very clear idea Of 1t. AS near as can
Judge, it, in its external view, partakes OF the
and two hundred and forty feet high, growing
narrower gradually, monumental fashion, as It
reaches the top. Tue thing must rest on q
rock, but queerly impregnsbe things are said
to have been constructed on rocks, you know.
IL is to mount eighty guns,twenty of them being
80 arranged as to bear on one object at time.
From on hours conversation on this subject, this
IL all the description can give you Of the bril-
liant fortress that is to make Barrancas Pick
eus, and Pickens o "silent, lone and melancholy
square,"
There was q grand military Board of investi
CATION held at the camp headquarters during
the stay of the polite and digDifed JEFF. Col
onel Chambers was sent for; Colonel Clayton
was sent for; Major Bradford was sent fort and
everybody who is any body in Warrington
and that is nobody but Of epaulettes-Was sent
for to talk over the "situation" My "Fridsy"
could not get q glimpse Of the meeting, nor q
hint as to its mode Of prosecuting business
However, Pickens was not so much matter OF
debate with the Generals as Rosas Island. If
there is one eye-sore 10 Florida for the South,
1t is Rosas Island When the morning aAg goes
up, the banner of the Stars and Stripes is hoet
ed at Rosas Island, and floats there in most
provoking manner; when night comes on, the
i'chivalrous enemy cannot shut out from his
mental gaze the Federal camp on Rosas Island
the whole leland, "from the centre all round TO
the sea-" where the United States is the only
authority. Every day we see more and more
what incaculable advantage Rosas Island Is to
US.
The "President" reviewed the troops and
made q speech. He said that "the Montgom-
cry Government looked sacredly to the interests
of the brave men in Pensacola, and would take
care that no unnecessary sacrifice of human
life would ensue." Directly after his departure
rumors were rife that it was decided not to at
tack Pickens or the island These rumors are
very busy in the feet. They mean nothing
Even the iron fortress affair may be only a
blind. The Washington authorities should bear
we'll in memory that not day passes without
the reinforcement, In some measure, of Bragg's
command, and that the only change made in
our forces must necessarily be q reduction
The Ph,ladelphiG takes some men from US to-
day, and they need rest and furlough. The
current sick list averages nearly one hundred
men, and there can not be less than two hum
dred and forty other non combatants in the fleet
and companies.
Our available fighting material, then, is less
than one thousand men, If even include the
portion of the ships' crews that could be safely
transferred, for O time, to the ehore. Bit it Ia
questionable whether 1t would be advisable to
remove the sailors and marines atall from their
vessels. In the ward-room Of one of them there
was spirited debate on this matter few days
since, which resulted in the decision, that the
practice of drafting sailors and marines from
men-oi-war was only resorted to in cases where
there was no prospect of maritime engage
ment. This is not so with us. This ship, the
Brooklyn, and the Sabine, will endeavor to en-
gage the land batteries the moment hostilities
commenced, and am one of those who oppose
detachment from the vessels of any OF their reg
ular crews. Even now, there are some Of our
hands on the island, and We miss them.