Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1861-11-15

give good idea OF the nature OF toe coun-
try:
Port Royal Entrance is an inlet from the
Atlantic, in latitude 80 deg 8. min. North,
fifty miles southwest Of Charleston, and fif-
teen northeast of Tybee Inlet, the entrance
Of Savannah River. The opening from the
Atlantic Is between Edding Island and
Hilton Head Island aud at that point isl
about three miles wide. The prolongation
inward Of Port Royal Entrance is called
Broad River and Port Royal River.
Running up this for about twenty-five
miles bending off eastward through the
Coosaw river, and coming out 70 the Allan
tic again through 81. Helena Sound, you
have an irregular area Of about twenty five
miles by fifteen. This amphibious region
cut up by numerous rivers, creeks and in
lots into great many islands Sea Islands)
of various sizes, the chief Of which are Port
Royal, St. Helena, Paris Ladies, Coosaw,
Morgan, Dathaw, Edding, Chaplin, Prentis
and Hunting. H1-
Along tho coast Of South Carolina as in
North Carolina and Georgia, stretches low
and narrow sand bar-a kind Of defensive
outwork Of the land, seldom inhabited ex-
cept by lost Indians and runaway negroes,
wko subsst by hunting and fishing. AT
distant intervals there are shallow breaches
through which the quiet tide steals in twice
day, swelling the natural lagoons and
damaging the outlet Of the fresh water
streams till the current is destroyed and
turned back, and their food dispersed far
and wide over the debatable land Of the
Cypress Swamp. Then, when the heavy
rains in the interior have swoolen the rivers,
their eddying currents deposit all along the
edges of the sandy islands and capes the
rich freight they have brought from the
calcareous or granitic mountains in which
they rise, with the organic waste Of the
great forests through which they flow
This is the soil of the rice and cotton plan
tations, which are always found in such
parts Of the tidal swamps adjoining the
main land or tho sandy islands as arc left
nearly dry at the ebb Of the water.
The entrance to Port Royal is the best
channel for ships through the bars in the
whole range of ports below Norfolk.
Ships which draw fourteen or fifteen feet
water may 60 in at Tybee and proceed
through land to Beaufort in Port Royal Is
lands; and from Beaufort, vessels of eight
or nine feet water may go through land to
Charleston. From Charleston, vessels draw
ing seven or eight feet water may 90 thro'
land to the river Medway, in Georgia.
which lies thirty miles south of Savannah.
Port Royal Island, the chief of the group
above mentioned, is surrounded BY the
Broad, Port Royal, Coosaw and Beaufort
rivers, and is about twelve miles long and
six wide. On the east side of the island,
and about midway, stalds the town of
Beaufort on Beaufort river, the approach to
which does not admit vessels of over eleven
feet draft.
Beaufort is about ten miles from the sea,
and sixteen miles from the Charleston and
Savannah railroad, and this important line
is itself directly approachable by water thro'
Broad river, and St. Helena sound and
Combahee river. A force moving up the
river from Beaufort, via Beaufort and Coo
saw and Port Royal rivers, would strike
the Charleston and Savannah railroad at
about midway between Charleston and Sa
vannah, and about fifty miles from either
city--a fact which renders obvious the i'm
mense strategic importance of that line
Beaufort is the Newport of South Carolina,
and has white population of about one
thousand
Beaufort District is the southernmost
district or county of South Carolina, and
has an area Of l,540 square miles. 1t is
separated from Georgia by the Savannah
river, and is bounded on tho northeast bv
the Combahee river, and intersected by the
Coosawhatche. The surface is low and lev
el, the soil sandy and alluvial, producing
cotton, rice, Indian corn and potatoes in
great abundance. 1t is one of the most
thickly-setlled districts of the State, the
population in 1850 being s,s05, of whom
no less than 32,279 were uegroslavcs.
We add the following from the World:
Beaufort, which has the deepest and fn-
est harbor on the Southern coast, is pleas
ant little village of about thousand inhab-
itants, situated sixteen miles inland, and
distant fifty miles from Charleston and
thirty-fvc from Savannah The landing Of
a large force in its vicinity is a menace to
both these cities, which will compel the
rebels to keep large stationary force for
the defense of each, besides confronting us
with another at Beaufort. They cannot
send detachments from the latter to either
of these important cities so quickly as We
can dispatch large force from Beaufort by
sea; nor can the troops at any one of them
be sent to the defense of the other, without
leaving it exposed to attack by new arma-
ment which may pouucc on it from Fortress
Monroe. The rebel troops at Charleston
and Savannah must be sufficient, at each of
these cities, 10 defend it from our whole
Southern force which can be welded against
either at will, and which will require the
rebels to stand ready with three times as
many men to meet an attack as would bo
necessary if the point of landing had been
less skilfully selected.
The country around Beaufort for a great
distance back, is as level as any of our west,
ern praries, which will prevent the rcbcls,
in the battles likely to occur, from fighting
with the advantage of ground which have
been OF such service to them in Virginia.
They can make no cunning retreats, draw
ing us on until strong position makes il
safe TO hazard battle. On those exten-
sive fats every battalion of our men will be
at least an even match for every battalion