The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1861-12-21
The Late Fight at Fort pickens.
THE OFFICIAL REPORT OF COLI
ONEL HARVEY BROWN.
Headquarters DEPT OF FLORIDA,
FORT PICKENs, Nov. %, 1861.

HEAD-oUARTER DEPT OF FLORIDA,
Fort PIcKENs, Nov. %, 1861.
GENERAL-That Fort Pickens has
been beleagurcd by the rebels for the
last nine months, and that it was daily
( threatened with the t... of Fort Sum er,
is fact notorious to the whole world -
Since Its occupancy by Lieu enant Stem
mer the rebels have been surrounding it
with batteries and daily arming them
with the heaviest and II ,st efficient guns
known to our service-guns stolen from
the United, States-until they considered
this Fort virtually their own, its occu-
pancy being only question of time.
l have been in command since the 1G h
of April, and during the whole Of that
time their force has averaged, so far as l
can learn, from eight to ten times the
number of mine. The position in which
| have thus been placed has been sufi-
GENTLY trying, and have three seperate
times intended to free myself from it by
opening my batteries on them, but i'm
perious circums ances, over which | had
no control, has unexpectedly in each
instance prevented.
Affairs were in this state on the morn
ing of the 9th of October, when the
enemy, fifteen hundred strong, attacked
by surprise a portion Of my command on
an intensely dark night. They were
defeated and driven from the island with
great loss by less than two hundred reg
ulars aud fifty voluntccrs-all the eff
cicnt force | had disposable for the pur-
pose An insult so gross to the flag of
my country could not by ne be passed
unnotlccd, and designed Immediately to
take appropriate notice of it but, as
said before, cucums ances over which |
had no control prevented. make these
PREDATORY remarks to explain why have
now opened my batteries upon the enemy,
when, from the smallness of my forces,
about one sixth of his. thirteen hundred
TO eight thousand | have not the means
of producing any decisive results, as an
evidence of my having accomplished
what | igncd--the Furnishing the per-
potrators of an insult on my country s
flag.
Having invited Flag Officer Mexican
to cooperate with me in lacking the
Rebels, and to which he gave ready
and cordial assent, |, on the morning OF
the 22nd, opened my batteries on the
enemy, to which, in the course of half an
hour, he responded from his numerous
forts and batteries, extending from the
Navy Yard to Fort McRae, distance
of about four miles, the whole nearly
cqui-distant from this fort, and on which
line he has two s-McRae and Bar
rancas-and four cen separate bat cries,
continuing from one to four guns, many
OF them being ten inch columbiads and
some twelve and thrtcen-inch sea coast
mcrtars, the distance varying from two
thousand one hundred to two thousand
nine hundred yards from this fort. At
the same time Of my opening, Flag Officer
Mexican, in the Niagara, and Captain
Ellison in the Richmond, took position
as near to Fort McRae as the depth of
water would permit. but unfortunately
was not sufficiently deep to give full
effect to their powerful ba teres. They,
however, kept up spirited fire on he
fort and adjacent batteries during the
whole day.
My fire was inccssant from the time OF
opening until it was too dark to see, at
the rate of shot for each gun every
fifteen or twenty mimi es, the fire of the
enemy being somewhat slower. BY noon
the guns of Fort McRac were all silcnced
but one, and three hours before sunse
this fort and the adjoining battery ceased
fire. ! directed the guns Of batteries
Lincoln, Cameron and lotion principally
ON the ba teries adjacent to the Navy
Yard, and those of Ba terry Scott to Fort
Mclsac and the lighthouse batteries, and
those of the fort 10 all. We reduced
very pcrcoptibIy the fire ." Barrancas
entirely silenced tina in the Navy Yard
aud in one or two of the other bat cries
the efficiency of our fire, al the close Of
ihe day, not being the least impaired.
The next morning | again opened
about The same hour, the navy, unfor u
ma ely, owing to a rcduc ion in the depth
of water, caused by a change of wind
not being able to gey so near as yes err
day, consequently The distance was toe
great to be efiec ual. My fire this day
was less rapid, and | think more eiiicien
than that of yesterday. Fort McRac
so ehectually silcnccd yesterday, dlt
not fire again to-day. We silcnceC
entirely one or two guns, and had one Of
ours disabled by Il shot coming through
the cmbrasurc.
About three o'clock, fire was commui-
f Gated to one of the houses in Warrington
aud shortly afterwards TO the church
and the whole village being Immediately il
the rear ofsome the Rebel bat cries, they
apparently having placed them purposely
directly in front of the largest and most
valuable buildings. The fire rapidly
communicated to other buildings along
f the street until probably two thirds Of
it was consumed; and about the same
time fire was discovered issuing from the
back part of the Navy Yard, probably
.. Wvlcott, village to the nor,h and i'm
mcdiately adjoining the yard, as War
: ring on does on the west. Finally il
penetrated to the yard, and as it contin-
ued to burn brightly all night, conclu-
, ded that either in Ii or in Welcott many
buildings were destroyed. Very heavy
damage was also done to the buildings
of the yard by the avalanche of shot
shell and splin'ers showcred unccasingl,