, 1861-11-16
OUR BEAUFORT VICTORY.


fNew York reporters who were witnesses Of
the Beaufor. offair. These We tsve culled at
random, and arranged in manner as present
ed, giving the leading facts and features oh.
tanned without other than this general credit.
CHRONOLOGY OF THE VOYAGE.
TUESDAY, OCT. q.
Last evecing, Monday, Oct 2S, were issaed
from the headquarters Of the flag officer, the
orders for the fleet to sail this mcrning, get
ting under way as rapidly as they could take
Their respective places In line. Before sun
rise: This golden morning, every, vessel had
fer getting up stesm, and at 514 the gun boats
sud ether armed vessels that were to form the
line in front OF the transports, began to take
up position, and shortly to steam out Of the
bsy.
Al 12 noon to-day we are ell under way.
ways, and one anda half cables length distant,
eneEin advance cfthe other. The battle front Of
the Grand Expedition stretched nearly six
miles from wing to wing. From front to rear,
from the stately Wabash to the gunboats
Mohican and Seminole that protected our
rear, the distance is not fnT from three miles
while, if we chose to extend the line to the
little fleet OF our coil schooners that follow On
still further behind, we might add another
mile or 50 to our figures.
1LCAF1AS IOA GAEGa 1lNIIA0 uEAtAAS TV AAfV
discovered that our rate Of speed was to be
very low, to accommodate all classes Of sail
Our own Atlantic, spite Of burning coal under
but three boilers, and keeping the fires SO low
that the engineers swear there isn't fire
enough to broil a mackelel, cannot run slow
enough, but involuntarily shoots ahead, and
is then compelled to stop entirely until the
tardJ feet creep up
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 80.
Of course, our first lookout this morning
Has Tor the fleet. The vessels had kept ad.
mirably together. At O'Clock there were
Visible from our wheelhouse So SAL Of vessels,
great and small, the Wabash il her proper po~
sticn 81 the head OF the feet.
The observation to day at noon showed Us
to be in latitude IS deg % min, longitude Is
deg. min. Distance from Fortress Monroe
lis miles, showing an average speed for the
entire teet Of * miles an hour, or therea-
bouts. At p N. we passed Cape Hatteras.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 81
All through the night the breeze has kept
briEkly up, and this moraiug Il very heavy sea
is r1nniDc- At 2 A. H., from our Wheelhouse
there were visible SO Of cur vessels. Dueing
the night, the steamer 1lliuois found herself
among the Ehcal5. She hurriedly cast eff her
TOW, which, yesssl, in the..confnsiou OF the time
ran into the steamer, carrying away the upper
halt Ct her chimney, or smokestack, 1nd doing
other but not eerious damage. By what mir.
acle of eeamanEhip both vessels were finally
extricated, cannot pretend to tell
Though the Illinois had been delayed Until
she herself Was IS miles behind the fleet, the
rest Of The vessels had not elackened IN any
| degree their onward course, but they were
| gong 30 slow that it Was very easy matte,
for The lagging vessels, by cracking on al
| steam, to come up with the others. At night
| the fleet was not widely scattered from int
| original order Of eailiEg, and as the wind mai
6ied array, aad the waves had been growing
small by degrees and beautifully less" al
! Tie observations showed Us to be at noou
| Today in latitute 54:32 longitude 75:4S. Dis
| tance made in the last "a hours. 80 miles.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1.
| 4 most noticeable thing this morning Is tn.
| glorious slowing forth Of brilliant rainbow
| which as there is neither rain nor, at the mo
| ment, sun, seems to us to put il its appear
ance without sufficient cause or prcVocation
The officers and soldiers of the regiment be
| bold it tinterestedly; your correspondent gaze
at 1t sdnir;ugly; the officers Of the ship ant
the sailors look st it one-sldedly, and not
few Of them swear at it audiblg. Others re
| peat this couplet:
SAT rainbow in the morainga
| Sailors take warning
| The fleet still preserve pretty close order
| though there are but twenty or thereabout Il
be seen frcn our decEa at onc1. Blu: We ha7i
reports that q number have shot AHEAD Of III
| iG the night, and that VIC have shot ahead G
still others, 60 that we are convinced that
| circle Ct q few miles clrcumEcri6es us all an
that We are pressing on well together, towar
cur port OF destiIation.
By O'Clock T. II. the gale had 60 strength
ened as to make the mornings Iris the part
colored subject Of 4 universal curse; by
o'clock r. N. the Wind had come into Its stu,
diest galenood, snd Tas making e7erythIn
spin btfore 1t. The storm was at its hight $
about P. n, and ragged with the utmost Y
olence ard without cessation till i 4. n
when the first signs Of abatement occurret
On Friday, at noon, the observation Shove
Us to be in latitude 81 IS, longitude 77:57, au
that, during the preceding Il honrs VIC ha
run l44 miles.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2.
All day Saturday the gale kept us so bus
that ne had little time to LOOK out for Il
fleet, and an occasional glimpse Of sing
vessel Was all that We obtained. An idea
the violence of the storm may be formt
She1 il state that our q toaa hoIrG run +,ts Tas b
deg. 29 min, longitude IS deg. 05 min.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8.
/ The gale is gone. At ICON to-day We We
III latitude 50 deg. 81 min, longitude 79 de
81 min. Distance run in the last n hours,
miles. The sealed orders we're opened yestf
l | day, sud everybody now knows, what few
e | De before well understood, that We are boul
tor Port Royal, South Carolina, for whis
place we are now directly heading. We sh'
be there tomorrow, then, if I'll cur feet cor
up to the scratch, aud We so to work wi
cur full force, we shall see Whist we shall 5t
TEE ARRIVAL AND RENDEZVOUS.
= MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4.
The first Of our fleet to reach Port Roy
haEbor HaE the gunboat Bienville, which
J rived cE Sunday night. Others followed
quick succession, and at 10 g. N. Of Mond:
It when the Atlantic came in, there we're 26
n | the fleet in sight, either coming In Or actual
= at anchor. As fast as the gunboats arrive
they were set about the work Of ascertain
e the e:zte Of the eoundings-not only the der
r Of water, but if any distractions had be
"a sunk III the channels
y Not half the feet anchored on Monday
fore the lighter gunbo2ts were already e
J. p1oyed in this duty, and engaged In verifyi,
n. og actual sounGings, the Information We Vi
- already in possession OF, as to the depth
u water il 1te ha1bcr and Though the differ
II eoEInt..5-
+, our boats we're engaged by hVerebel gunbos
:. with suddenly appeared from behind he
IT land which had hitherto concealed the
II TEey boldly ran down. and, without hesl
= ton, engaged onr gunboats. The skirm
was G sharp one, lasting about threc-QGaEt
= Of an boor, and Terminating in the compl
e. triumph OF cur bosts, and the retirement
1g tLe rebel steamers
ct THE RECONN0ISsANCE-
ns On Tuesday morning Ger. Sherman, in
- steam tug Mercury, s.attsd to make PAR
~ nlar examination at Hilton Head and
% Pcint, with the idea Of approaching the So
ia close enough to tempt the enemy to fire,
i'll ttus betsay his position 4 large nuuber
=, cur transports were then at anchor within
H. bar, about four miles from the lard, and m
En- Of the gunboats had taken position ST
be- distance IN advance Of them, in order I
IAN none should fall as prizes into the hand
4-t the rebel steamers.
'st. Before the Mercury had gone mile in
on direction Of the land, it was discovered [
for Iatna1ls hoats-Il1eI steamers, painted bi,
;h1e supposed to be the Eyerglade, this Cecil,
~. the Excel-were coming outside Of the IN
h's With their rebsl flags waving an imput
ing, defiance to our fleet The Pawnee, O
.rly VA, Seminole, Cur}ew, and Isaac II. Su
a 5n at once headed towards the saucy vesf
= ~ when Iatnall Opened fire, although
uas which he could i1hict damage With lis e
dis Not willing to throw their shots away,
~ boats reserved their fire, making all speei
a1o wards the Confedc1ates, who took care, ]
It to ever, Let to be caught within range,
the steamed 6tl, as they did last evening, to
a.. friendly cover Of Bay Point. %
: eoe This Daneuver had Its significance, It
ould an attempt to decoy our vessels within =
ng." Of two powerful batteries, three miles q
,s to nFa!5 s "a Fo1e1 Pa1 ~ pNet " sltner
New they commanded. The object OF
movement Tas suspected, but as 1t wal
tA'T lie boats were not deferred from folio,
They bad approached within 3 short
t for Of Bay Point, on the northern side Of the
It his when the guns mounted there beiGaed .
~ announcement OF their presence. Presel
-. battery On the other side, at Hilton aea