Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1861-11-14

snip over sne bar vas kailed rith 7raiif-fn,
cheers rom the crowded vessels. We an.
lhored and Immediately commenced prepar.
.ng the ship for action. In our anxiety tc
get the outline of the forts before dark, ve
,tood in too near these shoals. and the shin,
grounded. By the time she got Of Il va
100 late, In my jadgmen, 10 proceed. and
made Signals for the squadron 70 anchor ont
ofgun shot Of the enemy.
To-day the wind blows a gale from the
5outhWard and westward, and the attack d
unayoidably postponed.
l have the honor to be, sir,
Respectfully, your obd't sery't,
s. F. DUPONT,
Flag Officer Commanding South Atlantic
BlOckading Squadron.
Commodore Duponts official despatch to
Secretary Welles coutains a short narration
Of events. Accompanying the dispatches
we're several trophies, captured flags and two
Orass cannon, lately belonging to the State
Of South Carolina. A list Of casualties is
also received; total killed, 8; wounded Sc
gerely, 8; slightly wounded, II; total killed
and wounded, 81.
A letter to Secretary Welles from Com.
Dupont says since writing his official de-.
spatches be had sent gun-bOats 70. o.BeaufOrt 70
take possession Of the town and protect the
inhabitants, but found the place abandoned
10 the negroes, who are reported in laWless
condition.
The following is an extract from private
letter from an officer engaged in the bom-
bardment:
Our success has been complete, and terror
~, --hona L.
are wild, and are plunderiDg their masters
houses. The whites have been driving the
negroes away BY force and shooting them
down, but they still come to the gunboats.
The moment Gen. Drayton took to his horse
on the panic of the 9TH, his 200 servants
vent directly TO the Wabash. This is
wOrthy Of notice, as putting down the nom
sense that the slaves were ready to fight for
their masters. They surrounded Capt. Am
men in crowds at Beaufort, one Of then
calling out in the joy of his heart, 81 didn't
think you could d0 it, Massa''
Gen. Shernan's report TO Adjutant Gen.
Thomas is received. He says it was agreed
between Com. Dupont and himself to first
reduce the army works that might be found
at Port Royal, and thus open the finest har-
DOR on the coast south of Hatteras. de saws
the squadron had been almost entirely dis
persed by the gale, and the vessels have
been Struggling in up to This date The
transport steamers Union, Bel1idere, Osceo-
la and Fearless have not arrived; one OF them
is known to be lost, and it is probable that
all are. It is gratifying, however, to say
that none Of the troops transports connected
with the land force were lost, though the
Windfeld scott had to sacrifice her whole !
cargo, and the Roanoke portion of hers, TO |
save the lives of the regiments on board; the
former will again be enabled to put to sea.
OF the vessels connected with the naval por- |
Eion OF the feet some have been lost.
After careful Reconnaissance of Port Roy |
al Bay it was ascertained the rebels had |
three field works Of remarkable strength, |
garrisoned and covered by three gunboats, |
besides strong land forces, which the rebels |
were concentrating at Charleston and Sa- /
vannah. Itwas deemed proper to first re- |
duee the fort on Hilton Head, though TO do |
this great OF less fire might have to be met |
from the batteries on Bay Point. At the |
ssms time our original plan Of cooperation |
of the land forces In this attack had to be |
Sc aside, in consequence of the loss during /
the voyage, Of the greater. portion If our /
means of disemb barkment, together with the /
fact that the only point where the troops
should have landed ves Eve or six miles /
from the anchoring place of our transpei is,
altogether too great distance for successful |
debarkation with our limited means.
Il was, therefore, agreed that the place |
should be reduced by the naval force alone. |
was mere spectator Of the combat, and it /
is not my province to make any report Of J
this action. deem It an imperative daty to
say that the hrlng and manoeuvreing OF our
aeet against that of the rebels and their for |
midable land batteries, was a masterpiece of |
activity and professional skill. Alter the |
works were reduced 1 took possession of !
them with the land forces. The work on |
Hilton Head was severely crippled and many |
of the guns dismounted. Much slaughter /
had evidently been made there, many bodies |
having been buried ia the fort and some 20 |
or 80 found halfa mile distant.
After landing and taking possession of the
forts, Gen. Sherman issued a proclamation
to the people of South Carolina, saying, that
in obedience to oFders of the President,
have landed On your shores with a small force
Of National troops. We come among you
without feelings of personal animosity-no
desire TO harm your citizens destroy proper
W VI AulCA4SAS WIN Jul AamluA Aawo1 AlBuA1i
or social or iegsl institutions, beyond what
causes herein alluded to may render unavoid-
able.
General Sherman then reviews the action
of South Carolina IN the present rebellion,
and implores the people to pause and reflect
upon the consequences Of their acts, and
says, we have come among you as loyal men
fully impressed with our constitutional oo-
legations to the citizens Of your State. These
Obngations shall be performed so far as in
our power. But be not deceived. The OBJ
legation of supprossing armed combinations
against constitutional authorities in para
mount to all sthers. If, in the performance
of this duty minor, but important obligations
should be neglected, it must be attributed to
the necessities Of the case, because rights de-
pendent on laws of States must necessarily
succumb to military exigienees created BY
insurreetion,