The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1861-11-28
9fIistGIIanCons
The Capture Of Beaufort.

The National Intelligenoer publishes
The following letter from an officer Of
The steam frigato Pawneo, which was en-.
gagud in the capture of Beaufort:
PoRT ROYAL BAY, Nov. IL, 1861.
Our gunboats went up TO Beaufort |
yesterday, and found the town and the
river banks deserted by the white resi-.
dents. Parties Of negroes we're break
ing opeR the houses and plundering at
leisure. The panic exceeds descrip- |
ton.
We are informed that tho families on
the main land as well as on this group
of sea islands have fed to tho interior,
in some cases taking their negroes
These generally, however, remain, and
some dozens have come into camp and
have been set at work by the army.
Truly South Carolina's day of reck-
oning has come, She has sown the
wind she is roaping the whirlwind.-|
There is a singular fitness in striking
the effective blow at this bold iuiquity
here in its birthplace. In April last
our flag was, for the first time, dish0n-
Ored on her soil, that the palmetto might
faunt above it. On Thursday last it
was raised again upon her soil, with
such pcaling shouts of triumph aud
such laundering salyos of artillery as
made tho whole State trembe. God
grant that it may forever hoat thcre
Hilton Head, upon which the south
fort stands, is ten feet above high wa
ter. The pnrapet of the fort is somo
twenty feet higher It is protected By
deep ditch with stockado. Itis con
structed on approved scientific prinoi-
pies, with angles, travorsos, a curtain,
BON b-proois, well-protected magazines,
well supplied with ammunition and RI
de-Pits. Twenty-Five guns were found
in the fort, fifteen of which with an
equal number in the fort at Bay Point,
on the north sido) sweep the channel
Of the entrance: Of these the fauking
guns were field pieces Of tho heaviest
calibre, SOpounders; while an enor-
nous lO-inch columbiad occupied the
centre, with 9 inch shell gun beside it.
The remainder were 42.pounders and
30 FOUNDERS, navy patterns, taken from
the artillery park at Norfolk navy yard
There was furnace for heating shot
Tho rifed guns were cast in the moulds
of 8 and l0inch columbiads and rihsd
with a six-inch bore. These and the
Columbiads are new, and bear the stamp
Of AndersOn's Tredeger Iron Works at
Richmond, Abundance of shot and
shell, grape and canister, was left about
the guns. The scene on entering the
fort was extremely interesting. Every.
thingbOro testimony to the terrible effect
Of the 'Jeu d'enter" Of the preceding four
hours. The sand was strewed with frag-
ments Of exploded shells, which had
| perforated wood work and tore up the
turf from the parapet and traversos ev-
erywhcro. Five guns, Of the fifteen
! just named, were dismounted, the 10.
inch columbiad among them. Two 80
| FOUNDERS were thrown down with their
their fragments lying upon them
Twenty-fOur bodies were left unburied
in the enclosure, while others and many
wounded have bcen found in the gToves
beyond the cnmp.
/ was more than ever surprised and
grati6ed with our success after nv Wis.
it, and well appreciated the remark Of
a veteran officer, who exclaimed, after
examining the position and force Of the
batteries, "How did we ever survive
that fire and take these forts" But the
very boldness Of the attack assured il
success. Instead of fighting the forts
at anchor, and exposed to their emilia.
ding fire in the channel, Flag Officer
Dupont steamed the entire squadron
through the passage and attacked the
batteries in flank from the inside of the
Bay, thus preventing half their guns
from being brought to bear upon US
and keeping entirely out Of the rang,
Of one fort, while raining shells upon
the other. The vessels followed eact
? other in slow circles, the Wabash lead
ing, each delivering its fro as the gum
would bear, and as long as within range
AS the tide rose tho circles swept near
er the shore, and the most effective fir
ing was done at one thousand or twelv,
hundred yards.
The onomy stood CALAMITY to thei
guns, but their hopes sank when tn.
boast Of their 6ficers that they woul,
sink our ships if they tried to pass thei
line Of fire was falsifed by our Dol,
dash through Our near approach
saved us from being struck by most Of
their shot and shell, which were aime.
high and whistled harmlessly over ou
heads. A movement of two gun boat
up the Bay, after their FIRE sackenod
caused them TO desert tho forts and fs
across the islands to avoid being cut Of
Had We had pilots for the creeks 10 whic
their steamers we're concealed, tho en-
It tire force Of 5000 men might have bee
captured.
The fort on Bay Point is similar t
the south fort, and as heavily armed.
have not visited it yet.
The Bay is magnificent; it is as aoces
sible as Hampton Roads, with dee
water, and our squadron rides as safel
as there. We have heard but little o
it, but there is not a better harbOr o
the coast.