Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1861-11-20

both public and private. order books aud doc
umepts of all kinds were left 10 their fight.
aud fell into our hands, affording our officers
much valuable Information. Among the pa
pers was a telegram from jeff Davis to the
of the post, informing him of the
sailing of the feet. and that he knew their
destination TO be Port Royal. tWho was
the traitor ,
seized with perfect panic The day afer
the fight the Seneca and two other gun boats
under the command of Lieut.. Amman, pro-
ceeded up to Beaufort aud found but one
man In town, and he drunk.
An the plantations up the river seemed to
be deserted, except by the negroes. who were
seen in large numbers, and who as the boats
passed, came down TO the shore with their
bundles in their hands, as if expecting to be
taken off.
All the letters 10 the Beaufort Post Office
were seized.
After the capture of the forts. the whole
army, about Is 900 strong. were safely Ian
landed and established on the sacred soil of
South Carolina.
The forts were but little injured but the
Rebels could not stand the explosion of our
big shells Tie force of the enemy is ascer-
tanned to be, from 900 to 600 men, un-
der Gen DraytOn, of South Carolina
Our victory is complete enemy leav-
ing everything but their lives, which they
saved by running.
Bradford of the Coast Survey, bearer
of dispatches, and Lieut.. II Ii Wvman, COM
mauding the Paicnee. also arrived in the
nd tal-a ba hr n Rel
timore.
The boats from the HaJash were the first
10 land after the fight, and Captain John
Rodgers was the first man on shore The
boats returned ladened with trophies of all
kinds One OF our officers found an elegaLt
cavalry sword, with solid silver scabbard
Swords. pistols &c were scattered about in
every direction, and in aLv quantity Bot
four prisoners were found, two Of them be-
ing wounded.
AL hands connected with the feet are rep
resented as acting in tie most gallant man
ner
The reporters who accompanied the cxpe-
dition return to New York 10 the BieRrUc.
with full details.
A flag of truce sent to Norfolk ycster-
terday. but it is understood to have brought
no additional tidings.
How the Rebels Account for their
Defeat.
We have Obtained copy of the Norfolk
Dgy-Jook, of Monday November 11th. It
contains an editorial article, in which the de-
feat of the Rebels is attributed entirely to the
bad manner 10 which tie guns of their forts
were mounted
We quote as follows =
Dismounting of Guns in Shore Batteries
We know so little about military matters,
that are 10th TO express an opinion with
out 6rst' consulting practical men on subject
which may arise for consideration, preferriug
in all cases to have the best views we can get
to spread before our readers. In the ac-
counts which have reached US of the engage
ment at the batteries at Hilton Head and
Bay Point. we have seen a good deal about
our guUs being dismouuted: Now, the en-
! gagement there, happens not to be the first
we have had during the war, SO we can safely
refer to precedents.
At the attack on Sewalrs Point, IN this
ueig hborhOod. which took place at time
! when every thing was new to US, and when
| if there had been a0y greepeSS. it should
! there have shown itself-we believe that no
| such announcement reached US ss guns dis
mountei' Well. further along in the pro-
gress of events, bring US TO Hatteras, - and
without mentioning the innumerabe other
instances in which engagements were had
with our shore batteries of heavy ordnance
without our guns being dismounfed Hat
teras beng an engagement In which quite as
formidable force was brought to bear as
IL II
of anything of that kind taking place there.
| The natural inference is. that there was con-
siderable want of management on the part OF
| those in authority in the battle of Port Roy
al, and that the guns dismounted themselves
by their rebound, from not being properly
secured to their carriages OF this. we are
not told, however. in auy of the commuica-
tons from that quarter. But how battery
of thirty or thirty six guns could be dismoun-
ted otherwise, appears too much of a mystery
| to practical minds with whom we have con-
| versed.
| We have been so often told that one gun
on shore is more effective than five or ten Oh
ship board, that we are forced to credit the
assertion and how the thing was possible for
those shots to disnount our guns. one after
arother. is matter altogether unaccouutable
unless the rebound dismouuted them We
could not see how the ships could have posi-
| bly, disrnountcd them they could not obtai in
such positions as to have accomplished the
result, however, from what light we have had
on the subject so far. we believe the dismoun-
ting of those guns was the means of allowing
the enemy's ships 10 pass our batteries and il
our surmises should prove correct in this case
in may be the means of teaching our people
lesson at other points. which will prevent a
recurrence OF such another disaster