Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1861-05-03
From ths Petersburg Express
fheL Burning and Dss-rE,on Of Cos
port Navy Yard.
NORFOLK, A pril II, 1861, P. N

NORFOLK, a pril II, 1861, P. NJ.
Yesterday was an exciting DAY here
At an early hour Gen. IALIAFFEnRo Xas
waited on 10y an 9TH Ger from liIe irlgaEe
Cumberland, and informed ,liat the Uui-
ted States forces mere did iioi mean To in-
aGgurate lloStliltles agailot the cltlzens ut
Virginia, but desired only To be let alone.
Ii they yssere a:iacned, or tnclr III Eenlen's
mieriered with, torce would be met by
force, and the cities of Norfolk and Ports
mouth. would be siieiied. Inns no ice, it
was added, WAS given that opportunity
might be allowed. f,,r the removal of the
women and c;iIiurun, il II Was c,'ntcmpla
ted to coinanence nos.iil:ies. The cau.i"n
was not needed, however, for the simple
Heasen that being almost wholly nnprovid-
ed with men asid. suitable nnnltlCns OF
war, there was NOT til. least likelihood
tiiat the Commanding Ge.,eral would in
eur the penalty OF ordcl x an attack.
Until the arrival of the Petersburg bat
.alion last night the whole force under
arms here daa. not number two hundred
men, and even this-slna!l 80. ce was bu
nadiiftrently supplied with means OF de-
tence. OF artillery, the arms most neei-
ed, four rifle cannon Is peunder~) aud two
elghtaeia Founders een.prised the whole
So urgent was the necessity for artillery
tsiu TO be that old cannon that have dome
dI;y at street corners us leaning posts tor
half century ar more bs~e been dug up
all oven .hs city but being found WORTH
less, as any one nsighr iiaAe known, have
OF course been tinow.I asl,e a.,ain.
1t seems uuaccou,l,able that a place so
important rs this, should have been, III
times like these, .eft so'utteriy detenceless.
Of koMder and fixed atumunii ion here
isalnabundant supply. You have already
beein informed by telegraph OF the seizure
OF the naval magazine AT Forf Norfolk
last Friday night. BY this seizure VIC
have secur. upwards Of 1900 barrels ":
powder and fixed -anInaulIltinn.- Of this
qaanliry about one-tiiird has beer sent IL,
Rscai.I2ond aud Petersburg. II por,lnu to
Hampton, ,and the balance is s,oned near
this cEv, AT present. usaads.f the proteci ion
OF the Petersburg City Gaardsaas.pt. May.
It is pretty safe
Ali day long II was evident from pro-
ceedings in the harbnr, that some niIus,,al
movement was abou. to be made, bat its
precise nature no one could deiermine.-
Everything, however. indicated a purpose
en the part OF the enemy. to abandon the
Navy Yard, and destroy all the property
fhat could not be removed. With the
e5b tide, quantities of broken ninskct
stocks foated past the city, an.. vorkmen
from the yard reported that all the can
non had. been spiked, and u general -des-
truciion OF properly WAS in progress
later in the day, it was discovered that
the Ger1aaassoaon, Merramac, Raritan,
Plymouth, aud LA,lpiasn llad been sent
tled, aud That a pair pf enormous sheers
used. tor taking in aud out the naasr> .,f
vessels, aud erected at cost ct $4,000,
had bees. cut down. crushing with their
weight, the Stern of the GefmaaatOaca,
across which they were thrown. All these
acts aud others indicated a purpose 10 re-
treat
just after dark to tho snnpriss ct all,
and the dismas Of many, the Pas0,aee
steamed mp the harbor aud taok pe,si Jon
st the Navy Yard, where size was received
with sncI shouts OF rejoicing Ms could he
distinctly heard in tins city. Her arnSal
put q new face on matters. Ii was raIn0r-
ed that she brought large reinforcements,
snd that he lard wousa now be defended