The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-12-13

49, =.
party that their purpose carrying on the war 20 Aho
ish slavery but we are for destroying slavery In order to
put down the rebellion He wss at present content 10
connscats property and oerate the slaves Of rebels
Mr. Blake OF Ohio advocated the hearty support Of the
President. He said that the government in his he
Presidenrs) hands, and must survive perish there
Mr.. Van wyck, Of New York, took similar grounds.
After general interchange Of opinion it found that
there was but little difference among the members
to practical measures to be adopted The conclusion
seemed 10 be that the members present would vote for
the conscaton Of all property belonging to rebels and
the liberation OF their slaves and adopt TO fully
compensate loyal masters for all he losses they might
suffer.
THE BUSINESS OF CONGRESS NOT YET COMMENCED.
The Committee Of Ways and Means have yet begun
TO prepare their bills They have not received the est
mates from the Treasury Department which win be the
basis Of their action and will not probably
their labors until after the holidays.
OFFICIAL DISPATCHES FROM FORT picKEYs.
The government has received dispatches from General
Brown at Fort Pckens giving details Of tho engagement
between the fort and federal vessels and the rebel forts
General Brown reports that he had destroyed the Navy
Yard half Of Warrington and silenccd Fort cCrca The
only damage 10 Fort Pickens The dsmounting Of
gun. In The fort there wcro six killed and q few
wounded.
ed, the captain Of the gun killed. and six Of the men
wounded II is considered an unequivocal victory.
TnR REBELS PREPARING WINTER QUARTERS AT CEN
TREvILLE.
Tho story told by the coorcd servant Of Captain Rosser
Uf the Louisiana Washington Artillery, prblshed In the
HERAIDs Washington dispatches yesterday, is confirmed
to-day by positive information from several The
rebels intend 20 make Ccntreve their base OF operations
on the rotosc, and are preparing winter quarters for
their army.
THE RECENT NAVAL REcoSSoIssAscE IN WARSAW
SOUND.
Lot,ersTeceived at the Navy Department state that
the 5thinst Commander Rogers e Tybee Roads before
daylight, with the steamers Ottawa, Seneca aud POM
bna, and crossed the bar OF Warsaw Sound har ae
The Usted States forces approached the fort Warsaw
Island within mile, and sent Lieutenant Barnes TO It,,
WITH Tag Of truce, who found it entirely deserted The
foit consisted Of enclosed octagonal work. wish plat
forms for eight guns the water faces. Tho guns had
rcsn removed, the platforms cut up and magazine
blown up. Commander Rogers states that everything
had the appearance ofbeing very recently deserted
The letter also states from the mouth OF wilmington
river observed ebatcry bearing from usabout north
west by west onelf west and distant three miles. It
the river, about three miles distant and just
above a house with red cupola which is of the
Coast Surveys points Of trangulaion and is abou,
miles from Savannah We counted Eve guns apparently
Of large cabrc the face Of the battery towards
We could gun upon the other face but there
may have been more. We were enough to see
| the the ramparts and the gisering Of their
| bayonets.
Com Rogers states that battery Upon Little Tybee
Island would be Of no use whatever; although there may
have been signal placed there The souheas tern
part Of Iris commanding point fer observation. The
highest point reached by CON- Rogers about eight
miles from Warsaw bar about ten miles from Savannah
and between four and five miles from hunderbolt on one
! side and Montgomery the other SIDE
lssd been ascertained that the -cty entirely un
provided with dccnces on that sdegGnd could easily BIZ
tkon possession Of by troops whenever should b.
| sleemedproper to make the attempt
The rebels had abandoned all their Notifications on thu
.csst and were erecting another line Of defences NOR
| INLAND.
Xlshc whites who were able 70 leave had fed 10 IN
iAAerior. Deserters and contrssG nds continually
bringing information to the federal forces The stewart
of the rebel Pulaski wac among the dcserters
He sisted that the day after the capture OF the forts
Hilton Head the rebel Commodore was describing
q rho AFFAIR to large company board the vessel an
during the recital he covered with his hands AM
burst into with morteaticn the result after
his bombastic braggadocia.
The expedition Of General Wee expected to sail q
the Ttht occupy an important position in WARSAW
4 Inlet.
1 Among The dispatches received at the Navy Depart
ment to-day, the following ,ateresng official reports ar
! allowedte De published:-
4 .-pEPoRrs OF cox,aoncaE DUPONT
n FLAGSHIP WABASH J
Il PoRr ROYAL HARBm;s. c., Dec. 4, 1851. }
SIRThe apprehension OF lospe possession Of the ss
or St. Helcz SO exceedingly valuable for harbor FOL
its proxmasy TO Charleston and for the command il
with the ssfe South Caroline has induced me to de
spatch second expedition there, under Commando
Drayt ws orders TO hold aheiahnd until Gen. sber
man is prepared to assume military occupation Of it
when he viii transfer the fortaohis troops
have also despatched Cosamascsr C. r. p Rogers Il
make recon distance Of warsaw Inlet, in order to
certain the position and force OF she euemys battery
there-iniorR ton which the Commanding General na,
expressed % me his desire aoso5ain before landing
troops on Tybee Island.
The department viii have the foodness to ohserv.
ana II r. e IA Il ha 3. neera soa
Inlet large nber OF the vessels OF my squadron &
engaged, which viii be released and employed block
aiding duty Otter and Tybee Islands are helc r,
H. The army
i Very respectfully your moet .oteAjant servant
81. DUPONT, Flag Gajcer Commanding.
UNITED STAINS FLAG SHIP WABASH +,
/ PoE7 RcrAI HARBoR. S. c., Dec. G, 1861.
SRI have the 2onor 20 inform the department tina
1ss5 fort6catsnsa Warsaw Island have seen abandone
BY the rebels, after moving the guns cyng up the plat
forms and breaohs face al thee &t. For the cir
Temporary occunass Of The wars Of WARSAW sopnd
as well as for kaswlcdge Of iae nLsr and ultimate
lGaaf deiences selected by the eaany 4 fve the plea
CIgP. Rogers, upon whose Judgment and Sill relied
Cor ts9 execution Of fais undertaking. Warsaw nle
and Sound constitute second cntr4ace its Savannah
river iSad tweayrcpe feet be carried over Tho
bar a. high water tbs passage is bi LITTLE inferior
Tybee eantrance The highest point reached by Com
mander Rogers was about ght miles from Hasaw bar
aboutteS from Savannah, and between four and five
from Taanderbolt On onc.aite and Montgomery the
other These two last places described in TIE
survey 2eaors and reports attach the higbosI value
| to this possession.
Ihave the honor to be- sir respectfully ysnr ofdient
| servant, .. F. DUPONT, Tag Officer commanding
REroa~ OF CoNMASngs @. r. P. ROGERS.
| UNITED Stays FLAGSHIP WABASH, \
] PoRI Royal HABEoR, Dec. o. 1861. E
SIR-On yesterday morning LEFT Tybee Roads before
daylight, with tie steamers Ottawa Seneca and Pembiaa,
and crossed thelar Of Walsaw Sound at half tide lct
having less than eghteen feet OF ,yer upon IT, We ap
preached the fort o. Warsaw Island within mile and
seeing neither guns men, did not FIRE, but sent
lieutenant Barnes 10 IL with white flag He found u
aenclosed octagonal york with platforms for eight guns
of sac water faccs The land faces protected by
| abatis The work well constructed The guns had
been removed, the patfonns cut and tbeagazne blown
up From the freshness OF the footprints and other signs
II arpe@red to have been erandoned very recently Ad
joining tho fort huts sheds for largo garrison Some
lumber and bricks remain Everything else had been
carried away We Immediately pushed on 10 Cabbage
Island where had been led to look out for another
battery: but there was nothing OF the kind there We
went 10 the meath Of the creek through the Romlly
Marsh, and 70 che mouth Of WILMINGTON river From the
mouth OF Wilmington river we observed battery bearing