The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1860-1863, 1861-12-05

TO be ethe most mischisvous work
opposed 10 Fort Picksns. After some
more earthwOrks comes the Navy Yard,
where. also. heavy guns are mounted
No point aloEg this line Of works is dis
tant more than mile and half from the
guns of Pickens. In May last. Dr. Rus
sell spoke thus Of these works. in which
he found the famous
RAT HOLES:
"There are only Eve heavy guns IN ali
the works. but the mortar batteries, three
in number, of which one is unfinished,
will prove very damaging, although they
will only contain niue or ten mortars'-I
The batteries are all sand. bags snc earth
works. with the exception Of Fort Barran-
cas-. They are made after all sorts OF
ways. and arc ofvery different degrees OF
efficiency. In some the magazines will
come to a speedy destruction; in others
they are well made. Some are Of the fin
est white sand, and will blind the gunners,
or be blown away with shells; others are
cramped and hardly traversed; others. a.
gain, are very spacious and we'll construct.
ed. The embrasures are usually made Of
sand.bags, covered with raw-hide, to save
the cotton bags from the effect Of the fire
oi their own guns.
sI was amused to observe that most Of
these works had galleries in the rear, gen.
orally in connection with the magazine
passages, which the constructors called
rat holes. and which are intended as
shelter to the men at the guns in case of
shells falling inside the battery. They
p,ay prove 10 have very different result,
and are certainly not SO desirable in
military point of view as good traverses.
A rush for the 'rat.holes' will not be very
dignifed or improving to the morale every
time bomb turtles over them; and assur.
edly the damage to the magazines will be
enormous il the fire from Pickeps IS accu-
rate and we'll sustained Several Of the
batteries were not 6nisbed, and the men,
who ought to have been working. were
lying under the shade OF trees, sleeping or
smokng-long limbed, long. bearded lel
lows in flannel shirts and slouched hats,
unifOrmless in all save bright, we'll kept
, arms and resolute purpose.
, We went along slowly from one battery
to the other. visited nine altogether,
not including Fort Barrancas, and there
are three others, among which is Fort
, McRae. Perhaps there may be Fifty guns
OF all sorts in position for about three
I miles, along line exceeding 1876 degrees
D around Fort Pickeus, the average distance
1 being about one and one.third Of a mile
. The mortar batteries are we'll placed a
{ moug brusbwood, quito outof view to the
n fort. at distances varying from $500 tc
Z. $500 yards, and the mortars are general
o ly of calibers nearly corresponding with
Q our ten inch pieces. Several Of tho gun
Q batteries arc put on the level of the beach
q others have more command. and one il
+; particularly well placed, close to the White
Q Lighthouse, on raised plateau, which
y. dominates the sandy strip that runs out
f to For! MoRae, OF the latter l have al
4 ready spoken.
PORT BARRANcAs.
Fort B,rrancas is an old fort-I believe
: Of Spanish construction. with very mea
m ger trace--a plain curtain. lace toward tn
le sea, protected by a dry ditch and an oul
e. work, in which, however, there are n
'c guns. There is draw. bridge in the rea
1t of the work, which is simple parallelo
ID gram, showing twelve guns mounted 9
e 6arJehe on the sea-facs. The walls ar
s. Of brick. and tho guns are protected b
/. thick msrlons Of sand bags. The sole ad
$. vantage Of the fort is 10 its position; it a
Ii most looks down into the classmates
A. Pickens opposite, at its weakest point, an
1t il has fair command of the sea entrauo
st but the guns arc weak, and there.are onl
ID three pieces mounted which can do muc
A. mischief.
o. OF fcours, changes have b,en made SIM
= =. then; heavier guns Lave probably bee
in mounted, the "Iat holes" have been il
n. proved, and means'of defense increas.
b. but yet it is to!erably certain that Go
Ill Harvey Brown will drive the enemy ou
~ @.N.-
'n Consolidation Of the Skeleton Regiment
e' 1t will be seen by the following ord
ta S that the Ohio fragmsntary regiments W
a. be consolidated December 10Th:
it GENERAL ORDER NO. 65.
IS; HEADoUARTERs Ono MILITIA,
er, ApJUrANT GENERALS CFFIeE,
H. COLUMBUS, Nov. 20, 1861
IN Commaudauts Of regiments now bsiI
recruited 10 Ohio, will make report of d
be force Of their regiments 10 this office
la the fifteenth day of December next. A
sp LieutenSnts or others recruiting for L
MS. several regiments, will report with recru
Of at the headquarters Of their respecti
nd regiments on or before the twelfth day
ms December. On arriving ut camp. tn
he will deliver to the commandants of tn,
The respective regiments. their enlistme
an' rolls, duly signed officially, together wi
ith plainly written copy oftbe same, havi
art all names in full These rolls will be ft
cid warded 10 this office. with the report,
ao' the 10Th, The commandants of regimen
our will, in their reports, make such suggt
OF tons as they may think ct touching t
ht' consolidation Of detachments of conn
nies, Companies will be organized on
ton dorS from this Dspartment--re reference
lily. ing had to the preference Of parties.