Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-04-25
Singular story Of the Method Of Re. eutorc-
9If 90 Inc Fort pirlr ems. I4I .l' III

Ang Fort FtokenB.
The Mobile Mercury of Monday evening,
18th instant, says it has reliable confirm.
alton Of the telegrsphic reports Of the re-
enforcement Of Fort Pickens," and pro-
ceeds to make the following statement,
portion Of which reads singularly enough:
On Friday evening, a little after dark,
signal-Runs were fired out at sea--six dis
tiDct reports-seeming 10 be some dozen or
fifteen miles away. IL was surmised at first
that they were signals Of Distress but soon it
was concluded to have some connection with
the Reinforcement of Pickens. About nine
O'Clock there was discovered to be an un-
usual etir about Fort Pickens, and unusual
lights displayed. From various indications
and circumstances, it was apparent that re-,
endorsements were being landed and intro
duced into the fort. The guns heard out at sea
were surmised, after that discovery, to be
| signals from the ships supposed to be on their
| way TO Southern ports but if any came in
| during the night, they were not observable,
and no signs were seen Of them Saturday
morning. ID ia l1'
During the day the WyGndotte had been
cruising about the bay as usual. She went
| up to Pensacola, and was there about to take
on board person believed to be from Wash
ington City. Tho citizens detained him and
| handed him over to Gen. Bragg. An exaIni-
nation elected nothing to implicate him in
any illicit undertaking. and he was released.
He went over to Fort Pickens, and it is
thought now that he may have carried the
order to throw the men on the ships into the
| fort. The re enforcement is supposed to be
the men who have .beeu waiting on ship
board for that purpose for some weeks.
There is another suppositiou Of the reason
of the re-enforcements ct that particular
time. They may have obtained at Pickens
some hints of an intended visit of 500 picked
men at about the hour Of midnight. - '-
There can;be no doubt that an assault on
Fort Pickens was ordered for that night at
about the hour of midnight. The assaulting
party was composed OF 500 picked men, $50
Of whom were picked men from the Missis-
sippi Ninth, TO be led by O, w. Harris, Of the
Home Guards; fifty from the Tenth Missis-
sippi, and the others from. other troops al
Pensacola. All necessary preparations were
made for moving at about eleven o'clock
The storming party were led down to tn
Navy, yard, from whence it would probably
have embarked in boats, There are somt
other particulars about the preparations, o.
given 10 US, which we think had as well mo-
yet have the publicity of newspaper circu'
lation. -. -, .t.-7..i.., .-. r
1t is surmised that Forney was to hav,
been the leader. There was no doubt en-
tertaiped of iIs success, aud if all be true a
stated to us, we think Fort Pickens woulC
have fallen that night, but for whAt2 Il,
Fortune, or chance, will have to bear tbt
blame, and delay, the real culpable party
will probably escape, Before the hour ar
rived, it was evident that the fort had beer
re. enforced, and all thought of the meditate(
assault was abandoned. The men picked TO
this special service, lay on their arms al
night at the Navy yard without any protec
tion from the chill air Of the night some Q
them not having so much as blanket. The.
made no complaint.
Col. Forney complimented them by sayin
they would do for any thing. Not cap wa
distributed to them-the business was to b
done with steel.
There is no truth in the report that Gen
Bragg had position on Santa Rosa ISLAM
with 1900 men. ..r.-..,..
The WyandOtte is positively notified t
, stay outside in the future.