The national Republican., 1861-11-14
BY TELEG GRAPH.
The Great Expedition

one proceeos NJ once 10 new YORK, Where she
will be due tomorrow evening. Capt. Steed-
man, however, left her at this place, and pro.
ceeds direct To Wa hington with dispatches and
trophies-twO brass cannon and secession flags.
He reports the gale encountered hy the feet
to have been very severe. The Union and
viousy reported. The Governor foundered at
sea, but the Isaac T. Smith succeeded in saving
AL her crew, with the exception Of a few ma
rines. The feet arrived at Port Royal on Mon
day, 4th inst. Tuesday. the smaller gupboats
sounded and buoyed out the channel under
On Wednesday the weather prevented active
operations, but on Thursday morning the 7th
vanced to the attack. The action commenced
At 10 A. NJ, and was botly carried on on both
sides, and lasted about four hours; at the end
of which time, the rebels we're compelled, by
the shower of shells. to abandon their works
and beat hasty retreat. Our loss was eight |
men and one officer (the chief engineer of the
Mohican) killed, and about twenty wounded.
Rebel loss not known. Fifty.two bodies were
found by our men, and buried. All their wound |
ed, except two, were carried off.
Two forts were captured Fort Walker on |
Hilton Head, mounting twenty. three (23) guns, |
and Fort Beauregard on Bay Point, mounting |
nineteen guns. The guns were of heavy calibre.
These were both new and splendid earthworks,
style Of military science, and pronounced by
our engineers as impregnable against any as |
sault by land forces. The final retreat Of the
rebels was perfect rout.
They left everything, arms, equipments of
all kinds, even to the onicers' swords and com
missions. All the letters and papers, both pub
lie and private, order books and documents of
all kinds, were left in their flight and fell into
our hands, affording our officers much valuable
information. Among the papers was telegram
from JEFF. Davis to the commander of the post
informing him of the sailing Of the fleet, and
that they knew their destination to be Port
Royal. tQuery-Who was the traitorn
The whole surrounding country was seized
with perfect panic. The day after the fight,
the Seneca and two other gunboats, under the
command of Lieut.. Ammon, proceeded up the
Beaufort river, and found but one white man
in the town, and he was drunk. All the plan
tations up the river seemed to be deserted,
except by the negroes, who were seen In great
numbers, and who, as the boat passed, came
to the shore with bundles in their hands, as if
expecting to be taken off. They seized all the
letters in the post Office at Beaufort.
After the capture of the forts, the whole
army-about 5000 men-were safely landed
and established on shore. The forts were but
little injured, but the rebels could not stand the
explosion of our big shells.
The force of the enemy, as ascertained from
their papers, was from three to four thousand
men, under Gen. Drayton, offs. G. Our victory
Is complete, the enemy losing everything but
their lives, which they saved by running. .
}. g. Bradford, of the coast survey, bearer of
dispatches, and r. H. Wyman, commanding the
Pawnee, also arrived in the Bienvile, and take
the boat tonight for '',imoIe.
The boats from,i .bash were the first to
the frst man on sn4re. The boats returned
| loaded with valuable trophies of all kinds, one
of our officers finding an elegant cavalry sword
| with solid silver scabbard. Swords, pistols
&c, &C., were scattered about in every direc'
| ton, and In any quantity.
| But four prisoners we're found, two Of them
wounded. All hands connected with the fleet
are represented rs acting in the most gallant
| manner.
The reporters who accompanied the expedi.
ton returned to New York in the Bienville
with a full list of the killed.
| NONE OF OUR VESSELS SUNK.
| Notwithstanding the heavy calibre of the
| guns in the rebel frrts and their abundant sup
| ply of ammunition, as subsequent occurrences
| proved, not one of our feet were either sunk
or burnt, and none were seriously injured or
even disabled.
The gunboat Pawnee, which rendered effi
cient service in the fight, suffered more severe
ly than the war vessels engaged, and yet she
was not disabled In the slightest. round sho
| went through her ward room, and another bal
damaged the second lieutenant's room-doing
some havoc to the furniture, but doing the shiI
no material damage. This ship lost six ii
killed, and two other of her gallant fellows were
wounded
THE REBELS SET A TRAP, But 1T MISSED FIRE.
When our brave fellows landed to take pos
session of the forts, they found the reDel fla,
at the fort on Hilton Head, still flying, and, jus
rs one of our men pulled at the halyards tC
draw down the traitOrous banne", an explosion
took place in the house just vacated by th'
rebel officers, but doing but little damage ant
injury to any one. 1t was found. on examna
tion, that the rebels had before evac cuating the
place, arranged what they thought would prov
u deadly trap to the visitors. Mines had beer
laid and matches so arranged that, when th,
haiyards of the flag should be drawn down by
| tha mil hn fir
the magazines, and blow up the whole work
E and involve the visitors in the common ruin.
But it didn't go off, and soon the brave o
flag, the Stars and Stripes" waved in trump
from the rebel flag staff.
The magazines were found to contain a larg
quantity of powder and vast quantity of an
munitiOn, shot, and shell, and the various dc
scriptions Of projectiles, the latter chiefly c
I, English manufacture.
The town of Beaufort was found, as betor
. stated, completely deserted, except by negroes
The troops had not occupied 1t when tn
\ steamer left, being better engaged in strength
J ening their position. and occupying point
which enable them fully to com n and the place
Y 1t was, however, virtually in our possession
Q the rebel troops having entirely abandoned il
l.. and when our gunboats visited tha place, the
e met no obstruction or opposition whatever.
4 ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS.
1.-THE NEW YORK TRIBUNE's SPECIAL ACCOUNT.
= Ne,o York, Nov. l3.-The Tribune's specii
account from Port Royal says:
The Wabash led the attack the steame
Bienvllle 1anking the movement, which was
a circle, first delivering broadsides into Fol
Beauregard on the northwest, and as the fee
$ came round raking Fort Walker on the soutl
west
J. Both forts responded vigorously, and tn
Pawnee and Mohlcan, having for the time gt
o aground, were considerably damaged.
II The bombardment lasted four or five hour
when the enemy suddenly retreated.
| The rebel loss supposed to have been tW
!, hundred.
e Gen. Drayton commanded at Fort Wake
IS and Col. Elliott at Fort Beauregard.
T The rebels retreated across Skull Creek to
n village twenty five miles in the interior, wher
4 it is supposed they intended to make a stand
The negroes had already begun to pilag
!, and destroy in Beaufort. The white populatio
i AL fed to Charleston by small steamers by tn
N inside route.
,e Gen. Sherman had already hundreds, prob
bly, thousands, of negro laborers at work.
d A great panic had seized the inhabitants
VI Savannah, and 1t was believed the capture
,e that city would be easy.
ia unlerstOud that Cen. Sherman will IN