The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1861-07-05

Instead of hundreds of guns, there are only
ten. They are mostly of small caliber, and
the gun carriages, are old and unsound, or
new and rudely made. There are only five
"heavy" guns in all the works, but the NOR
tar batteries, three in number, of which one
is unfinished, will prove very damaging, al
though they will only contain 9 or 10 NOR
tars. The batteries are all sandbag and
earthworks, with the exception of Fort
Barrancas. They are made after all sort
of ways, and are Of very different degrees d
efficiency. In some the magazines will come
to a speedy destruction in Others they are
well made. Some are of the finest Whit
sand, and will blind the gunners, or be
blown away with shells others are cramp.
ed, and hardly traversed Others, again, are
very spacious, and we'll constructed. The
embrasures are usually made of sandbags,
covered with raw hide to save the cotton
bags from the effect of the fire of their own
guns. I was amused to observe that most
of these works had galleries in the rear, gen,
orally in connection with the magazine pas.
sages, which the construction called "rat-
holes," and which are intended as shelter to
the men at the guns, in case of shells falling
inside the battery. They may prove to
have very different result, and are certain
ly not so desirable in military point of
view as good traverses. A rush for the
"rat-hole" will not be very dignifed Or i'm
proving to the morale every time bomb
hurtles over them; and assuredly the dam
age to the magazines will be. enormous if
the fire from Pickens is accurate and we'll
sustained Several of the batteries were
not finished, and the men who ought to have
been working were lying under the shade
of trees, sleeping or smoking-long limbed,
long bearded fellows in flannel shirts and
slouched hats, uniformless in all save bright
well-kept arms, and resolute purpose. We
went along slowly from one battery to an
other. I visited nine altogether, not includ-
ing Fort Barrancas, and there are three
others, among which is Fort McRae. Per-
haps there may be fifty guns of all sorts in
position for about three miles, along line
extending 136 deg. around Fort Pickens,
the average distance being about J mile.
The mortar batteries are we'll placed among
brushwood, quite out of view to the fort,
at distances varying from $500 to $500
yards, and the mortars are generally of cal.
ibres nearly corresponding with our lC.inch
pieces.
Mr.. RUSSELL, at that time--the 14th of
May-said Gen. BRAGG did not have 5000
men with him, and they were mostly irreg-
ulars, but not to be despised on that account,
for they were good fighting men.
AT FORT PICKENs.
We anchored cables length from tie
jetty. In reply to the sentrys hail, the
skipper asked for boat to put off for us.
"Come off in your own boat" Our boat
was inclined to impartiality in its relation
with the water, and took quite as much in
as it could hold, but we soused into it and
the men pulled like Doggett's Badgers, and
soon we were out of shark depth and along
side the jetty, where were standing to re,
ceive us Mr.. Brown, our friend of yesterday,
Capt. Wedges, and Capt. Berry, command
ing United Utates battery in the Fort.
The soldiers of the guard were United
States regular troops of the artillery, wore
blue uniforms with brass buttons and re.
markably ugly slouched felt hats, with an
ornament in the shape of two crossed can
mons. Capt. Wedges informed me that
Col. Moore had sent off reply to my let.
ter to the fleet, stating that be wonld glad
ly permit me to 60 over the Fort, but that
be would not allow any one else, under acy
circumstances whatever, to visits it. My
friends were, therefore, constrained to stay
outside, but one of them picked up friend
On the beach and got up an impromptu ride
on the island.
The way from the jetty to the entrance of
the Fort is in the universal deep sand of
this part of the world the distance from
the landing place to the gateway is not
much more than 200 yards, and the APP
proach to the portal is quite unprotected.
The gate was closed at
talismanic knock it was opened, and from
the external silence we passed into scene
full of activity and life, through the dark
gallery which served at first as irame-
work to the picture. The parade of the
fort was full of men, and at coup d. Ceit it
was obvious that great efforts had been
made to prepare Fort Pickens for desper-
ate defense. The parade ground has been
judiciously filled with deep holes, like in
verted cones, in which shells will be COM
paratively innocuous +; and, warned by
Sumpter, everything has been removed
which could prove in the least degree com.
bustible. The officer on duty led me strait
across to the opposite angle OF the fort. AS
the rear of the classmates and bombrQofs
along this side will be exposed to plung-
ing fire from the opposite side, a very inge-
NOUS screen has been constructed by plac-
ing useless gun platforms and parts of car
riages at an angle against the wall, and
piling them up with sand and earth for
several feet in thickness. A passage is
thus left between the base of the wall and
that of the screen through which man can
walk with ease.
Turning into this passage we entered a
lofty bombproof which was the bedroom Of
the commanding officer, and passed through
into the casemate which serves as bis head
quarters. Colonel Harvey Brown received
me with every expression of politeness and
courtesy. He is tall, square, soldierly
looking man, with a face indicative of great