The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-11-12


OF the naval attack on PORT Royal. The
tina lesion Msrcasy. OF the attn, contains the
following:
A MAS Of conflicting rumors reached al
yesterday from Port Royal. Early In the day
1t was generally believed that tho abandon.
ment Of Fort Walker was owing to the pow.
der having been exhausted. Our latest dis
patches bring us the very different, and much
less morufysp& statement, that the Pert was
held BY fts defenders nn I'll TWEEN " -seveu ont
II It's ,wenty-nins guns, were dismounted
From n passenger direct from the scene OF
action, We learn that each Of the enemv,s
transports was conveyed Into the harhor by
TWO war stsamers, one ON either side. In this
order they passed cur batteries. the two war
steamers delivering hrcadside eaoh. as thev
steamed rapidly by. Whnn q number OF
their vessels had thus reached the Interior of
tns harbor. an incessant and simultaneous
Gre OF shot and shell was opened upon Fort
walker, from three sides--the steamers in
side, nose outside, and one Just in front of
hilton Aead, taking part In the attack Not
understanding the abandonment OF our bat
teries, we hear NO news, thus far. of the an
envy attsm pting . landing.
we nnderstand that our fcrces have placed
Iormidaoie distractions In the river at q
point about four miles below Beaufort. Gen
Lee Ii said 70 be constructing ford cations ~
Beaufort, while General Ripley is erecting
works at Boyd's Landing for tho defence OF
the railroad Reports were current yester-
day that the Wabash had been burned TO the
waters edge and that one Of the enemyis
transports was sunk In Broad River but we
could nnd no substantial basis for these ru.
mors. We gave below the dispatches .eceiv-
cd yesterday and last night
ABANDONMENT OF ouR BATTERIES.
PocArALIso, November {, a. N Our bat.
terics at Bay Point and Hilton Head hava
been abandoned by the garrisons. The enc
my have possession OK Port Royal harbor and
Broad River. All the inhabitants have left
beaufort, taking with them such of their Of
how almost deserted. 1t Is presumed thar
the enemy will effect 4 Landing to day, eli ther
al Beaufort or at some point III the immedi-
ate .neig hborhood.
tsEcosD DIspATcH.l
SAVANNAH, Nov. S, r. M.-Vhe steamer
sampson has arrived from Port ROYAL bring.
Ing some ofour men who W. Re wounded in the
engagement yesterday. The principal fight
Ing took place directly between Fort Walker
at hilton Head, and the batteries en- the
other side, at Bay Point. When this Sampson
left Port Royal, fifteen of the Yankee vessels
were INSIDE, and several outside The garri.
son or Fort Walker consisted Of five hundred
men, ana lsoo more Wee posted upon the
nescta was the first vessel to run the raunt.
let OF our batteries. She was rapidly followed
oy the others. They then attacked onr forces
sim ultaueous'y IRON three sides
After tue second round from the feet the
principal gun in our battery was dismouu n ted.
The engagement lasted about five hours
All the guns IN Fort Walker were dismount-
ed, except two. The post, being then no
longer considered tenabie, the two remaining
guns were also dismounted, and the maya
z,ue was arranged 80 rs to blow up when the
enemy enters. The total loss on our side
WAS about one hundred, killed and wounded.
Among our casualties were the following:
Sergeant J. Patterson and Private Heiss.
OF the Berry Infantry, (Georg,a,) were slight
ly wounded.
TvUn NJ IA rnio
boro', Georgia, are missing.
j. w. fontaine. of the Thomas county
VOLUNTEERS, is missing.
fiivate Anon Thompson, of the 18th Pa
Two are missing from Captain RadcIife,s
company.
Fifteen of one company in Col. DeSaus.
sure's South Carolina regiment, are missing.
br. L. Somers BUST, of Charleston. WAS
killed while dressing wound.
Lieut.. Smsch was wounded In the leg.
Fifteen of Captain Reid's company Of reg.
ulars were killed, wounded, and missing.
One of Gen. Drayton's Aids was shot from
his horse.
Gen. Drayton was slightly wounded.
tFEIRD DIsPArcH.l
PocorALIao, Nov. $50 p. H.-Gen. Draw.
ton and his command retreatsd in Two
steamers. By Way of Pope's Ferry, in safety
and 40 now at Button. The last report of
the CASUALTIES received here makes tina mum.
H.. o.
want retreated by way OF Lady's Isl ind and
Beaufort to Port Royal Ferry. This morn
ing Capt. hamilton took CT company at
Sans Ferry, and landed with his company
at Fort Royal. They are now at Pocotaligo
Beaufort probably, will not be burned 4
great deal OF cotton on the Islands will fall
into the hands Of the enemy. Button will
be burned, if attacked.
The points of danger now, are The rail-
road at Pocotali0p, Charleston and Sayan-
nah.
The Savannah (Ga.) NeSs. OF the 9th, has
tae following:
from various sources we have gathered
the following:
As stated in our paper yesterday the firing
between Fort Walker and the feet com.
mencad about nine O'Clock, the fleet giving
the most of their attenti. to Fort Walker
Before ten O'Clock seven of the largest steam
ers OF the fleet had passed the batteries, and
when the st, Miry's left, from whose passen-
gers We obtained our account of the first part
of the action, most terrific cannopading
was going on The fight continued until the
departure of the Emma at twelve O'Clock
and when the Savannah left, at 2 O'Clock, the
firing was unabated, except at the Bay Point
battery, which had been sllenced between
eleven and twelve O'Clock. AT this time a
tremendous cannonading was kept up by the
feet, consisting Of some Lhirty-odd steam ers
and gun boa is, which was returned by Fort
Walker, the battery ON Hilton Head,
The Fort Walker armament consisted Of
sixteen guns. nine OF which bore upon the
shipping, the balance being in osition on the
land side Five or six OF these guns, among
them the ~ pound rifle cannon and one ten
inch Colum bad, were disabled during the
forenoon. Thus disabled and their ammuni.
ton exhausted, the garrison Bvac uat ted For I
Walker between three and four O'Clock, re-
firing in the direction of Button, leaving the
guns IN position and unspiked, having no
spikes for that purpose.
Capt. Jacob Reed's artillery corps Of the
First (3anYyia RpUimpnt RoOn1aYS voI
at the scene of action on Wednesday night,
and Oh yesterday bore gallant part in the
Aght. Four or tiye of his men were killed
early In the action. The corps lost two of
their guns and several horses.
Col. Randolph Spaulding, Georgia Volun-
teer Regiment, commanded by Capt. Berry,
were also in the engagement. They were
marched to the beach where they received a
CALLING fire Of round shot and shell from the
feet, which, however, they were unable to re.
turn with their muskels. OF the Eloy d
county Berry Infantry, Jas. 5, Ayree, and
slight wounds.
Col. VIM. H. Styles's Volunteer Georgia
Regiment reached the scene Of action at IL
O'Clock, having marched from Skidaway.--
seven and half miles distant--at the double.
quick, Bat they were also unable to fire on
the feet, which was out of the range of their
guns. The regiment had several killed and
wounded by shells from the feet, Our In
formant states that Col. Styles had two horses
shot under him, and in the fall Of one Of them
received u sligh injury in the shoulder. The
Colonel and his regiment was At one time ex-
posed to a terrific Smelling from the ships,
and 1t Is only surprising that more of them
wera not killed and wounded.
Colonel Randolph Spaulding, not being in
command Of his regiment. joined e. corps be-
longing TO another regiment and engaged In
the fght. as Tar as 1t was possible for the in
fantry to participate In 1t, with his N usket
on his shoulder.
Between II and IL O'Clock, twelve vessels
engaged the forts, Ave OF them hrst-class
steam frig ates, the other seven We're second
class steamers, with . ting leading. The tug