Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1861-11-14
PRIVATE CORRESPONDEN

PRIVATE CORRESPONDENTS
We have the satisfaction Of communicating to
gallant officer of the Navy, who, 1t will be seen,
was most Immediately and honorably engaged in
the attack
r S. Steamer Bisnrille, Fort Royal Ha,bo,,)
of Fort Walker, Nov. :, 1861.
We took this fort, mounting twenty-one guns,
altar four hours fight. Ii was nObly done. The
Wabash, which led, was carried along the shore
by the soundings as close as possible. The sound
ings were given regularly, upon an ordinary
occasion; signals were made continually without
a single mistake, while the rain Of fire from this
ship (the Wabash) fell upon the fort with all the
cold precision Of target practice.
During the action / looked carefully at the fort
with powerful spy-glass. Shell fell In 1t, not
twenty eight in minute but as fast > d horses
feet beat the ground In gallop The resistance
was heroic; but what could flesh and blood do
against such fire, | watched two men partic-
ularly, in red shirts; ! saw them seated at the
muzkie OF gun, apparently waiting exhausted
for more ammunition. They were 50 still that
doubted whether they were men This terri BILE
FIRE fell around them. ] saw them move, and
knew they were men. They loaded the gun;
| shell burst near them, and they disappeared;
doubtless blown into atoms
The Wabash was a destroying angel-hugging
the shore; calling the soundings with cold fndif-
ference slowing the engine, SO as only to give
steerage-wayi signalling to the vessels their va
rious evolutiOns and at the same time raining
shells, as with target practice, too fast to count
Commodore Du Pont had kindly made me his
aid. | stood by him, and ! did little things
which suppose gained me credit. So when a
boat was sent on shore to ask whether they had
| surrendered, l was sent. l carried the stars and
stripes. l found the ramparts utterly desolate,
aud planted the American flag upon those ram
parts with my hands first to take possession,
In the majesty Of the United States OF the rebe
| soil of South Carolina.
| The Confederate forces were In utter panic;
| they deserted everything. Arms, tents, personal
| property were abandoned, as by men intent only
| upon safety and spurred by overwhelming fear
| i was for an hour with only boats crew In the
| camp. | found a sword, mounted in solid silver
| hilt and scabbard, which proved to he a blade
| with two golden lines OF Arabic writing, doubt
| less a Damascus blade and a heirloom. | pre-
sented IT to Commodare DUPONT as bis right, for
he had taken IL. In the same tent found new
soldiers scarf, still in Its box Of pasteboard
| This beg you to accept. In Fort Beauregard
found another scarf; this is for -. II is d
| trophy, and, as such, worth much as yours,
| though II 10 neither SO large nor new found
| trunks enough to furnish a shop, most Of them
| twenty-f FIVE dollar trunks, locked; and collected
them for the wounded or the prisoners, Of whom
| took only Ave; all the rest had gone captured
negro, but having given him permission to deck
| himself In new clothes lost him. He staid toe
| long for me 10 wait
| Gen. Sherman said that he had no idea Of such
| magnificent fighting, for the guns were eleven
ten, nine, and eight inch guns not horse artillery
| The Wabash was awfully sublime In her destroy
Ing energy, and yet most coidly precise and mag.
| The panic was wild, ablect terror on the par
| OF the ''Southrons :" Not soldier had been land
ed, because II had not been posi- BILE for the IN Il
get on shore except at the batteries and of cours,
| not until the batteries were taken. Yet mel
strewed the road for miles with muskets blanket
| and knapsacks. One company, Of about sixt,
horsemen, abandoned their bOrses and fed TO
| life, while no one pursued. SO say the contra
| bands.
do not think the importance Of our AGO uisitiol
can be exaggerated The channel Is fair for an
| wind southing In 1t, the only dangerous ones
i LARGEST yeRSplg. 4 q liz
Tended; II IN In the heart Of South Carolina; 1t
twenty miles from Savannah and thirty from
| Charleston; II has room enough for the navies O
the world; 1t Is a Fortress Monroe In South Care
lima.
Negroes are pouring In; they believe their cond
| ton is to be bettered. The white men have a
fed. Vessels 60 up to Beaufort to-day.
This will be carried by Capt Steadman, of th
| Bisnville, who followed the Wabash into th
, thickest Of the fght and behaved very gallanty
Beaufort has been taken by the n-boats, th
| town having been abandoned by the white
{ The negroes were pillaging the town. They sal
| the whites were shooting them right and left,
1 order to drive them back In the interior A boz
which came OF to the Seneca said one man, gil
| ing his name, shot six Of the negroes.
Yours, affectionately.
The following is an extract from private lie
. ter from one Of the officers engaged In the bon
J bardment:
81 am sure our success will rejoice your hear
| Ii has been complete and terror runs over Il
! | whole country. The negroes are wild and plu
- dering their masters houses. The whites ha,
q been driving the negroes away by force ar
!. shooting them down. But they still come dow
|. TO the gun boats. The moment Gen. Dravt,
took to his horse In the panic Of the 7th his tv
= hundred servants went directly to the Wabas
This 10 worthy OF notice as putting down 4
= nonsense that the slaves were ready 10 fight
If their masters They surrounded Capt. ANN
In crowds at Beaufort, one Of them calling cut
the fullness of his joy: I didn't think you cou
20 | do IL, masaa -