Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1861-12-27
ArFA1Rs AT Port RoYAL.

writer says;
talking Hilton Head for the base of
operations, the army and navy are conformity |
making a series of strategic moves which
must. sooner or later, bring South Carolina
and Georgia to their iealty. So soon as the
foothold here was made secure Tybee Island
was seized and held, and now other operations
are in progress for a flank advance upon Sa-
vuunah. Charleston, too, is receiving share
of attention. Within three days a force has
been landed at outer Island. and battery
there, commanding the entrance to the
Ashepoo river. one of the inland routes be-
tween these cities, which the rebels them
selves erected, is now under our control
Port Royal Island, where the town of Beau
fort is situated, is also permanently occupied
by our troops. Virtually, this place has
been ours from the day Of the battle but
being of no great importance in military
sense, it was suffered to remain the pillaging-
ground Of refugee negroes. Its occupation
now, however, is in furtherauce Of the design
TO advance gradually upon the offending cities,
as well as TO chockmato the rebels in the plan
which they are now said to be executing, of
obstructing this network of inland navigation
with sunken vessels and liyo-oak logs.
"A stupid soldier, belonging to the round
head regiment, met a shocking death the 9TH
er day. lie found in the woods an unex-
ploded she'll sitting astride Of it, lighted the
fuse with his cigar. 1t burst, cutting his
hands of at the wrists. and tearing out his
stomach. He langushod two hours after the
occurrence. Eight others we're slightly hurt.
Another dolt, belonging to the forty-eighth
regiment, also touched off she'll in marsh,
near the camp. Singular enough, the only in
jury be experienced, was the tearing of his
coat. A fragment of the iron was thrown
three hundred yards, passing through the
canvas of tent and smashing trunk in
pieces. Did you ever hear of a tanned all
gator for pc. soldiers must have some
thing upon which to lavish their tenderness,
and the forty-seventh New York have chosen
an enormous alligator. They captured the
hideous creature in Skull Creek, near Sey-
brooks PLANTATION, and really have made it
quite tractable
IL met on William Mocock's plantation
young girl, probably Is, who evidently had
more white than negro blood in her veins
She told me that Mr.. Mocook owned her, and
/ that on the day of the fight she was at Beau
fort. In the confusion of the rout she hid
herself having determined to seek freedom Of
the Yankees Most of the time aCterward
other slaves, not daring to come from their
concealment except in the night time to OBJ
tain food. Mr. Mocock was very angry at
her descrtion. and had been back several times
to look for her. He last came two days be-
FORE and riding into the woods, his horses
hoofs struck the ground within two yards Of
where she was concealed. She was confident
that he would have shot her with pistol he
had drawn, If she had been discovered. She
has since found employment as laundress for
some of the officers
1t seems that black man was drawer than
all the white South CaroIinians who ran away
from Port Royal. One Of the southern pa
pers says "A slave owned by Mr.. Pope
secured all the horses of battery abandoned
by the confederates on Hilton Head Island,
and getting them into fiat brought them
safely to Savannah.
OF the abandonment of the proposed ex-
petition from Port Royal, correspondent of
the same paper says:
When the demonstration against the
coasts Of the rebellious States was projected,
its chief object was to secure one or two suit
able harbors as places Of refuge for the ves-
sells Of the blockadng feet, and the selection
of these harbors was left 10 the discretion Of
Commodore Dupont and Gen. Sherman. #
soon became evident, after the brilliant
success at Port Royal, that the field Of ope "a
tions thus opened would be quite large
enough, even if the military portion of the
force we're doubled, and Gen. Sherman has
from the first been unwilling 80 weaken his
command by diHusing it. Commodore Du-
pont, also was not slow to perceive how
much might be accomplished in just this vi
cinity by the navy and while the military
have been engaged in throwing up eutrench-
q ments, erecting storehouses, and otherwise
p making Hilton Head a thorough Point dap
e pai, he has rendered the blockade of Savan
nah perfect by the seizure Of Tybee Island
and obtained another harbor scarcely inferio
to that of Port Royal, by holding st. Hele
% ma Sound, distant twenty-five miles from
$ Charleston and the islands contiguous to it
upon one OF which-Otter Island-Gen. Sher
u man has force entrenched.
a Many other important results have beer
achieved. In the first place, the necessity o
It obtaining another port Of refuge has been oh
= waited and secondly, the Commissariat Ord
: nance and Quartermaster's stores which woul,
II have been carried hence, are absolutely want
J. ed for the operations here. Let not the PEG
pie of the North he disappointed nor impa
'e tent In due time, and that speedily, tn,
flag of the Union will float, as Of yore, owe
ie both Charleston and Savannah"
4, The correspondent of the New York Herald
speaking of the cotton which is now bein,
gathered at Hilton Head, says;
1.-The cotton gatherers under Colonel No
BILE continue to be actively engaged on tn
n neighboring islands, with good degree G
ID success ! am informed by the best authori
~ ty, at least five hundred pounds of cotton
I'd gnned and unginned mostly, suppose, G
p the latter character-have been collected
y ready to be sent to Hilton Head where
"a large number OF cotton gins are TO be set u
II and put into operation. The negroes, VIII
a. have come in in great numbers. will furnis
u the manual skill and labor necessary to wor
Sy them in an efficient manner The cotton wi
be ginned, picked and placed in sacks read
for transportation north. Captain Saxtor
Us whose labors are already herculean, add
a thereby another branch to his department
It. and will doubtless conduct it in that efficier
tn and satisfactory manner which has marked a
he his efforts thus far.
"a | have no doubt that million pounds {
he more will be collected during the preser
n month A lar,,a op,nnnt bas haan 10