Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1861-11-16
The Great Victory at Port Royal.
Bombardment & Capture ofthe Forts
A Graphic DesorIption ofthe Engage

commandment q Capture the Forts
A Graphic Description of the Engage
ment
From our New York exchanges, which
are filled with details of the recent
achievement on the coast of South Caro-
lima, we make up the subj oined descrip-
ton o. the bOmbardment aud capture of
the two forts, Walker and Beauregard:
The action commenced at precisely 10
A. NJ, the first shot being fired from the
| Hilton Head fortifcation at the flag ship,
and three guns were fred before we re-
piled. The shots then ELECTED n reply,
Com. Dupont being too punctilious gon--
tleman to permit so marked compliment
to be long uurecognized and unanswered.
The two entire broadsides Of the Wabash,
composed of two batteries of &c guns each,
and the pivot gun, at once poured in their
fearinl storm of shells upon the batteries
Ion both sides of the river at once The
men. who had stripped to their work, in
Estautly reloaded the guns, aud as the frig-
ate moved with just sufficient speed to give
her steeragewhy, and kept her under con-
troll, she had the battery in .riing ge for TWEEN
ty minutes, for all of which time ihe men
were loading and firing at the rate Of once
a minute for each gun-thus giving the
immense number of 440 shells that were
rammed in upon that devoted garrison by
the Wabash alone every time she passed,
for after the first fire she used only the star
board guns. Let it be noted too, that tue
ships were within pOint-b blank range of the
shore, some of them approaching within
less than 200 yards of hebaltery; the BIZ
enville, which rhu closer in than any other
ship, was so close as plainly to distinguish
the color of the shirts Of the men who
worked the gans, and to hear their cries of
encouragement to each other. When it is
\ remembered that the guns used are large
enough to carry with effective precision
two miles and a half, a slight idea of their
tremendous effect at such short range can
be formed.
Though the rebel guns in this work were
Columhiads, of the largest size, and carry
ing l3O-pound projectile; and the guns
are SO heavy as to require twelve men to
work each one, and move it effectively on
its carriage, such was the irresistible force
of our shot, that in 90 minutes three of
these immense Columbiads we're dismonnt-
ed-kuocked from their carriages, and rem
dered completely useless.
OF course the ships were not obliged to
wait until they got abreast of the work to
commence firing, but the make of the riv-
er permitted them to begin to throw augu-
lar raking shots at a distance of three
quarters of a mile, firing dO'On the river,
keeping it up as they slowly dritted past,
and finally finishing the round by pitching
some parting shots up the river alta SINH
lar angle with the ones first fired. This
plan permitted seven or eight Of our ves-
sells to play on the Notifications atthe same
time.
The peculiar make of the river is such
that not more than eightof our ships could
bring their guns to bear on the shore bat
teries ut the same time; but even then the
sight was one of the most magnificent con-
ceivable. Eight vessels would deliver a
broadside of not less than so guns at
single firc, led By the battery of the Wa-
bash, of 30 guns; and as each gun could
be loaded and discharged once in minute
at the very lowest estimate, it will be seen
that more than fifty bombs aud other ter
ribly destructive projectiles were rained
into the Hilton Head fertilization every
minute that the feet was within range,
But little attention was paid TO the bat
teries on the other side of the river at this
time, aud, indeed, they would have been
perfectly safe from any firing Whatever had
they not provoked an occasional shot by
their persistence in pitching she'll at ey-
cry one of our vessels that came within
theirslougest range. These two batteries
were comparatively unimportGnt at the
time, as they were on the opposite side of
the river from where We desired to land
our troops, and were withal so dependent
on the Hilton Head forti6catiOn that as
soon as that should fall into our hands,
the others would follow its fate, and prob
ably become ours without a struggle.
Each ship was in effective range of the
fort for about 90 minutes every time the
line came aroundi they moved like aterri-
BILE procession of destroying angels, and
at each of their visits, which were few but
not far between, the combined force hail
ed upon the doomed and devoted shore a
fiery storm of more that 400 shells.
The spectacle was one of the most inn
Epressiye that could be presented to the eye
! Of man. The air was filled with bursting
bombs-each deadly prCjectile, as it hum
med through the air, first rose heayenward
lin graceful curve, aud then swoopGd
down to Garth TO fulfill its fatal errand,
leaving through the air thin wavering
lime Of smoke that was first snowy white,
then light purple, then fading to pale
blne, quickly blended with the azure of
the clear Southern sky Beautiful as was
the airy course of the deadly missile, its
earthly track was marked BY crimson
stream OF flowing blood, by the sickening
crash of shalIering bones, and BY wreck,
ruin ard destruction Of whatever thing It
touched. Nothing could stand before this
fiery storm-guns were hurled from their
crarfaVes; houses were knocked into heaps
{ of brick and mortar, and beams and boards;
the Formidable fofE-Ealls of the solidest
masonry were In places torn and splinter
ed, ana the tough trees of the piteh-pins