The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-01-02
Alrbmono 9ispattb.
EDN ESDAY MORNING JAN. ist1
THE NATIONAL CRISIS,
Ahe orh at Charleston-I The Resignation
secretary Fioyd-spec aIations from
"ashington-view. of Messrs. Douglas
and Crittenden, &e, &c.
THE PORTS At CHARLRsroN-coNDiTI OF
FORT SUMTER.

FORT SUMTER.
From ths Charleston Mercury, Dec. 3lst.l
All day Saturday and yesterday, our GAL
iant troops were busy i'll the performance of
The various duties assigned them by the State
At Fora MonItrie we are glad TO % able 10
STATE that matters are prog resslug sw in n =
~ the most vigorous measures are on foot
10 remoIut the dISman lied guns, aud every
hcur IS working wonders tOwarcS that end
AT various exposed points along the BAY
breas twoTks are being rapidly erected. The
etails OF these fortidcatioDs we shall give at
another time. Bat whoever glances at the
earnest manner in which these defences are
pushed forward, must ac know ledge that Caro-
iinians have lost none Of the zeal aud bravery
which distingu tshed them OF old.
Sunday was no idle day for the garrisons
a. Castle PincKney service was duly per-
formed, but the rest of the day was devoted to
energetic action.
THR eTArR OF AFFAIRs AT FORT SUMTER
From the ~ccoduts OF u number OF laboTers
who were sent from Fort Sumter on Friday
night our reporters have Cleaned mass of
highly interesting details in relation to the
strength and present condition of the great
fortress. which now forms the last stronghold
OF Federal authority within the limits Of our
STATE.
About SIX weeks ago, when there were 10
troops IN Fort Sumter, tie Federal officers III
charge OF that post proposed 10 the Wurkmen
employed ln completing the toTtiticaiions aud
" nc then mum beTed a0Jut lJU men, thRt they
should enlist ia the JHIted States service, al
fnus vary the monotony OF handling the troW-
el and the derrick, by Il little daily prac lice
with the ruusket and the hOWItZeT. The work
men, most OF whom were from a Southern
clty, at iirst oemurred at this some hat extra
ordinary proposal, alleging that they came 10
work aud not TO fight; and, fDaliy, after con-
sultation among themselves, they fatty refused
10 become the thanklesS tools OF coercion.-
rhe benevolent officers, as there was help
FOR II, suffered the matter TO drop for awhile
aud the work OF getting the guns in position
and otherwise strengthening the fortress was
hNt mn.
and taborers without any more martial pro-
positions.
thus matters wore on until the transfer of
the garrison of Fort MoultIie 10 Fort Sumter
GA Thursday evening", when the Palmetto
banner floating over Castle Pinckney; aud the
rockets from Fort Moultre announced to the
lOCkouts ON tue ramparts Of Fort Sulnter The
occupation Of both thoSe works by the State
tTOOps, The impression Was quite prevalent
among the Uni ed states officers that sudden
attack upon their own position would follow
fhe iaborers w6Te again hastily summoned
tOgether-again the officers endeavored to coax
them to don the blue cloth and brass buttons
Iu defence of the fort, and again the sturdy
sons of toll declined the tempting offer. Find
ing that the workmen were immovaole III their
resolve not 10 participate In any contest with
the forces of South Carolina, the officers
thought that the next best thing was 10 get
men who could eyince no sym pathy tor Fede-
raj tyranny out of the way soon pOssi-
bic The boats were accordingly manned
shortly after nightfali and the larger portion
OF the wOrkmen were quietly taken over 10
Fort Johnson. The Workrnen say that this
was done by order of Capt. Foster, who. it
will be remtm bered, was in Charles ton that
same morning (Thursday.)
The dreaded attack nUI having taken place,
the lanorers and mechanics returned on FRI
day morning, when about eighty of them, in
Guiding all the MASTER mechanics, weary of a
position so full of danger and alarms, an
nouuced their intention TO quit. On demand
lug their pay, they received drafts on the
North, in slead of the specie in which the Gov
| ernment usually pays its employees, and glad
| TO get away. they embarked al O'Clock on
| Saturday morning on a schooner for Charles
| ton. GA arriving III thdrIeat0n they found
| themselves in q strange city, and destitute of
| means. 4 purse was promptly made up ior
| them among some OF our liberal citiZanS, and
| on Saturday afternoon they departed for their
| homes on the steamship keyston State Pre-
| vious 10 leaving, however, they related the
| following facts concerning the post they have
| Just left:
| The force now remaining in Fort Sumter
| consists OF about one hundred and thirty men,
fifty OF whom are laborers, and The rest troo ps
| belonging TO the artillery branch of the United
l States service. These latter are Sufficient TO
| man about one-half the guns Of the Iort sup
posing the guns were all noun nted. Fortu-
| nateiy, however, this is far from being the
| case. Out of seventy-ifve pieces of heavy
| ordnance now in the fort, only eleven are fully
mounted. These are all casemate guns in the
lower tier, and include the nine guns OF that
| face of the fortress fronting towards Sulli-
| vans Island. Two more OF these casema to
| guns were nearly mounted on Friday evening,
but the work of getting them in position is
| necessarily slow and tedious, and, with the
force now at work. it is impossible to mount
more than three guns per day at the utmost.
| The heaviest guns, too, which are the ten-inch
| Columbiads. have yet 10 be mounted. One OF
| the casemate guns a one Of the angles of the
| walls has been placed in position as to
| cover Castle Pinckney. TIE garrison were
| on Friday evening getting ready 10 mount
| some of the casemate guns on the south side
| Of the walls.
| Besides these heavy pieces, four OF the light
er blrtstte guns are mounted upon the ram
! parts pointing towards Morris Island. These
are arranged upon pivot carriages as to
| sweep around the whole horizon. The maya
zine Of the fortress is well stocked with an
immense quantity of grape, canister and
| shells, and about seven hundred barrels OF
powder. All the small arms aud stores OF
Fort Mouitrie have been transferred with the
garrison, and there is sufficient accumua-
ton of provisions TO last, in case of neces-
sity, for six months at least. Four large cis-
terms contain an ample supply OF fresh water;
but 1t is we'll unders TODD that Fort ID t. r
has no fuel to spare. The rumor current in
the city that q number of the guns III Fort
Sumter, which are not yet mounted, had been
spiked by the Southern Worknen, is without
foundation.
THE ARSENAL.
About two O'Clock, yesterday afternoon, the
Federal flag, which until that time had oeen
uff. a -ya ya oyar the Arsenal WAS hauled