Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1861-11-21
PARTICULARS OF THE BOMBAEDIEHT
OF THE CONFEDERATE FORTS.
PROCLAMATION TO THE PEOPLE OF
SOUTH CAROLINA.

Fortress Monroe. Noy. II, p. M-The
steamer Bienville has just arrived at Old
Point from the Great Expedition. She left
Port Royal on Sunday morning and brings
highly important and most cheering intelli-
gence. She proceeds at once to New York,
where she will be due tomorrow. Capt.
Steedman, however, left her at this place
and proceeds at once to Washington with
dispatches and trophies-two brass cannon
and the Secession flags taken from the
Rebels.
He reports the gale encountered by the
fleet to have been very severe. The steam
ers Union and Osceola went ashore aud were
lost, as previously reported. The steamer
Governor foundered at sea, but the Isaac +
Smith succeeded in saving all her crew.
with the exception of few marines.
The feet arrived at Port Royal on Mon
day, the 4th inst. On Tuesday the small
gunboats sounded and buoyed out the chan
mel under fire from the forts, which did
no damage. On Wednesday the weather
prevented active operations, but on Thurs
day morning the 7th inst, the men-of-war
and the gunboats advanced to the attack.
The Action Commenced.
At 10 A. M. the action commenced, and
was hotly carried on on both sides, and last
ed about four hours, at the end of which
time the Rebels were compelled by the show
er of shells from the feet to abandon their
works and beat hasty retreat.
Our loss in this brilliant opening of the
in South Carolina was only eight
men killed, including the Chief Engineer of
the Mohican. and about twenty wounded.
The Rebels loss in the action is not known,
but fifty-two dead bodies were found by our
men and buried All their wounded, ex-
cept two, were carried off.
Two forts were captured Walker,
on Hilton Head, mounting % guns, and
Fort Beauregard, on Bay Point. mounting
10 guns. The guns were of heavy calibre.
They were both new and splendid earth
works of great strength, constructed in the
highest style of military science, and pro-
nounced by our engineers as impregnable
against any assault by land forces.
The Rebels Retreat--A esssr,Iet---.saifuuil
me nnaT retreat OF the Rebels was a.
feet rout. They left everything, aR3g,
equipments of all kinds, even the ofhceH
swords and commissions All their letters
and papers, both public and private, order
books and documents of all kinds, were left
in their fight and fell into our hands, afford
ing our officers much valuable information
Among the papers was despatch from
JEFF. Davis to the commander of the post
him of the sailing Of the feet, and
that he knew their destination to be Port
Royal. (Query-who was the traitor p :
The whole surrounding country was seized
with fearful panic on the arrival of the
feet. The day after the fight of the enemy
from their entertainments the Seneca and
two other gunboats, under the command of
Lieut.. Amman, proceeded up to Beaufort,
and found but one white man in the town,
and he was drunk.
All the plantations up the river seemed
to be deserted except by the negroes. who
were seen in great numbers, and who. as
the boats passed, came down to the shore
with bundles in their hands, as if expecting
to be taken right off.
Our troops seized all the letters in the
Post Office at Beaufort.
Landing of the National Army.
After the capture of the forts the whole
army, about fifteen thousand strong, were
safely landed and established on shore
The forts were but little injured, but the
Rebels could not stand the explosion of our
big shells.
The force of the enemy in the forts, as
ascertained from their papers, was from
three to four thousand men, under General
Drayton, of South Carolina.
Our victory is complete-the enemy leav-
ing everything but their lives, which they
saved by running.
J. S. Bradford. of the Coast Survey,
bearer of dispatches, and r. H. Wyman,
Commanding the Pawnee, also arrived here
in the Bienville, and took the boat from here
this evening for Baltimore.
The boats from the Wabash were the first
to land after the fight, and Captain John
Rodgers was the first man on shore
The boats returned loaded with valuable
trophies of all kinds, one of our officers find
ing an elegant cavalry sword with solid
silver scabbard. Swords, pistols, etc., ETC.,
were scattered about in every direction and
in any quantity.
Dut IOur pIlSUueTS were 5lOuuu, Two VI
whom were wounded.
All hands connected with the fleet are
represented as acting in tie most gallant
manner.
The reporters who accompany the expe-
dition return to New Yok with full details.
None of the Federal Vessels Sunk.
Notwithstanding the leavy calibre of the
guns in the Rebel forts, and their abundant
supply of ammunition, as subsequent dis
coveries proved, not ne of our fleet was
either sunk or burnt, and none were seri-
ously injured or even disabled
The gunboat Pavnee, which rendered
efficient service in tie fight, suffered more
seriously than any t the war vessels en-
gagged, and yet she 'as not disabled in the
slightest. A roundshot went through her
wardroom, and aniher ball damaged the
Second Lieutenane room, doing severe
havoc to the furnilre, but doing the ship
no material damae