Newbern weekly progress., 1861-01-08
s.FOREIGN NEWS,
We take the following from the Charl
on (CarOlna) Courier of Monday
CONDITION OF FORT SUMTER.

Throughout the CITY yeSIcIduE dtiu ile Jay
before, speculation was rife as to the contiit!o.:
of the different fortifications in the harJor Muc
anxiety was manifested on the part Of tn.
friends of our citizens IN possession y! tOTt
/. Mouitre and Castle Pickney, while 10 little
riosty exhibited itself TO learn what Was H.
condition Of the occupants of Fort SdInieT. g.
this latter point there were variety Il iFAt4- D.;
atoat Some went So far as to say that. IT,
United States troops would be unable - hos
out two weeks; that their provisions were o. H.
most scantv character; and that water wRc yu-y
scarce. 1t this be SO, and 1t be true, as repcI-
ed, that the larger one of the clsternS Is !c4.
dered useless because of the salt water thai
makes way into 1t, the soldiers cannot by any
possibility bold out longer than ten Or tourtcc:.
/ days All the points from which supplies a.
be obtained are rendered inaccessible
There Is n strong guard Of the Charleston Z:
felnen stationed at the Light House oo MuGris
Island even if u battery has not been erected
there by this time rs was contemplated. =
tachments of South Carolina troops are II! pcs
session of the post VI Fort johnson, While -.
livan's Island and Mount Pleasant, as 1ye,.
this city, are rendered inaccessible TO therl !.
supplies SIS
The remaining cistern of the fort 1t is setJ
is SO betvuled With stagEant water that to driAt-
! Oft would be to partake OF death and disease
The oniy remaining way for them to procuTl
water or provisions, viii be by boats or vessels
and even this mode viii be cut oil by the sma.-
crafts and steam boats that are constantly cru
! sing around on the watch.
! From the HorkInen, however who have bce:4
employed at the fort, welearn that there are 0tc
! gether in Fort Sumter about forty OF ntty INC
| Ghanics and laborers together with some sev-
enty soldiers. About twelve caselnate gum
are mounted mostly looking towards Sullivan. ;
/ Island, and four O. Eve barbettc guns which
work pivots, and can be worked facing Ill
any direction. Wish their present force they
! can place several guns III position each day, ard
and they have an abundant supply Of shot and
she'll and provisions and water, to last them for
months, the cisteIns being large and amply
supplied with good Ian water. The guns Of the
largest callbre not yet in position, and the
number OF cannon in the fort amounts TO hall
It's armament.
THE DAMAGE AT FORT MoCLTRIE
though as vet unrepaircd, is neither exten-
sve nor so irTemediable 81 was at first thought.
Under command OF Major Anderson, the work
was strengthened in truly wonderful manner,
though many parts of it were unfinished 1t the
SINE Of the evacuation. However, this is all 50
much labor saved the South Carolina troops,
and under the energetic superintendent %,
Colonel Quinn, Enginecr-i Chief, and hls I'll
cent corps of Aids, chosen principally 1-n!;.
the Washington Artillery, the work c.n
menced is being busy pushed forward TO Il.
pletlon \ large force OF laborers have "-.!.
put to work, and in very short time cF--.
thing will be set in order
Contrary to expectation, none Of the euc-s -.
the fort are materially injured. Thosc raI,
were spiked We're rend .red useless for the tl'u-
! being only. The Instruments used To stoD u.
tbs touch holss We're simply wrought n,lls,
most Of which have already been taken out.
None Of the guns were injured by the apple
ton Of tar either inside or outsidc--and the
way the impression got abroad that this sub
stance has been used by the cvacuatng party,
was from the chacrcd appearance OF the tar -
ways used as coating to protect the guns from,
the weather after it was burned.
Carriages for the heavy 8-inch Columbia,
bearing on ForeSumtcr which were ,icStroy,t
by fire on the / cht of evacuation, are BEN.
Reconstructed with all possible dispatch III tins
city The iron work OF the old guns IL cal'ag.s
Of beng used again, 50 that after all not lIl-g..
time will be lost.
IL drscrting the fort, military men say NJ
or Anderson did as little harm to tho WORT,
it possible for him to DO. He might
have done great deal more. He might have
blown up the work, or might have injured II
TO such degree that it would have been rel
dcred worthless even after a years labor l;e@
been spent in repairing it. As it now is, to
morrow night viii see it almost as strongly fDr
titled as it was Oh the Goth.
THE GARRISON AT CASTLE PI.5IGNFY
were in most excellent spirits throughout
yesterday. The discipline maintained is rigiG
and well-adapted to render the post security
and reliance in time Of danger. It's position
renders it very valuable to our people, anu
with the yigilant troops who now hold it, We
may rest secure. Nothing of interest has oc
CURED at the post since its occupancy and, Il
all lkelhoods, nothing iii the premises will b.
needed bat the maintenance of the prcscf..
good order and watchtulness.
\ number of the laborcrs employed b., the
United States Government upon the forti@s-
tons Of our harbor, and principally upon For.
Moultric, came up TO the city Saturday last
after having been discharged and set adrift u
find their way back to their homes in Bait
more as best they could Many Of them took
passage on board the keystone State
\ large proportion of them were engaged in
August last by CAPTAIN Foster, L. S. ~, and
one OF them, an intelligent foreman, called On
us on Saturday, and stated that by contrac.
made with Captain Foster they were to remain
in the employ of the General Government un:-
their work was all finished. This would
bring them up to the middle of May, VIXEN
they were to be discharged, and their passas..
paid to Baltimore:
About five weeks since, as they were ~
preached by Lieutenant Snyder, OF the Arm
stationed at Fort Moultrie who advised them
to provide themselves with arms, settinq,
forth as his reasons, that in all probabiIif,-
they would soon be attacked by mob frorl
the City Of Charleston, and self protection vs.
necessary. The workmen refused to do So r.
plying at the same time that they were en-
ployed by the government to work and not 10
fight.
At a later date a suggestion something sim
lar to the one mentioned was again thrown or
by Capt. Foster, who urged them to suffe-
themselves to be drilled as soldiers. He saiG
that if they did this they would be better pre-
pared to defend themselves in case Of an emer-
gcncy, which he believed was near at hand
The workmen however, could not not be per-
suaded into~service nor induced to- swerre from
their purpose. They positively refused to do
any Other duty than such as they had c0ntrac-
ted to perform, bit at the instance of the off
GERS of Fort Mouktie consented to go with.the
rest to Fort Sumter. Here they continued
TO decline the honor of a blue uniform and
cross belts, and pertinaciously stuck to pick
axes and spades. Under these circumstances
they were all discharged, except three or four,
who were finally induced to enlist.
In relation to other points of defence in tho
harbor, a great deal has been said on the
ctreet and cinoa tha affo - It