The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1861-12-27
James, Guns Declared useless and the
Parrot Gun Substituted, Sc, sc.
HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF FLORIDA,

months, and that 1t was daily threatened
with the fate of Sumter, is fact motor ious
to the whole world. Since its occupancy
by Lieutenant Slemmer the rebels have
been surrounding it with batteries, and dai.
ly arming them with the heaviest and most
efficient guns known 10 our service-guns
stolen from the United States until they
considered this Fort as virtually their own,
It's occupancy being Or y a question OF time
have been in command since the 10th
o! April, and during the whole OF that
time their force has averaged, SO lar as
can learn, from eight TO ten times the num-
Der OF mine. The position in which [ have
thas been placed has been sufficiently try
ing, and have at three separate times in
tended to free myself from it by opening
my batteries on them, but imperlous cir,
cumstances, over which | had no control,
has unexpectedly in each instance prevented.
Affairs were 10 this state Oh the morning
OF the 9Th OF October, when the enemy, if
teen hundred strong, attacked by surprise
portion OF MY command on an intensely
dark night. They were defeated and driven
from the island with great loss by less than
two hundred regulars and fifty Volunteers
al the olnclent force / had dsposable for
the purpose. An insult SO gross to the
t1ag OF my country could not by me be
passed nnnOtlced, and designed immediate
~ TO take appropriate notice OF it; but, as
l SAID before, circumstances over which !
had no control prevented. | make these
PREDATORY remarks 10 explain why | have
now opened my batteries "a the enemy
when, from the smaness OF my forces
~ II l. a. !
to eight thousand, have uot the means Of
producing any decisive results, and as eVi--
dence ct my having accomplished what I
desgn0d-the punishiDg the perpetrators Of
al Insult co my countrys flag.
Having invited Flag Officer Mexican to
cO-0perat- with me III attacking the rebels,
and TO which be gave i ready and cordial
assent, /, On tie morning OF the 22d, opened
my batteries on the enemy, to which, in tha
course OF half al hour, he responded IRON
his numerous forts and batteries extending
from the Navy I ard to Fort McRae, dis
lance Of about Jour miles, the whole nearly
eqUidstant trom this fort, and Oh which
line he has two t0rts-Mc2ae and Barran
cas-and fourteen separate batteries, con-
tanning from one to four guns, many OF
twelve and thirteen inch sea coast mortars,
the distance varying from two thousand oDe
hundred to Two thousand nine hundred
yards from the Fort. at the seme time of
my opening, the Flag Officer Mexican, 10
the Niagara, and Captain Ellison, in the
Richmond, took position as near to Fort
McRae as the depth of water would per-
nit, but which unfortunately was not suffi-
GENTLY deep to give full effect to their pow
erfuI batteries. They, however, kept up
spirited fire on the fort and adjacent Bate
ries during the whole day. My fire was in
cessant from the time of opening until it
was toe dark 10 see, at the rate OF a shot for
each gun every fifteen or twenty minutes,
the fire OF the enemy being somewhat Slow
er. By noon the guns OF Fort McRae were
all silenced but Que, and three hours before
sunse, this fort and the adjoining battery
ceased fire directed the guns OF batteries
Lincoln, Cameron and Totten principally
On the batteries adjacent to the Navy Yard,
those o. battery Scott to Fort McRae and
the lighthouse batteries, and those OF the
fort to all. We reduced very perceptihly
the fire OF Barrancas. entirely that il the
Navy Y ard, and in one or two of the other
batteries The efficiency of our fire, at the
close OF the d8y, not being the least i'm
paired.
The next morning | again opened about
the same hour, the navy unfortunately,
owing 10 I. reduction IN The depih Of water.
caused By change c! wnd, not being able
to get 50 ne4r as yesterday, consequently
the distance WAS tOo great 10 be eitctua!
My fire Ibis day was less rapid, and think
more efficient, than In OF Y sterday ForG
McKae SO efiectualy silenced yesterday,
Gid not fir again 10 day. We silenced co
trely one or two guns, and had one of ours
dlSableo oy sn0J coming through the en-
brasure
About three O'cl0ckhrc Was c0nmuni.
cateo IL Oh Of the houses in Warrington.
and shorty afterwards to the church stee-
pie, tie church and The whC,e village being
III rear OF some OF the reD8 batteries. thew
apparently having paced them purposely
directly III front OF the largest and most
available buildings. The tire rapidly com,
munlcateo 10 other buildings along the
street and probably twothlrds OF it was
consumed and about the same time fire
Was discovered issuing from the back bart
the Navy Yard probably in Woicott,
village to the Nor-n, and immediately ad-
joining the yard, as Warrington does on
the West. Finally it penetrated to the
yard, and as it continued to burn brightly
all night concluded that either in it or in
Wolcott many buildings were destroyed.
Very heavy damage was also done to the
buildings of the yard by the avalanche of
shot, shell and splinters showered unceas-
ingly Oh them for two days, and being near
ly fireproof, being built of brick and cover.
ed with slate, could not succeed in firing
them, my hot shot nor shells not having
any power to ignite them.
The steamer Time, which was at the
wharf at the time, was abandoned on the
first day and exposed to our fire, which
probably entirely disabled her. The fire
was again continued till dark, and with
mortars occasionally until two O'Clock the
next morning, when the combat ceased.