New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-11-20

,bare vvoa no ono TO whom tne.pfociapauoh ocui" y"
addressed. They did not object to It's reception by
NJ WoIler and that gentleman finally c0Bscnied 10
carry the proclamation, under cover, TO Mr. VISOR
he iso consented TO carry Gen. Sherman letter TO
That clergyman. letter from one OF The pIisoners
taken by us on the 7h TO his wife was also given by
lieut.. Wagner to the rebel officers SO the principal
object of the errand accomplished; the proela-
nation PIT into the way Of being seen, and the iact
of our being uncoucerncd in the Beaufort plundering
definitely announced and admitted. No invitation
was extended to Lieut. Wagner 10 proceed further,
and going under flag of truce he could not asl, any
peIm sion. lie was cautiously directed on lis re-
turn route fnd assured that his flag would be re-
speced. copy of his letter Of credence Was taken.
Juet at the closc of the interview the Major conf
manding tie port came up, and was civil. On their
return tie party met squad Of Secession cavalry,
who gave Them fodder Tor tLer horses, and one Of
whom lunched with them. No other adventure
marked their return.
Hnroy's HEAD. PoKl RoYAI. S. C., Nov. 70 1861.
! Yesterday Commodore Dupont and Cen. Sherman,
agcamnanied by Can't. Davis the fleet captain, Capt.
John Rodgers and Capt. G.. p. II. Rodgers OF the
Wabash, and other officers OF the navy, weat on the
gupbCat Seneca, Capt. AnlInen, as tar up the fort
ROYAL River as Beaufort, 10 examine the condition
Of that deserted town. | was permitted to accom-
pany them aud make haste to write down While the
impression Is still recent an account OF one OF Ihe
saddcst scenes ever Witnessed We got under
weigh at about noon, and as Beaufort IL only some
fifteen miles up the Iyer IN about an hour We Were
within sight OF its lofty portieos and Clustering gar
Sens Ii is O small place, occupied IN Summer by
many of The wealthiest planters in South Carolina,
who resort 10 il for its delicious ocean air; 2OUU OF
more are usually there as late IN the season as no
yomber but in tie Winter the population Is not more
thGn 500. The hOuees are mostly wooden, Win
stuccoed fronts spacious yeraud hs aud high poIches
tIey stand aloug the shore In gardens crowded With
orange and lemon trees, fragrant jessanlnes, mag
IClas and huge Cdctuses, gorgeous IL crimson ana
yellow. As sailed leisurcly along in the admira;
bic little cafi, which IS not yet month Oh, ana
has been chri-tened already in three fights, resulting
60 victOriously hat-boas crowded with negroes ana
flied uD Wi,h plumber could be seen making their
way speedily across the stream. Two other gun
boats Law of in the river 10 guard aganei the return
Of rebel troops. On the wharves, lazy black or
strangers We landed in small boats, the Captain of
tie Wabash having brought LIS launch, which was
armed with ried caDnoa and hled with Galore each
carrying rusket Tho officers of the party all
armed No fooner had we Put foot on shore than the
melancholy experiences OF the day Began. ware
Ioufe on Tie wharf had loen broken in ard its con-
tents pillaged; the relics Of stores Of food were
strcwn around, omlty bGnels, broken doors and
windows cases, Of liquor or oils oveTset ana Wanton
destruction Of every sort pCrpetracd upon the prop
crty, and this was but sample Of what we were
destined to meet at every step, All tie shops and
stores were rhed; The Post-Otice despoied, and on
the doorsteps some fragments only told what bad
once been written. Not white man was to be seen,
Wabash Immediately distributed his men around 20
"a 20 Guard aganet surprise, and gave strict orders
that not an article should he removed from the vll-
lsge. The uegroos whom We Lad seen before land
ing had got away with their plumber, but other
croups loaneed around touching their hats to US,
in default OF hate, pulling their shaggy wool, and
seoued anxious to talk. We asked where were the
white people: "All gone, Massa, gone the day of
the fight, left we behind" Their story was uniform.
Their matters had fed with the greatest precipa
-. .ift cod al
Some indeed had left even earlier but not one now
remained. They had endeayored TO persuade or
force tie blacks to accompany them, but in vHin
The negroes had remained and others had cOao from
the surrounding country and an indlsoiiminale pl-
laQe OF the town had taken place. The testimony Of
tie blacks was unanimous that the "nfggers' were
roblpg and destroying everything they could lay
their hands o. until the 10th, Capt. Ammon OF
the Seneca had arrived, and his oieers threatened
TO shoot them, nnless they desisted. Again
snd again men, women, and children were asked in I
nv hearing, by Commodore Dupont, by Gen. Sher-
man and oihers "who Lad committed the Tavages
we saw,' again and again they answered, the
blacks" Twenty different times | myself asked as
many different negroes "who had stopped the out
ra,r." and invariably they told me "tbe 1ankees.
some Of the dsrkes We're honse servants, Rone were
old and evidently attached TO their masters, some
sii remained 10 look after the property as well
they were able, and spoke mournfuiiy OF what they
had eeen and of what had been done; but always 1t
was the blacks who had done it. am particular in
asserting and repeating this statement because there
can be no doubt that the outrages will be charged
upon Union troops. But not only did Capt. Ammen
fnd the negroes engaged in the plumber three days
ago, when he first went up to Beaufort; not only
did his officers compel them to desist, but no men
were allowed 10 land, 80 that the possibility Of an
occasional depreciation should be precluded And
yesterday the utmost scrupuousness was exhibited
by similar party who went through the town, TO
Interfere in way with the persona property they
discovered. With the exception Of tie letters and
papers tina, were taken, with q view to obtaining
information for the military and naval commanders
and an occasional Southern flower that young mid
sbipman plucked and stuck in his buttonhole Beau
fort remained exactly the same at our departure at
our arrival.
Indeed but one emotion was experienced, and but
one sentiment expressed by any member of the
party, and that of the profoundest sadness. We
went through spacious houses where only O !
week ago families were living in luxury, and cav
their costly furniture despoiled books aud papers
thrown out on the floors, mirrors broken, safes
smashed; pianos On the sidewalk, feather beds nip
ned open, and even the filth OF tie negroes left
wing IN parlors and bed-chambers The destruction
had been wanton; in many instances no purposes of
plumber could have been served, but simply mali
cious love Of mischief gratifed. The flight must
have been very rapid, for the curtains were some
times at the windows, and in nearly every house the
private papers and letters remained. Wedding cards
and invitations TO dinner sometimes lay on drawing
room table, while the walls were defaced and the
furniture broken all around by tie slave population
said to be 70 peaceful submissive, sure to fight
for their masters. Many of the officers went into
houses OF their friends some into mansions, eyen
where they bad dined and slept in other days. Mr.
Nat Howard house was one Of the finest we en-.
tered another was that Of Edward Rhett, where
BaInwell Rhett himself had often resided. There
seemed retributive Justice in the fate that rested
upon tie dwelling of this arch rebel the slave pro-
perry on whose account he had endeavored to over
turn his Government, was not only become worth
less but absolutely an active and destroying force