Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1861-11-30

Fort Pckens, the largest and most inlpor
tant of the forts, is a strong work, standing on
the western end of Santa Rosa Island. TWAS
built to protect the Pensacola navy yard and
the ma entrance to the harbor OF its nle-
ror, the best and most recent description was
contained in letter of DR.. Russell, the Lon
don Times correspondent, dated May 10Th
He says -" Fine casemates are all blinded,
aud the hospital is situated in the boulb-prool
inside. The parade of the fort was iuii OF
men, and at Il coup a. osI it was evident that
great efforts had been made to prepare Fort
Pickens tor Il desperate defense. The parade
ground hats been JudiciOusy lied with deep
holes like inverted cones, in which she lis will
be comparatively innocuous and, wa. ned by
Sumter, everything has been removed which
would prove in the least degree combustlbIe
The officer on duty led me straight ACROSS to
the opposite angle oi the tort. AS the rear OF
the casemaes and bOmb-proois along this side
will be exposed 10 a plunging fire. from the
opposite ssde, a very ingenious screen has been
constructed by placing useless gun platforms
and part, OF carriages at an angle against tie
wall, and piug them up with SAND and earth
tor several feet in thickness. y passage is
thus lett between the base OF the wall ami that
OF the screen through which man can walk
with ease.
COLONEL BROWN, THE CoMMANDANT
Turning into this passage we entered
lofty bomb-rouf which was the bed room OF
the commanding officer, anu passed through
into the casemate, which serves as his head
quarters. Colonel Harvey Brown received me
with every expression of polileness and cour-
tesy. He is a tall, spare solderly- looking
man, with face indicative OF great resolution
ON Cnil pf nv nd l. ind
ness, and his attachment to the Union was
probably one OF the reasons Ul his removal
from the command of Fort Hamilton, New
York, to the charge OF this very important
tort. lie has been long III The service, and he
belonged to the first class of graduates who
passed at West Point, after its establishment
in 1918. After Il short and very interesting
conversation he proceeded to show me the
works. and we mounted upon the pnrapet,
accompanied by Captain Berry, and went over
all the detenses. Fort Pickens has regular
Fashioned trace, in outline an oblique and
rather narrow paralIelogram, with the obtuse
angles facing the sea at one side and Tie land
at the other. The acute angle, at which the
6astion towards the enemy's batteries is silua-
ted, is the weakest part of the work but it
was built for sea defense, as l have already
observed, and the tace was prolonged to OBJ
tain the greatest amount Of fire on the sea
approaches. The crest OF the parapet is GOV.
cred with very solid and well-nade merlous
OF heavy sand bags, but one taee and the
gorge of the baStion are exposed 10 an en-.
flading fire from Fort McRae which the colo
mel said he intended to guard against ii lie got
line.
"All the guns seemed in good order, the car.
riages being well constructed, but they are
mostly of what considered small canhres
now i. days, being 80 Founders, with some AZ
Founders and "A Founders. here are, how
ever four heavy colunbads, which command
the enemys works on several points very
completely 1t struck me that the bastion
guns were rather crowded. But, even in its
present state, the defensive preparations are
most credible to their officers, who have had
only three weeks to do the immense amount
of work before us. The brick copings have
been removed from the parapets, and strong
sand bag traverses nave been constructed TO
cover the gunners, i'll edition 10 the rat
holes at the bastiuns More heavy guns are
expected, which, with the aid OF il lew more
morIars, will enable the garrison to hold their
own against everything bur regular siege ON
the land side, and SO long as the fleet covers
the narrow neck of the island with its guns it
is not possible for the cOntederates 10 effect
Judgment Ii fort NJ Rae were strong and
heavily armed, it could inhict great damage
on Pickens but it is neither one nor the
other, and the United States officers are conf
dent that they will speedily render it quite un-
tsnable.
''The boucheS a teu of the fort may be put
down at forty, including the available pieces
in the classmates, which sweep ,the ditch and
the faces OF the curtains The walls are OF the
hardest brick, OF nine feet thickness in many
places, and the crest OF the par ,pets On which
The rheglons and traverses rest are Of turf.
From the walls there is splendid view OF the
whole position, and / found my Companions
were perfectly well acquainted with the
strength and locus of the greater part OF the en-
envy works. OF course held my peace, but
| was amused at their accuracy There are
the quarters OF our friend, Gen. Bragg
There is one OF their best batteries just be-
side the lighthouse The tall chimney of the
Warrington navy yard was smoking away
Justify. The colonel called NY attention TO it.
DO you SEQ that, sir :? They are casting shot
there. The sole reason for their 'forbearance'
is that navy yard. They know full well that
if they open gun upon us We will lay that
yard and all the work in ruins Capt. Vodg-
es subsequently expressed some uncasiness on
a point as to which | could have relieved his
mind very effectually. He had seen some
thing which led him to apprehend that the con.
federates had Il strong enIrenched camp in the
rear OF their works. Thereupon | was ena-
bIed TO perceive that in Capt Wedges mind
there was strong intention to land and carry
the enemy's position. Why, otherwise, did
you care about an entrenced camp, most ex-
cellent engineer z"
THE REBELS WORKS.
The works of the confederates may be di-
vided into three parts. They describe an arc
about Fort Pickens, stretching from south to
northeast. First, to the south, comes Fort
McRae, one mile and quarter distant from
Pickens, and therefore in fair range of Colon
el Browns best guns. Next comes Fort Bar
rancas, between which and McRae, are, how
ever, several lighter earthwoiks. Barrancas
is supposed to be the most mischievous work.
opposed to Fort Pckens. After some more
earthworks comes the navy yard, where also
heavy guns are mounted. No point along this
line of works is distant more than mile and
half from the guns of Pckens. In May last
DR.. Russell spoke thus of these works, in
which he found the famous
RATHoLEs.
"There are only five heavy guns in all the
works, but the mortar batteries, three in num-
Der, of v hich one is unfinished, will prove
very damaging, although they will only con-
tain nine or ten morars The batteries are
all sand bag and ear.hworks, with the excep.
ton of Fort Barrancas. They are made after
all sorts of ways, and are of very different
degrees of efficiency. In some the magazines
Will come to a speedy destruction; in others
they are well nude. Some are OF the finest
white sand, and will blind the gunners, or be
III /. gl,x