The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1861-11-27

Cfth,sc deienccs, Fort rickcns Is the most
inn Oriaut, both from its position and construc-
tior. II Is built on low, sandy SPOT in the
we,tcrmo-t end OF Santa Rosa Island. II is q
hrst class fashioned work, with walls of brick
AMI bitumcn on foundations Of stone. The
walls are forty feet high by twelve feet In
thickness. II is cmbrasurcd for two tiers of
guns in bomb-proof easements and one ticr
en- borb,He : open. II has all the usual arrange
ments of first class wOIs, and its Guns radiata
to oil points of the horizon, with alnk and en-
filading fire In the bitches and every angle Of
approach. Its guns command the other forts
and the Navy Yard. The work was COM
mcuccd in 1928, and completed In 1853, at
cost ol nearly one million Of dollars. A full
gaIii-on consists Of POO soldiers. The arma-
mcnt, at the commencement of the hostilities,
consisted ot-in hlstion, 2d twcnty-lOur pound
loNitzors ;-cascmcut, iorty-two FOUNDERS,
81 'hrty-two Founders, % twonty-four pound
els en- bdrJehe, II eight inch howitzers, G
eirhtocn pound, rs L. twelve Founders, l ten
II ch COlumbiad mounted, ard ten inch NOR
L.Is, In bad order. Tho first is only approachA-
BE by land on one side, and party attacking
ir'nl that quarter would he very much sx-
IO.td.
PORT Nc RAE.
This Is powerful and castle like structure Of
ma onry, huil on a low sand spit of the main
Land, and appears 20 rise out Of the water. Its
location is not shown On the map, but may DO
trac,dby the general description given above.
Before reaching Fort Pickons invading teet
will have to pass the gauntlet of guns which
bear upon it iiom this fort; and although its ar
mamcnt Is not so heavy as that Of Pickens, 1t il
powerful enough, II fully manned and skilfully
worked To give serious trouble. The present
armament consists Of three tiers Of guns--two
under bomh-proOf cascmatcs, and the upper ono
en- bdrbehc. In the lower, or watcr-tier there
are y torty'two FOUNDERS; In the middle tier IL
eight inch columliads, X thirty-two FOUNDERS,
ard ~ bdIJcnc 90 twenty-lOur Founders and 3
tcn-inch colunbiads. To work these effectively
requires force of six hundred and fifty men.
The interior Of the work contains the necessary
officers quarters, furnaces, &c. A water bat
tory mounting eight or ten heavy guns Is sita-
atod.b .btlOw the parapets.
FORT DAREANCAs.
Tris work Is third in point of Importance OT
the d,cuscs on the Florida coast. II lies north
OF Pensacola bay, two miles and a quarter from
l 90 iohons Formerly an old Spanish fort
Nis lUilt here. II Is a Fashioned work Of heavy
ID" ~, and has an armament OF 40 guns. A
Gou In the rear enables il to be reinforced in
mc faction. This rCdjubt IL mounted with
H. hing howitzCrs Of scarp and counter-scarp.
ipht 23-pOn nd hoNitlcrs guard the flank de-
trus. When the r,bcls took possession of
/ rld cas- Il contained, besides its full armament
-uLs, the following munitions of war 288
rht-irch shells, 993 lwenty-tour pound balls,
d. . cightcon-pound balls, besides a large amount
- is oi II pieces oforlnance, divided as follows;
u thirty-two Founders, eight-inch paixhanS,
2 cight-inch cOlumbiads, twenty-four pound
en-, o eighteen Founders, , twelve-pOunderA 8
howitzer, and eishteen.inoh
murtaIs.
Besides the above there are sand batteries
erected at various points, all in position to rake
Fot Pckens, and mostly mounting heavy
COlumbiads.
Atavery early lay, the rebels saw the i'm
pot,atce Of obtaining control Of this position.
al 4 with their usual proneness TO steal govern
mcnt propertv, they actually seized Forts Nc
Rca and iarruncas and the Navy Yard at War
riI .,ton, with their contents. Happily how
ever Fort Pickens was reinforced in time, and
bg, remained in possession of the Federal folccA
n uoiicct blockade Of the best harbor on tho
Gulf The reinforcement was accomplished be-
tween the hours of IL and II o'clock ON Friday
nj ht April l2th, without he firing of gun,
OF tho spillng Of one drop " Llood," Before
that date, the Federal forces n garrison In Port
ri kcns consisted Of about 250 men, under com
maud Of Lieut.. Slemmer who remained in that
position until about the ifst Of June when no
was relieved 10y Col. Harvey Brown, who still
remains In command. The Fort was besieged
by the Confederate army under General Bragg.
until the last OF june when the attempt to take
il was abandoned and the rebel troops were
mostly withdrawn for service in other quarters.
On the 18Th OF June, the 9th Re giment, New
Yo.k Volunteers, Col. William Wilson, left
New York for Fort Pickens, where, on In that
ntighborhood, on Santa Rosa Island, they have
since seen honorable service. Before their do