Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1861-04-15
A VISIT TO PENSACOLA
From NE lo5us .9.er.is.r o. AprH Sd.


Saturday night. having obtained berth for trip to
the Warrington Navy Yard, at little after O'Clock we
cast zoos from tie UchcOch'- Pes wharf, on bOlrd
the steamer .te Dale, Capt. J u. Braulri bound for
that place wiki load az per manifest OF solid aad ho-
low sdo'. 40 90 cartridges liJ b,~ss Cl gGpe,
and quantities Of bacon, pork @lur aud other yatious
for .e ;rCops O.. tho Coaeteacy.
A. L. O'Clock We found ourselves close uld7r Fort
gan he cefof The fort showing itself sharp aud clear
,l the moonlight, with no sigl OF life about it but
ttc figure OF a sentinel walking lis watch on the
rampar,s. There was scarcely perc'p-ue swell on the
BIZ, which we crossed at once and on rising 10 the
morning Birraucas light was ishng right ahead Of us
aud oil 20 saaRard lay the lde.te Sabine a4d soOp 81
Louis and Two vessels under canvass British A"" ,.r
lcan basque bound for Pensacola m l.i, s,,e ,,,I,
80 '.' s'i'A " steamers could be discerucd still
'-' ~ al D. which cogaised % be the boats OF
tae New Orleans and Havana hne this being thc point
whore they meet their trips going aud coming SOcn
We had PISSED Fort McRea and the low battery its
rig aud heading toward Fort Btrrauca- aud running
close 20 Fort P.okens, came in sight OF the steamer
Wyln3ote, living inside and the rising sun, 20 about
the same moment. We hardly made fast al the
navy ard When the two steamers aud the British baque
ssed us and proceeded up the bay.
A'cr q capita breakfast on bond, we started or a
ramhc about BE- navy yard where the general appcir-
alca O. ugs differed but t.e itOm what had noticed
on former visit some ten months ago th' first hi 9
that struck he eye be the absence OF the United S.,s
y.
i1a steamer FCiOu living tue stocks where she had
been placed after being wrecked year ago last fall has
been stripped OF her plan king the bends and thc tim
bers of her upper works nave been up aud partially
marked of her guns have been removed, md ,TO
have been planted in battery behind r"mpaT Of sand,
just outside fhe main wharf but the pyramids Of balls,
the quantity OF which amused ourselves With calcuh
ting and found 10 amount about 90 900 do not seem
to have been me died with There are more than
thousand Of these missiles here. besides what
there may he at IN, different forts and Batteries.
Jus, outside the gate the Marine Barracks, a very
neat and conveniently arranged gro"ro! buildings, con-
sistng OF a corps de gdrd in ae Veue, with house for
officers quarters - each side, and the quarters for
the ren Ia the rear The whole is surrounded bya wall
And encoses sufficiently spacious parade ground for g
battalion Of men. The barracks were occupied N part
by a company whose omitted to lsarr, and the
rest has now beer sned as quarters for the Houayes
Crtssug tris stream come TO the Marine Hos
pal nov the headquarters OF Gen Bragg auas1Te dis
beyond il the general barracks, arge three
story building only portion Oh the plan OF which 5
completely, but even now having room for five OF six
hundred ren. Here are quartered about half OF Col
Caytons regiment hi own quarters being in comfort.
able frame building 10 the front and the east In
the roar of these j. the parade ground with for the
maueuvres Of full regiment and with convenient
houses around for the quarters Of officers the whole
compassed with groves OF live oak aud other 3ro"tn
From the barracks railroad trdoG turnsbes means OF
conveyance for stores l. aud the redoubt about
80.
thousand wards la the rear OF Fort Barrancas which It.
sell is some distance further up the coast and the light
house sin further, and one or two sandoag batteries
have been Constructed On the bluff above the hescb 10
the intervening space but these We t~us nave not yet
received their armament
The redo bt at which we mex: arrived is barely vsi-
bic IN certain directions from the sea- its purpose being
to serve d pot OF provisions and Gm.unon for the
other works. It is not Intended gs work of offence,
and is Commanded by the guys Of Fort Barancas For
ITS cwa defence it is aouDdanty provided with lo0pAoes
for musketry and is designed 20 mount eighteen
guns of moderate eaibye IN the Fesr the Red Eagles
have kno ed up some comfortable shanties which they
call the Eagles Nest.
The redoubt which may some dag prove the Malakna
Of this system Of works and it has been sened by
some Of s vsters though unnisl ed has received more
attention in It's constr tEan any other portion Of
them C t1is side the bay, at least Il consists Of two
long and two short aces, thS gorge being closed by
curtain which is iluked by shoulders each intended for
ona caselate endcu babette gun. Four barbee guns
are intended TO be mounted n each Of the lateral angles
of the work but the foundations even OF the platforms OF
these have not been laid aud the Whole terepene is at
present loose sand heap or rather sand pit cucumber
ed with rubbish The work is surrounded with deep
tch and counterscarp, pierced with loop-holes and
provided with six o. eight casemates for cannon 10
man1 the ditch The covered way IS crossed by Taverses
to enable the garrison to resist the attack of stormng
rarty yha aier gaining the covered way, would be
I
es driven from these would be able TO resort to hs
galleries beneath, in each vault Of which two loop
holes S2 in a and an cir hole above for the purpose
Of ventilation Ia the rear either side is staircase
leading down to place of total darkness and the foot
an uuwary step might plunge you into vel, the water
of which bos up from untaiing pngs and runs of by
crcutous drains into ditch and is thence conducted
sSay from the work.
Feeling your way around these pitfalls, and meeting
in YOUR progress the iron doors oi magazine or two
aud there are Others in the galleries before vsed-you
see ct last glimmeFng light, and following It's direc
ton fnd yourself in the gallery OF the counterscap
which surrounds the entire front of the place. Beneath
this are stores and vaults for ammunition which did
not visit This would be the final stand of the garrison
if driven from the body OF the place. and when further
resistance proved unavailing they would not be aompe
cd TO surrender be smohered ike their holes
but Leaving slow matches 10 the tranE communicating
with their ma zines could retreat through subterranean
passages to Fort Barrancas
After dinner the whole party took Fort DaraBcas on
their return This is garrisorea Ay the Eufala riAss
whose tents are pitched in the ditch. In its general
line it docs DOT dsr greatly from the redoubt though
on larger SCALE having no anking FIRE exoept from h'
epaulmens OF the counterscarp ip the rear the faces
fronting the being open and pierced for musket
~, while the guns twenty thirty in all mount
ed the yamPars The entrance Is through the gscis