Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1861-01-18
Return of the Steamer Star of the West to New
Yerk.-History of the Trip.

The steamer Star of the West arrived
It New York early on Saturday morning,
bringing back in safety the two hundred
,roops and four officers which embarked
/ week previous for the harbor of Charles
ton and the reinforcement of Major An
lerson.
A Correspondent of the N. Y. Evening
Post, was on the steamer and gives an in
teresting account of the voyage His ac-
count of the attack on the steamer we
copy
II have never seen finer morning than
the one which dawned upon U.S. The sky
Was clear, and the moon, faint crescent
of silver, had just arisen, and the low coast
looked like dense forest of evergreen.
The spires of Charleston became visible in
the approaching daylight, and on the walls
of Sumpter we deserted the American flag
noatlnS III the breeze.
Now, 6 IL o'clock, we see the light
house; and now, too, we discover that the
mysterious light just mentioned was that
of steamer at our right. Now the sit
uation of the channel is ascertained, and
we are under way; and now the steamer
at our right is burning red and blue
lights, and now she sends up rockets.
There is no installing her movements;
she is giving the alarm signal to Fort
Moultrie.
On we 60; the soldiers are below with
loaded muskets, and the officers are ready
to give the word if there is anything to do.
Now it is broad daylight and we are
making directly into the guns of Fort
Moultrie whose black walls are distinctly
visible. The little steamer at our right is
burning signal light aft, and is making
all possible Roadway up the harbor. Now
we discover red palmetto flag at our left,
on Morris Island, at a little village called
Cummings Point, and apparently but little
more than mile from Fort Sumter.
as it possible that those fellows have
got battery off here?" asks one.
"No," answers another There is no
battery there"
But there is. 1t is now a quarter past
seven, and we are about two miles from
Fort Sumpter and Moultrie, which arc
equi distant from us, and suddenly, whiz-z.
comes rtchOchet shot from Morris Island.
1t plunges into the water and skips along,
but falls short of our steamer. The line
was forward of our bow, and was of course,
an invitation to stop But we are not ready
to accept the proffered hospitality, and the
captain pays no attention to it, except to
run up the stars and stripes at the mast
head-the garrison flag mentioned before
A moment of anxious suspense, and bang
goes heavy cannon from the same masked
battery. The shot falls short of us
hundred yards or more, and bounds clear
over our vessel aft, nearly on line with
the head of a sailor, but luckily above it
On we CO. and-whiz-z again goes thu
smaller gun first fired, and another ,a,cho
chet shot skips along the water and fall
short of u.s.
"BoohH y exclaims the captain; "yo,
must give us bigger guns than that, boys
or you cannot hurt us
On we 60, without needing the compli
ments of our Charleston friends. Anothe
moment and bang again goes the heav,
gun. The ball now strikes our ship in tn
fore chains, about two feet above the wa
ter. A seaman was holding the lead t.
take the soundlngs, and the ball struck di
rectly under his feet. 1t is not surprisin
that under the circumstances Jack wa
strongly inclined to take to his heels, am
begins to scramble up with might an
main, when the captain assures him tina
there is no danger, one ball having struc
so near him; on the principle, suppos,
that lightning never strikes twice in til
e same place. Jack, treasured, patientl
takes his place and drops the lead agar
The ball, fortunately, was too far sper
1 to go through the side of our vessel, a
though it left an honorable scar.
y The battery continues to play upon u,
and q huge ball comes clean over us nes
{ the wheel house. We arc nnt vol ,y;tb