The Cadiz Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1854-1864, 1861-11-27
Pnrf Observation-Disclosures.

Fort hOyai--Iaflculdfss
A writer to the New York Times
says
We left Port Royal at noon on Sun
day-not before we had heard the re-
suit of a reconnaissance made by the
gun-boats Curlow, Seneca and Pembina,
up Broad River to Beaufort. These
vessels departed on their mission early
on Saturday afternoon. Cautiously
feeling their way, anticipating every
moment that a rebel battery, concealed
somewhere on the river bank, would
open its fire, the vessels passed up this
pretty river. Scattered here and there
on the route were the residences of the
wealthy planters, now deserted by their
owners, and left to the tender mercies
of the negroes.
The town of Beaufort, | am told, is
private watering place. That Is, the
wealthy planters tor miles around, have
erected cemmodious Summer residences
there, and in the heighth of the season
the town accommodates from 5000 to
1000 inhabitants. The remainder of
the year the white and colored popula-
tion together does not exceed 5o0.-
When the accommodating party landed
they found that extreme terror of an 9th
er attack, consequent upon the defeat of
beir countrymen at the mouth of the
bay, had prompted a stampede of all
the white people, with one solitary ex-
ception, the day before. The ercep-
tion was a man who doubtless would
have gone also, but he was too drunk
to move. He was taken on board the
Pembina and questioned, but he was
too stupid to give coherent story
The negroes were then flocking in from
the plantations and pilaging the houses.
They told dreadful stories of how their
owners had attempted to deter them
from coming in by shooting a few down:
but they had heard that the "Y ankees"
would give them liberty, and for such
boon they took the risk of bullet.
Before ! left Hilton Head, | saw as
many as one hundred negroes, who
had come into our camps, and they
were constantly arriving. At Bay
Point I was informed there were as
many more. AS soon as they made
their appearance they were huddled in
to a dilapidated building which was
strongly guarded. All ages were rep.
resented, but only the male sex. Tn
til saw and conversed with the great.
er number of these persons | believed
that the appearance and intelligence Of
Southern field hands were greatly Ii
belled by the delineators OF Negro
character at the concert saloons. Now
| cannot but acknowledge that instead
of gross exagerations the "mistrels'
give representations which are faithful
to nature. There were the same gro
tesque dresses, awkward figures, and
immense brogans which are to be seen
every night at Bryant's or Christy's.-
Some of them told me that they had
heard the "Yankees" were coming
down to set them free, as early as last
July, and they appeared very happy al
their prospects. One old man said he
was willing to work at anything "Masss
Yankees" gave him to do, but lie new
er would 60 back to ''dat ar rice field
agin." l asked him to whom he be
longed. He replied that he once be
longed to widow Pinckney, who ha(
four hundred "head O. niggers," but ht
was free now. The chief anxiety o
the most Of them was to get their fam
lilies to join them. There was no diff
Guilty in learning from these people tha
our arrival had been anxiously looked
for with pleasant anticipations.
On Saturday afternoon, some soldiers
who were repairing the slopes of tht
parapet of the Hilton Head fort, which
had been injured by the fire, ,disinterre(
the body of DR.. E. T. Buist, Chief o
the Medical Staff at Hilton Head. II
was apparent from the position in whicl
the body was found, that the Doctor
had stationed himself in the CALLER,
leading beneath the ground to one o
the cassonniers of the fort, supposins
that would afford the safest place il
which he could conduct his surgica
operations while the battle continued
A shell, however, plunging through tn
parapet, struck against the plank Gas
ing OF the gallery, cruising it in, ant
bnrying the Doctor under the mass O
earth which followed.