The national Republican., 1862-10-02
LATE FROM PENSACOLA.
Highly Important .Sescs.
PENSACOLA, September 20.
THE BLoCKApiNa FLEET.

PENSACOLA, September 20.
THE BLoCKADiNG rLEET.
We have quite fact collecting here, and
are anxiously awaiting ths arrival Of iron clads.
little Monitors" ard all sorts Of " rams, aud
when oil 10 ready, we are going 10 take. Fort
Morgan and Mobile, II is said. To attempt
these capsures with wcsdeg shipe, seems 10
me, would prove DISASTROUS, even though the
affair were managed by Admiral Fsrrsgut.
Fort Morgan, the main defence Of Mobile, is
judiciously situated on the right bank Of the
channel, and mounts about one hundred guna
The main channel near the fort Is seventeen
iatboms deep, and will admit Of the passage Of
the largest vessels
PLAN OF ATTACK RECOMMENDED
II the plan Of taking Mobile be the sams as
that carried out 80 successfully at New Orleans
by Admiral Farragut In running by the forts,
cutting of supplies, and forcing them to sur
render, VIC have little doubt that we shall have
as much success at Mobile AZ we could possibly y
desire.
Fort Gaines, the second work OF defence for
Mobile, Is situated on Daupbn's Island, mounts
fifty guns, and can direct an excellent and for
midable crossare with Fort Morgan.
l havo had considerable experience in naval
warfare since the breaking out Of the rebellion,
and must give 1t out as my opinion that with
out an iron clad protecting vessel II will be i'm
possible to take Mobile, Savannah or Charles,
ton, without great loss Of life and valuable ves-
sels.
WHAT ouR FLEET AND GUNS HAVE DONE
Il is hardly necessary for ,ne to say that
every reliance may safely be placed upon the
vessels, commanders, crews aud guns cf tho
South Atlantic Blockadipg Squadron when Il
grand naval advance is ordered. They ars
ready, and have been tried und found pprfecr
In every particular, defying the world for r
match. During the past year scarcely gun
has dsgraced itself in our entire navy. Even
the old sO-ponud Dahlgrcns that have been
recently recalled from the service by the Navy
Department, have fully redeemed any reputa-
ton tbty lave gained heretofore as the terri
rible dss.: :uction these guns did at Vicksburg
will sttes,
The famous Parrott gun has done exoellsntiy
we'll throughout the war, and | have never
seen u man who would venture ore word
against this great engine Of destruction. The
bursting Of the l00-pounder on the Naugatucl,
10 the james river, was the only accident,
belisVs, that has occurred to this gun during
the war The nineinch Dahlgren Is the most
destru otivc gun IN the service for short range
practice and they are now held ia high favor
Tae Navy Department has recently issued n
circular from the pen Of Capt Dablgren, in
| which ] find the statement made that thes
guus may be fired with twenty pounds of
powder for shot or shell. The 80 Founders
are stlll famous for long range work. The
Dablgren boat howizer snits well for the
| "tops" Of vessels, from whence they can pour
down upon the heads Of the enemy showers cf
h,.- -rF1 ttk
tnese thers need be no fear that our war yer-
sels will not succeed
RECoNHosgAsCE To FORT GAiSEs
Fort Gaines, near Mobile, has been for come
tine pact, frUm repOrts that have reached here,
eyacu tied By the ercny. To ascertain that
fact, the steam irigate Susqueharna, Commo
dore Hitchcock, ven.ured towards that fort,
and received a number OF lcaden messengers,
|. wns unnecessary, Of course, 10 inv, stigate
thi matter auJ further. The commander Of
thu guahCat WiRcna. in .oruer 10 know to n
certainty The truth Of the rumOra, yrn,urri In,
anl received nimilar reception 10 ihat lcn.
dsred TO tho Susqushanna. This was enough
to convince any one that thaogarrison e,ill ry.
istnd. I. is said that the garrison at Fort Nor
gan sent of word to the blot kadng a ,et that
Tho J were ready loT us at any time. Wo den
walls stood we'll on the Mississirpi and could
90 so, ptTubIH, ul 1lOUlt' bli, ny Wt nave Yes
sels better suited tor such s-rsica, we ought to
use them.
The army may 60 operate with the navy, and
by 30 doing might strengthen the form Of at
tack. Vessels are pouring into Pensacola har.
bor daily and they swell Adm raj Farragut's
l.et 10 a great armada. Those hero at present
are the flagship Hartford and the Brooklyn
the latter is hauled up alongside the wharf, and
is undergoing repairs; sailing frigate Potomac,
steam frigate Smqueht nna sailing sloops Vim.
cennes and Preble-ths latter has been made
hospital ship; gunboats Kennebec, Kenawa,
Cayuga, Gemsbock, and Wsstfeld. Mortar
heet-ferry boat Clifton, Lieutenant Command
| ing Law, and siH mortar schooulrs. with o
number Of ordnance ahlps transports, AZ;
ruE PENSACOLA NAVY YARD.
Il is my intention to say few words con.
cerning the Pensacola navy yard, and. to use
Il common expression, all that Is left Of II you
might put In your pocket. The yard In times
of its prosperity, was one Of The finest our
Government possessed. II was seldom sought
after except by Southern officers OF the navy,
aifurding them home and accommodation Ia
their own Sunny South The oflcers' quar-.
tiers, a fine. strong, substantial row OF build
ings. have fallen to ruin by the hands of those
| men ior whom the United States Government
| intended them for home, and thus the tfai
t0rOu5 BcOupurels nave ueateu tnnt Iu'ner VINO
has always been protector and safeguard to
them from the time they placed themselves
under his care.
In conversation with an old inhabltant Of
| Pensacola, be told me that The fate q Pensaoo.
| 10 navy yard had been decided some month";
before the actual event came on That is, In
| every house the furniture had been piled up and
rosi and Clipped pine wood placed In the cor
ners, with match In readiness for their de-
strustion. The fine roads have all been torn
up The nrmory and chapel, two circular
buildings, are all that are left OF the once mag
nifcent navy yard Of the cotton States, Gud
thepe have been paid q visit from Fort Pickeuf
by two l.inch shells descending through the
dome to the easement, which took pluos du
ring the bombardment. The yard 10 surround
ed by high walls II number OF strong gates
command the entrance the centre leads into
the town OF Warrington, once occupied by ne
groes aud wssherwo nen Of the officers of the
yard and Of vessels coming into the harboi
| THE SPIRIT RATIoNd.
The United States Congress made u great
mistake 10 abolishng the spirit ration in the
navy. am told that 1t will have the effect Ia
drive out all the old seanen from the service
am sure do not go beyond the truth in saying
this. There is nothing that yields 30 much sat.
isfacton to an old sea dog az his regular glass o.
grog. II he does not gstit he growls at every
body nd everything, and, consequently, every
one In ln bad humOI,