New-York daily tribune., 1862-05-03

have resolved, in public meeting, to burn the
town in the last extremity. We may, ct any
rate. expect important intelligence again from
the Southwest, perhaps in o few hours.
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THE Capture OF FORT MACON.
The importance of the capture of Fort Macon
cannot well be measured by tho magnitude
or the strength of the defensive works which
it properly includes. It's value is TO be osti-
mated chiefly by its geographical position, as
being the key to the most important harbor ol
North Carolina; and as forming the great At
lantic point OF operations for the midland e1-
petition os which Gen. Burnside has command.
Fort Macon is casemated work without
bastons; in shape an irregular pentagon, with
ditch, covered way, and gacis The ditch is
flanked by reverse casemate fire, counterscerq
galleries being placed at The angles so as to
fire along the ditch in both directions upon O
storming party. Three OF these counterscarp
galleries, those at the n. W., 5. W. and ;.
L. angles, are for small flanking guns; and
one, near the n. L. angle, for musketry. The
guns Of the fort before the siege commenced
were all en- barJetie, the casemates being IN
tended as cover for the garrison, for quarters,
aud for storage. The casemates are built OF
/ brick, the roof arched, end Gothic door and
window in each on the inner side except
those intended for officers quarters. The terre-
plein parade is sodled, and surrounded by brick
walks six feet wide, under which are four cs-
terms of a capacity each of 10000 gallons.
The brick cisterns were not bombprcoi, and
might have been destroyed during the course o.
the siege
Three stone s.aircases mount from th'
parade TO the inner terreplein, from which
grand view could be had Of all the land an
. water approaches TO the fort. Under thes
c starcases were the magazines, each Of whic
was capable Of containing about two tuns
powder. 1t the time OF the surrender Of tb
fort to the Rebels, on the 1ith Of April, 1901
the flag staff stood at the southwest angle of tn
. parspet, but it was removed and new on
erected at northwest angle.
! The first appropriation of money by Con
press for the construction Of Fort Macon wa
d made in 1926 and the work was commences
by Capt Eliason of the Engineer Corps. III
was succeeded, 10 1880, BY Capt. John L
| Smith be in his by Capt. Dutton an'
Can't. Cullom, aud in 1851 the fort was place.
in charge Of Captain, now Brig. Cen, John q
Foster. The safety Of the work was at that periot
seriously endangered By the encroachments o
a. ba sd mt FER
by direction of Government, erected some stone
jestees, for the purpose Of gradually forming ,
beach Of sand by the natural wash Of the surf
The plan proved inellicacious, for, although thC
encroachment was temporarily arrested, tht
iettees soon became surrounded with water
and in 1860 the tide had crept up 40 far ns Il
leave only 132 feet from the waters edge Il
the interior crest Of the gacis AS the onl!
chance for saving the walls Of the fort from
being undermined, Capt. Foster constructed {
number of brush jettees, By driving stakes
waiting brush between them, and filing IL
with dirt. 1t is hardly reasonable, however,
so shifting and treacherous are tho sands o
these Carolina spits--to regard the protection
IhuS plOVldrd us pciHdHtht, an" We HlBh
have looked for the gradual disappearance o
the for,--ndependent OF the circumstance
which have led to its capture unless costly
stone breakwater and wharf were CONSTRUCTED
for its eliectuai protection.
The circumstances attending tbe surrender
of the fort To the Rebels are these; In March
l-6l The vote of North Carolina was taken OF
the question of calling a Convention TO with
draw the State from tho Union, and major
/ ity was given against the Convention. AT that
| time Gov. Els assured the officer in whose
charge Fort Macon had been left that the fort
would not be taken from the National Govern
ment; but subsequently giving tho precise
date, on the I4th of April, ls6l-a resident OF
Beaufort, having raised fifty men in tho i'll
terest of the Secession parties crossed TO the
fort and demanded its surrender. The officer
in charge was Of course, pOwerless to resist,
and the keys were delivered to the leader OF
the Insurgents, who at once lowered tue IA.