Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1862-06-19
OUR ARMY CORRESPONDENCE.
Letter from ship Island.
Ship Island, May /, l

EDITOR HERALD doubtless your
readers have received the particulars,
more or less accurate, of the lombard
ment of Forts Jackson and St. Phillip,
and the position of affairs on the highway
to New Orleans. Having the advantage
of being an eyewitness, however, | may
be able to offer some statements at least
different from those that have reached
you, if not more reliable, and possibly
may offer some facts of later occurrence
than you have yet received account of.
By the kindness of the Postmaster here,
who delayed the mail few minutes,
was enabled to give you few staccato
dottings of what had passed up to April
9th, and will now repeat the same more
specifically.
These forts are about 80 miles from
the mouth of the Mississippi, and about
80 miles from New Orleans. The general
course of the river here is southeast; but
just above the forts, bend in it gives it
a north by east direction, which it con-
tinues till at about mile below the forts,
its natural bent restores its southeast
course. Fort ST. Phillip, (on the left
bank is perhaps 80 rods further up the
stream than Fort jackson, and yet comes
just in sight to one sailing against the cur
rent on account of the bend in the stream.
Both forts are of brick. . .................
Fort St. Phillip is an irregular seven
teen sided structure, with all its guns en-
barbehe. 1t has two attached batteries,
one bearing up and the other down the
river. 1t has wet ditch surrounding the
works 6 feet deep and II wide-and one
of the same depth and rs feet wide
around its shore batteries. The scarp
walls are strengthened by relieving arch
es, pierced for musketry defense.
Fort jackson, the stronger work by
far, is a regular pentagonal structure, %
| feet above the river at low water mark
The river now is six or eight feet higher
than usual. Two of its fronts bear on the
river and have eight casemated guns each
The three faces that bear on the land are
not casemated, A 6 foot wet ditch ex.
tends quite around the fort $50, feet wide
on the land fronts, and from % to 40 feet
wide on the river fronts. Fort jackson
has one shore battery surrounded by 3
wet ditch feet deep and 80 wide. These
| shore batteries Of both forts are IA feet
above the river. The bastions are ar,
ranged for musketry defense only, and
the parapet is carried across their gorge,
so that there is no flank parapet defense.
| The three land-fort batteries have glacis
and covered way. A chain fastened to
schooners anchored just below the forts;
and extending across the river, cuts of
all approach from below.
These forts are commanded by Brig
Gen. johnson K. Duncan. He graduated
at West Point in 1S49, the 4th in his
class--was ordered to PASSPORT, Maine,
and afterwards to Texas. He resigned
his commission, and afterwards figured II
Gen. Woods command in New Mexico
and in zen. Quitman's enterprise. He
was clerk for Major Gen. G. W. Smith
when he was superintendent of construc
ton of the Marine Hospital at New Or.
leans-and at the end of nine months
when Gen. Smith was ordered to Wash
ton he succeeded him. He was President
of the vigilance committee in New Or.
leans in 185S-afterwards State Engineer
of Louisiana, and ('how are the mighty
fallen p') next heard Of as one Of the Sc
sesh magnates and warriors. He is ma
tive of Pennsylvania. This position il
the Ultima Thule, as the ultima spes o
of the Confederates. 1t was built by thu
Government as a sea-coast defense, ant
really is SO, though our biographies plac
it thirty miles up the river. The fact is
the river itself is merely fume latel
built by itself for its own use. neve
before recognized anything real in tn
verse of Dream Land -