Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1862-05-19
FROM PORT ROYAL.

A wide-hwake Csn,raba Accompanies q
Cerp d'Etat-Hs runs Away frern Charles
ten with stssrsf, her Crew and their
Families
The steamohip Atlantic. with dates to the fIth
Inst. has srfived al New York. Among her pas
scn2crs Is Gen Gilmore, who commanded al the
reduction Of Fort Pulaski. He has been i'll, and
has obtained leave Of absence for sixty DAYS.
The health Of the Union army was improving
No important movement has lately taken place.
IL 10 stated that the proclamation Of Gen Hunter
was received very unfavorably by nearly all the
officers at Port ROYAL, some OF whom had gone 20
far as to express their dissatisfaction within the
hearing Of the General.
The negro regiment now organizing at Port
Royal is being drilled every day, and their ap-
pearance Is said to be provocative of great mirth
among the white soldiers. On Tuesday last they
were reviewed by Gen. Hunter, but they looked
moore like the recruits Of Fallstaf than soldiers.
The regularly enlisted soldiers are not at all
pleased with this experiment, and are not az all
backward in expressing their dislike Of IT, Some
of the officers, II is said have declared their in
tention Of rests ming Ii is further stated
negroes an general thing, are not In favor Of the
organization Large numbers OF them have fed,
fearing that IL they remained near the army they
would be impressed.
The steamer Planter had arrived from Charles
ton, having been run away with by a contraband
pilot and crew. She brought papers OF the I2sh,
and had on board seven heavy guns and one
s-inch rifed gun, intended for Fort Ripley, being
constructed on the middle ground, Charleston
harbof
The Planter IL a new tugboat employed about
Charleston harbor, which was seized by the Con-
federate government and converted into gun
boat, mounting rifed gun forward and a siege
gun AFT She has been In the habit of running
out to sea to recOnnoitre. and was therefore no
unusual appearance near the forts guarding the
entrance Robert Small, who was the helms.
man and pilot, conceived the idea Of running
away, and plotted with several friends slaves
like him, to take them off
On the evening OF May IL her officers LEFT the
ship then al the wharf In Charleston and went 10
their homes. Small then took the fremen and
assistant engineers, all whom were slaves, In his
confidence had the fires banked up, and every
thing made ready to start by daylight
Atquarter to four on Saturday morning the
lines which fastened the vessel to the dock were
cast Oh, and the ship quietly glided into the
sueam Here the harbor guard hsiled tie vessel,
tut small promptly gave the countersign, and was
allowed TO pass. The vessel now called at a dock
a distance below, where the families Of the crew
came on aboard. When OF Fort Sumter the
sentry on the ramparts hailed the boat and Small
sounded the countersi9n with the whistle, three
shrfil sounds and one Kissing sound. The vessel
being known To the ofdcers OF the day no obiecto-
was raised. the sentry only singing out, Blow
the ID Yankees to h-lI, or bring one of them
In save, aye'' was the answer; and every
possible effort was made TO get below
Hardly was the vessel ont Of range when Small
ran mp white flag, and went to the United States
hset, where he surrendered the vessel
Small, with the crew and their families, sixteen
persons, were sent to the flag ship at Port ROYAL
and an officer placed on board the Planter, who
took her also to Commodore Dupont's vessel
Small Is middle-aged negrs, and his features
betray nothing Of the frmness OF character he
displayed He Is said 20 be one Of the most sklful
pilots Of Charleston, and to have a thorough
knowledge Of all the ports and inlets on the coast
OF South Carolina.