Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1862-01-23

was lad over. A resolution was proposed but
laid on the table, (yeas 81, nays 81 declaring
that no part of the appropriations now made, or
hereafter to be made, nor the taxes to be lail.
shall be applied to the prosecution of war for
emancipatina slaves A bill was reported to
establish judicial tribunals in the revoted States.
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| THE BURNSIDE EXPEDITION,
Full Statement OF the Force-The Gunbonts
Transports, Floating Batteries and their
| Armaments.
| We find in the New York World and the
Cincinnati Commercial full particulars of the
strength of the Burnside cxpedition-the num-
Der and armament of the vessels, number Of
troops. &c. We condense the following FROM
the World:
THE EXPEDITIONARY VESSELS.
The transport fleet, which rendezvoused at
Annapolis, consisted of upward of fifty-fve ves-
sells, ranging in class from the small steamtug
to the huge side-wheel steamer, and from the
diminutve schooner to as sturdy ship as ever
sailed under canvass. The tonnage of the feet
ranges from 100 to 200 tons, and the draft of
| the vessels from 3 to II feet. The number Of
vessels of each class in the feet is as follows -
Steamers, IL: propellers (gunboats,) 9; ships
4 banks, 4 brig, l, schooners 81 barges, S.
| The steamers, with the exception Of the Geo.
Peabody, are all unarmed. The Peabody was
not selected expressly for this expedition, having
been for several months in the service of the
Government as transport, running between
| New York, Key West and New Orleans. Size
was formerly one of the bay line between Z CHI
mond and Baltimore
fleet and was only chartered the day before
leaving Annapolis to take the place of the Saw
nee, which was disabled by the bursting of her
steam chest, and had to be sent to Baltimore for
repairs. The number Of troops on board each of
these vessels ranges from 500 to 200, the North
erner and Louisiana being the only two carrying
an entire regiment each.
| The nine gunboats or armed transports. car
rying SO guns, are intending to cover the land
ing of troops and assisting in an attack.
The schooner Recruit, Capt. Coggesha, is
detailed as hospital ship, and is under charge
of Dr.. Samuel A. Greene, acting medical lirec
tor of the division hospital. The Recruit carries
one gun.
| In addition to the foregoing feet Of dozen
or fifteen schooners. of large size, have been
chartered to carry horses, provisions, ordnance
and baggage. There are also four supply YES
sels al.laden with provisions, clothing, forage.
ammunition. baggage wagons, ambufances, and
acts as tenders to the feet
The steamer New York is the flag ship of the
First Brigade, Gen. Foster; the Nnrtherner :
the Second Brigade Cen Reno; the Eastern
Queen of the Third Brigade, Gen. Parke.
| FRENCH poNTooN TRAIN.
There have been built expressly for this ex
petition some three hundred bridge floats, or
boats, to form pontoon train of the French
pattern. To express it more definitely, they are
G,bo nh f,ot nd hnpt
thirty feet long. They are placed two abreast
in the water, stringers and plank laid on them.
and the bridge is then done. When wanted for
use elsewhere, they be placed upon wheels
and axles, which accompany them, and drawn
by horses anywhere it is desired to go. Its en-
tire length Is, 40 feet.
Another pontoon train, of the regular India
rubber pattern, also accompany the expedition,
in charge of Mr.. S. D. Field. 1t has been salts
factorily tested on the Severn river at Annapolis.
THE FLOATING BATTERIES.
Though not directly associated with the land
forces or the transports, have yet been gotten up
under the sole supervision of Gen. Burnside
A good idea of their character is obtained when
[ say that they are in every respect, similar to
the strongest and largest canal boats on the
North river or Erie canal. They are almost
solid, from deck to keelson. and are divided into
five water-tght compartments. They have but
one deck, on which the guns are mounted, and
their working is to be protected by breastworks
of bales of wet hay. The caibre of the guns is
and 12-pounder Wards rifled, with range of
two and half miles for certain execution.
The commanders of the fotilla are Acting
Masters Mates Ernest Staples and Jas. Lake,
with the former as senior officer. They each
carry crew of from twelve to eighteen gunners.
They will be taken in tow by steamers, and
when brought into action anchored IN position.
The surface they present to the eneiny's guns is
so extremely small that it will be very dlttcult
: to effectuay damage them unless their gunnery
is much superior to what it has been on like oc-
casions heretofore.
SIGNAL CORPS
A signal corps of twenty two lieutenants and
sixty-sx privates has been organized and III
structed in the use of Major Myers new system
of signals for army and navy use, by which
orders can be communicated from the deck OF
one ship to another, or from one division or
brigade of an army to another with great facility
and reliability. The act of signaling is per-
formed by waving. in certain directions, to re-
present certain combinations Of figures, which,
in turn, represent the letters of the alphabet,
different colored and sized flags, and at night
colored lights, on stats sixteen feet long. The
Hagman knows how to make the movement
when the combination Of figures is announced
to him, but the letter represented by the com
binatpn is only known to the signal officer
who stands by and directs him, and reads in
return the signals from the opposite correspon-
dent
:: THE NUMBER OF TROOPS.
Some of the se.iments have been in camp al
5 Annapolis since the latter part of October, anc
, about IL 900 Of the troops were on hand fol-
= three weeks before the departure. -Four full
5 regiments and one battalion. however, were
: among the very last to arrive, one of them, the
t Sixth New Hampshire, only reaching Annapo
t lis the day before leaving. The latest addition.
: consisted of the Ninth New Jersey, Fourth
+ Rhode IsandEighty ninth New York and Sixth
i, New Hampshire, all of which arrived between
Friday night, January Sd, and "Wednesday
Q morning. SANITARY 9Th, at about one regimen
S per day. The total number Of troops is abou
mn Eftoop roui,peptS If infap