The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1863-04-16
IyRoN oUx OWN RIPORrKR ]

TREDKREcK:BURG, April l5.-I have recelvsd
tie Washington Chronicle. Of the l3.h fastsnt'
Among tie news it contains Is dispatch giviag
the d:ssst.ous news from Charleston. II is As fol.
lowe:
Tbs Latest Eews from Chsrlcstar-A fetaled
Account Of the Attsck-Ths Lins OF Rsttle-
The Cor fiet Terri6c-Esrcic Conduct Of the
Chiceis OF the keoknk-xrsmsnccns Fire Poured
Upnn Fort sum;er-Ths Gunboat Keokuk Suck
Our Iron O. ets but Slightly Damaged.
Baltimore, April I2 Tie eurbcSt Fiambeau a.
rived At Cid Point on Saturday afternoon, bringing
the officers Of tbs iron.clad Ksceuk. which WAS
ssblsd at the engagement 1t Charleston and snak
nsxt day,
From participants In the engagement wa gather
the folle wing interesting particulars:
Shs Gest after le wing Hilicn Eeed rendszvoused
IN ..e mouth ef the Eaisto Several days were
hsrs occupied In gathering vessels and makins tie
nEal s,,Sngemsuts, iseuing orders, aHd Otherwise
arranging for the great combat. All beirg com.
p,eed, tie fset left In detsohments a.dessenbled
off Ob&rleslcn oa Sunday tho s.h inst. The iron
cad .ei crossed the tar and entered. Charleston
hsrbor on Monday.
The Keokuk, drawil q less wstsr than any Of tho
others, vas sent In froIt to g Id the caanne! and
replace the b1oys Proceeding up the main ship
chalGei tie Ksokuk found sn easy AHd robstrrc Ct.
ID rt.suce. with full eis hteun feet o. water in the
shaiowest place, mere ,hsa has ever been before
found on Or a lsston bar. Tke tuovs were replaced
wItaous d. fli:uty, tbs rebels offsring no opposi
ton
Tas Keokuk returned to ths fast, and on the
mos .iss Of Tho 7th the order SAs gwen to lie ir1n
ciaSa 10 enter the haEbcr. Eas order was 70 pro.
ceea IA single a g, or in line ahead TIE Weehaw
ksl was th. leading vessel, having IL front Of lsf
. 2cow, and then betwsen tbs sec " snd Ec:ssf the
!ssson TO- pedo sxrlodsr, CT Devil as 1t has
ben called
W, the iish in III. line, and the Keokuk was the
less In this order the bar was passed with safety
aUd without detention. Tbs orders given to the
Commanders Of tas various vss5ss was to keep oa
straight up tie harbor until they came within .
thousand yards Of tho forts end then 10 attank.s
directing thslr efforts principally against Fort
Sumter.
lsnsly no + wards Hort7 Sumter and xoul;ris the
rebels ..hholdiag thelr dre Hn! they 20. Ill
Into tao harbor. q 4he lronsdes stopped CT Fort
Hocltiis, and lst 60 her anchor. II beiug danger
lag ovsr fatsen feet Of water. Atthls omsnt hsre
seemed TO be Q temporary isunderstandrg and
from 6 fort erected on the middle ground the fire
OF from four fse hundred 7ns was Col esntratsd
6.e has never, perhaps. been equalied In tbs his
tory o! the wsrld II was ket oy the cficsrs OF
the Ksokuk with heroic fostitude. Whilst the
balls ware st,ikirg Ter at tie rate ofors every
second h.r gums were jrked with v'g3r ard pre-
cislon, and their weight and foree were already
making their mark upon the WI - Of Sumter.
IL so q, however, became apparent that tbs Keo.
il =. sss :as
failure. The rebel bsils seemed 70 penetrate her
q easily g though Q " ,oden vessel
The port hoes or shutssrs OF her turrets became
jammsd aud her guns perfectly unmans gsxbla-
Daring the thirty minutes shs rem ,insd undsr the
concentrated 6:e ons hundred shots struck her,
nna.y Of which ware " .tsr lice ahots, or such ~
W uld cause her to lax In ssa way. In fact she
was perfe3sIy ricGled.
Her II u was shot ia.o tatssrs, and the whole Of
hor Sides badly bruised or piesosd PsrcsivIrg the
sewers Ioiu'ies 10 hsd received tbs Admiral sg.
nAed her to retro out Of action aud anchor beyond
range.
This was safely sec: m pllfhsd. This Monitors
Hshant and Catskin had moved an to The u2port
Of the KsoAux, and ergsgsa Fors Sumter.
Ih" lronsides and other vessels, and at longer
distance. were dividing their attention between
Forts Xoul:rle and Sumter. into and on the latter
fort heavy Ore was thus poured, and It u believed
not without eject
Th. e, m,nt was Aspt up from one unsil four
o'c.ock, whe0. IA obsdlense to tEs kdmirai's Sig.
nal. tas nsst retired slowly, receiving aud return
sng she rsbei fifs until they anchored out Of range
wisi ia the bar.
:h, We: :h.wken -. sssisnsa III. irportaa.
Of h Aga, to axamlus, and II posslolst9 tre, tks
oSstruetions eh The Fese.s have extsu4sd aervss
ths Tbor frtm Forts Esmtss aid xonl.ris-
Psotes;sd By the GcSw ana Ill "DsvN' In front
a! hsT, shs puth ID straikh: ~ towards tka Oh.
str1ctiouS.
They were found to cons,s. If nst.vurk of
chsi and cables sasett ID scsoss hs hafb0e over
whi,h Is was impossible for III Wei ~ W to
run without io-lins her propeller, and " b.. h til,
found fnpos.ibls 10 force 20 this net work III,
rebels are sopposed 70 .vs Suspended toYpsd0es
and other submarlas sxpiosivsL
HsylI g completed ths examination. and teSted
III tm1oasi6ihty Of working up ths hsrboe until
mean, are devi1ed Tor tn, removal Of h ~ OBJ.
ssrte'ions, the Wet swkea returned and reported
to tbs Admiral. who then ordered d,sooainuaLes
Of ,h3 cosf1lst
hh bslieyed that .hs damage dons to Fort Sum.
ter BY our NE was ssfious. 10 fae Il Il th wed