The new South. [volume] (Port Royal, S.C.) 1862-1867, 1863-04-25

mcnt Of the South, off Charleston A -
-
THE CaaRLE.ros FIeHr-Ths correspondent
of the New York Times, (W.S} on board the flag
ship Ner Ionsides, after giving tie order Of bat
tie, pan of attack and noat thrilling account of
the fght. says: .l,.s..as4s
.rTbcre was but one conviction y the minds of
all who were made acquainted With. these facts,
whether among the wal people sagaged or intel
Iigent outside obseyy ers--tbe tight coah not be
night of the battle, that aHotherrrhl would be
made In the morninr. I saw maay 0f the Cap
tains of the. iroE-clads during That night. AL.
were ready to resume the battle fhopgh each man
felt that he was going to m inevitable sacrifice. /
confess prayed that the fery cup might pass
from them, and that no impetuosily might prompt
our leader to throw the feet again that fright
full fire. g.4 .ss.i IT.. s.s
loved with singular devotion By al under his COM
mand, combines in his character - tmpetgositss
which marked BmrfunaIQ, With rare Intellectual
GOODNESS and consnmmate mental poise, No man
could possibly feel with greater intensity, all the
instincts and motives that prompted renewal OF
the battle and yet no man could possibly see with
more clearness the blind madness Of such an at
tempt. He dared to be wise.
on his own motion decided that the contest must
end here. This afternoon there was an informal
gathering of the Captains of the iron-elads on
board of the ag-ship. Rarely was ever fleet so
commanded. These men are the very flower OF:
the navy. The lips must refuse their Office to one
who would breathe whisper of suspicion against
their courage or their deyotion Now there was
but one opinion shared in common by all these
men--the fruitlessness Of renewing the attack at
present. Let us see on what consideration their
opinion is founded.
Viewed strategically, Charleston harbor forms
cul de sac. four miles in length fom its entrance at
Fort Sumter up to the city. This blind passage
varies in width from enc to three miles, and Is CO.
pable of bearing defensive works on each side ana
ON shoal places in mid-channel.
On these natural advantages have been brought
to bear the finest engineering skill in the Confed-
eracy land it was the flower of the genius OF the
country during period of two years. Lee.
Beaureeard and Ripley in succession, have ex-
bausted their professional efforts to make II inn
pregnable. Everything that the most improved
modern artillery and unlimited resources OF labor
can do has been done to make the passage oil
feet impossible. And it is impregnable. Sebas-
topol was as nothing to it. z
Our feet got but to the entranceof the harDor.
It never got within it. Had The hon-clads sue.
ceeded in passing the obstructions, they wOaid
still have found those miles OF batteries to run,
They would have entered an Inferno which, like
the portals of Dantes' hell, might well bear the
flaming legend, ssWho enters here leaves nope
behind" Not point at which they would mol
have found themselves. -,
"Mid upper neither and surrounding hres.''
They pass ont of the focus Of the fire OF Forts
Sumter, Moultrie, Beauregard and Bee, and they
find themselves arrested under the Fanges OF Sum
ter, the Redan, Johnston and Ripley. They get
beyond this, and q concentric irs from RIPLEY
Pinckney, the Waproo battery and ho gnas OF n the