The Portland daily press., 1863-07-22

| The above cut of Charleston and surround
ings, engraved expressly for the Press by Mr..
J. +. Richardson of this city, will be consult
ed with special interest at the present time,
when the telegraph is daily teeming with ac-
counts Of the operations and progress Of our
land forces under Gen Gilmore, and our nav
al forces under Commodore Dalghren. In the
former attack upon Charleston harbor by
| Commodore Dupont, naval force alone was
employed, and the attack was made direct up
on Fort Sumter, thus exposing our iron clads
| to the fire not only of Forts Sumter and Moul-
trie, but to the almost equally effective fire OF
| Cummings Point Battery and other shore
| Notifications.
General Gilmore has adopted a different
policy, and the land and naval forces are
acting in concert to silence in detail the
Notifications which protect the herbor and
city. Folly Island is occupied by our troops,
and the batteries and Notifications on Morris
Island have all been taken except Fort Wag-
ner, which is less than sesen-e.hts OF a mile
from Fort Sumter, and which proved to be
the most effective of all the rebel batteries in
Wagner is an iron clad fort or battery
sheathed with railroad iron on the water
side, but whether it is equally well protected
against a land attack we do not know. When
this fort is taken we shall have full command
of the main entrance to the harbor and may
safely reduce the blockadiDg feet and yet eff
fectually cut Off all blockade running through
~. ~. - n
turn the guns of that rebel stronghold against
Sumter, thus making them aid our iron clads
instead of playing upon them as they did
when Dupont made his attack.
The lower end Of James island is now in
our possession, up as far as Seccssionville, a
point not laid down in the above engraving,
but which is about half way from Cole's<is-
land.to Charleston. 1t is said there is line of
rebel batteries across the Northeastern end of
James island, which will have to be taken be-
fore the city can be reached by our forces from
that direction.
The result of the present operations against
Charleston may be predicted with great deal
of assurance. Our iron clads have proved
their fitness for the work in which they are
engaged. In the engagement of the Sth inst.
there were four of these vessels engaged, and
the Charleston Courier Of the next day
said:
The whole four were engaged throughout
the action, and in the afternoon their fire upon
battery Wagner was very severe. We learn,
however, that the battery was very slightly
injured. An officer, who observed the effect of
our shots, says they rolled off the sides and
decks of the Monitors like so many marbles
or pebble-stones.
The capture OF Charleston will send thrill
of joy into every loyal heart. The news would
be welcomed by salvos of artillery, pealing of
bells and the cheers of the people. God would
be thanked and man would rejoice. Nothing
else could so efTcctualy cheer up the spirits of
our people, increase their confidence in final
success, and set aside the stupid idea - the
atheistical idea-that twenty millions OF free
men, fighting for the integrity and unity of
their country and the preservation OF their
constitution in cause involving Right, JUS
tice and Liberty, cannot subdue eight millions
of rebels, whose every act is crime against
democratic paper-justly says:
The-grand achievements of Meade, Grant,
and Banks are deeds which we trust will be
crowned with victory over Beauregard at
Charleston by Gilmore. The fall of Charles
ton, the recovery OF Fort Sumter, and the res
toration of Government authority over South
Carolina, would be nail in the coffin of the
rebellion which it would be hard to draw.
Since the above was in type the facts given
below have been condensed from the cores
pondence of the Boston Herald of Sunday.
The following extract from Gen. Gimore's or
der reveals the plan of the attack The order
is dated July 8:
An attack upon Morris Island VIII be made at the
rising OF the moon tonight, by Brig. Gen Strong's
brigade, Of Brig Gen. Seymour's division This
force viii be embarked in small boats Immediately
| after sunset, and will pass through Folly Island
| Creek 10 and across Light House Inlet.
| small detachment from the force will enter the
creek TO the west of Morris Island and will land
just north Of the Light House, seize the batteries
and, II possible, turn them upon the enemy's en-
land from Light House Inlet carry the batteries on
the south end Of Morris Island and advance to the
| support OF the detachment above mentioned.
Gen. Terry, with all his division except the Tooth
| New York Volunteers, will ascend the Stone river
under convoy of the navy, and attack the enemy on
naval force is expected TO enter the main chan
mel abreast Of Morris Island by before sunrise to-
| morrow, to cooperate with the land forces
Should the night attack fail from any cause, the
assaulting column will Withdraw to Folly Island
sending their boats into Folly Island creek In that
event the batteries the north end Of Folly Island
will open at daybreak or soon thereafter prac
ticable.
The bombardment began shortly before 3
O'Clock, A. NJ, the forty-iye pieces in Fort
Seymour, the Federal battery on Folly Island,
vigorously playing for some ten minutes be-
| fore the live guns and mortars of the rebels
began TO talk. The writer says:
! Their firing was very inaccurate. The shells
went oyer our heads, bursting in the marsh
beyond, or on the beach. or the sand patch far
10 the rear, or in the woods, where our troops
were not. They were evidently much con-
fused. Taken so by surprise, and under so
hot fire, they hardly knew what to do
New England men played an important
part in manning Our batteries The 9th Me-,
COL Emery, comes in for full share OF honors.
The capture of the rebel rifle pits is graph
ically set forth as follows:
At about halfpast six, Lieut.. Col Rodman.
| of the It'll Conn.,, with detachment of TWEEN
ty OF his men, went ashore Just beyond the
main landing point, where they expected to
capture small battery. They found no bat
terry there, and so skirmished up the island.
accommodating and ascertaining all about the
enemy's positions. They found strong force
in the rifle pits and what appeared to be a
light battery, and Col. Rodman reported back
TO Gen. Strong. The whole brigade then adj
vanced to near the landing, under heavy fire,
Of shot and shell, with which they had been