Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1863-02-20

IaE NoSrAUE Al FoRr McAILis1ls.-A
letter 70 the Providence Journal from oavol
hoard the iron clad Montauk, Capt. Wgrlcn,
gives tha following account Of the 5rst d.
engagement with Fort McAllistcr, III Os---
ehes river. Georgia. Thele:ier Is dated Jla.
=, and says;
D, We have JUS. opened our pyr.s. z-.
made the first praelical spplicztion o. lt-ir,l
sh7; and shell up-n one q the strong no..s
Of Secessia. The officers and men were li-
ready at quarters, and IN 10 minutes lat l.
O. o'clJcEl 2 shell was sent from an ll-ilcl.
gun. which fell little short: smother w1s
tTi-i which struck the battery, and then
shell wa= sent from the i5-ineh gun, t'gLisa
Is sighted by the ll-inchl striking apparently .y
on tie top lf The paIspet, and bursting with
q tremendous explosion, Filing the air with
dirt and dust.
Instantly they replied from the battery
vita lo-inch shot from their Pet gun,
cliumbisd, striking fair in tie center Of the
turret, and making an impression sb3ut a.
large and deep az q common saucer. We
fired az intervals 6 snd minutes. citc--
nately from the II and l5-inch guns, flr 81
hour, when the length Of tire intervals was
increased o. 10 or T. minutes. Il yv5s uJ-
ticealie thst they ir,d from the battery ,.-
me5iatclv siler tle discharge of oar own
guns, crilentlv intending = send a shot iu-J
one 1i cur P,rts. After hTinS oar gam &C.
.arsct wds inmeitttcly turned a>id sni e
sgns r,l1a cd
+ ey replied from the battery bliskiy, All
win wonderful precision, making spicncil
shots. remrul' .r-ius that our steamer presents
alr little .lri5l .g. q .n--S. and sen, nearly
every sl1t within - OF ,r ces u 1s, throw
ll- q 1'l- 90. water II 3D. she -l--c aH0 ttcN.
ICY fixed raTi&lg for ~. lJe- -o. -'..-,
quarters, when ;acir 1-ias, leil 90 -.ae...,
ami became iuesEi4r, l.-1 i-..a only tT5
guns anj as We Suc,s taey bad lte.l u-l-.-,
eight guns, we came leo tiic stry reasonable
conclusion tnat six oi tic.h were disabled,
and thought we cluli see them disln1untea.
We steamed down 70 our anchorage Jt t.r
morning and made fast The steam 6, : WIN
as lett Immediately for Port ROyalaiter shell
ana iaats, and is expected back this ryOIi,
when We shall try 70 finish tho work We have
begun Our steamer was struck tlfirtec,
timcs; four times on the turret tone exsctiy
between the ports } once on the smoke STACK,
and the rest on the deck, where indeniati1us
have been made in the Geck-plates two o-
three inches wide and deep, and twelve or
fourteen inches long.
i srar % which our b0ats were iasteuoi,
had one end shot away long 52-poGHccr
entered one Of the bGats and remained there,
and one OF our colors was riddled with ex-
ploded shell. But no harm has resulted q
the steamer or men, the latter eating, % at
tending to their duties as calmly and quietly
as though and l0-inch shot and shell were
not whistling by les than 10 feet over taeir .
heads The Wrret and guns worked admir-
sbly. Tie smoke occasi0ned by the iling
was Immediately taken away by the blJwels,
and the steamer constantly suppiied With
fresh air by the same means.
The firing produced no unpleasant s,ura-
tion in the turret the shot stTiking
on the cut side would not be perceived
were i noc fer the sound. The rebels
fought well, and their works were s4ten-
siva and strong. That which we have
called Lattsry they call fort, Fort Neal
lister. after Col licAllister who cgui0auie
it. and upon whose plantation it Is loc8tel. .
L Is = f1rIniiable w0rk to-, m1re capable Of 3
making q determined resistance than any .
have ever seen.
This Is the testimony also Of all The OH
ccrs Mr.. Osborn of the New York Hcrzl9,
who is with US. and has been engaged in
eighteen fights, ssys il Is the most extensive
work Of the kind he ever saw.
Two c5ntrabands came away from Tic ioE:
on Monday night, and managed after much
TO get through the marshes to the
this morning. One Of them
has been on the MOntauk, and his story is
remarkably straight; he says be is well ac-
luainted with The river, and took the Nash
vile up.
1t was impossible 10 corner him by cross
luestioning hlm, and bis information con
;erning the piles and torpedoes is exceedingly
and We shall profit BY it On our
lext trial.
The fort was commenced before tho war
,esan, and for three months they have been
working on it continually, until il is i'm
nensely strong, each gun protected on either
,ide hv large banks or casemate twenty-five
Get thick.
Itias also what they call nat holes for tae
men to run In when they see our shells
,onine. rhis We could zee them do. But
We shall take H. Tue steam tug has arrived
rom Port Royal with more shell, and we are
,oing at it again Tne Nashville il lying
en- miles above the fort and they are build
ng 5attsry 10 protect her"
droH PAIcls " DIXIE The following i list
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