Daily national Republican., 1863-08-24
Official Dispatch of Rear
Admiral Dahlgren.

FLAcsrrAa'R DlssMoRr, OFF MoRuIs ISLAND, ,
August Is, 1859. (
Hon. Gideon Heiiss, Sereiary ofihe Nary Wa.hfr1
Ion, d. c:
s'R: Yesterday was begun another series o
operations against the enemy's works.
Early In the morning Gen. Gilmore opene,
all his batteries upon Fort Sumter, firing owe
Fort Wagner and the intermediate space.
About the same time moved up the entir,
available naval force, leading with my nag il
the Weehawken, followed by the Kaatsklll, Ma
hant and Montauk-the Passaic and Patapsc,
In reserve for Sumter. -r.. .ar
The Ironsides in position opposite TO wac
ner, and the gunbosts named in the margin a
long range:
Cananduigua, Capt. J. r. Grun.
Mahaska, Commander J. B. Crughton.
Cimmarron, Commander A. X. Hughes.
Ottawa, Lieut.. Com mdr. W. D. Whiting.
wissahickon, Lieut.. Commdr. J. l.. Davis.
Dai Ching, Lieut. Commdr. ]. c. Chaplin.
Lodono, Lieut.. Commdr. z. Brodhead.
As the tide rose, the weehawken was closed
to about four hundred and ffty yards Of wsg.
ner, tho other three monitors followed, aud the
Iropsides ss near as her great draft Of water
permitted. After q steady and we'll directed
IRE, Wagntr was silenced about 9.e0 o. m, and
that Of our own vessels Was slackened In con.
sequence. Meanwhile the Gre Of our shore
batteries was working effsctuslly upon the
gorge Of Sumter, which appeared to have been
strengthened In every possible manner.
At this time the flag was shihsl 10 the Pas.
sale, which, with the Patapsco, (both having
rife guns steamed up the channel until within
two thousand yards Of Fort Sumter, when fire
was opened on tho gorge angle aud southeast
front Of the work. The PAtapsco fred very
we'll, and Is believed 10 have struck the south.
east front nine consecutive times.
To all this Sumter scarcely replied. Wagner
was silenced, and Battery Gregg alone main
tained deliberate fire at the Passaic and Pa.
tapsco.
Il was now noon, the men had been hard at
work from day-break and needed rest, so
withdrew the vessels to give them dinner.
During the afternoon our shore batteries con.
tinued the fre at Sumter with little or no reply
from the enemy, and contented myself with
sending up the Passaic and Patspsco to pre-
vent Wagner from repairing damages. The
fort replied briskly, but In brief tims left of
bring.
am not able TO state, with exaetness, the
result Of the days work, but am we'll satisfied
With what a distant view Of Sumter allowed
me.
Our entire power Ia not yet developed No IL
will be daily, while the enemy Is damaged
without being able to repair.
The officers and men of the vessels engaged
have done their duty well, aud will continue
% do 50.
All went well with US save Que sad excep.
ion; Capt. Rodgers, my chief of stat, was
silled, as well as Paymas,er Woodbury., who
was standing near him.
Captain Rodgers had more than once asked,
N this occasion, II he should go with me a.
lsual, or resume the command of his vessel,
he Kaatskill, and he repeated the query twice
D the morning the last time ON the deck of
he Wsehawken, just while preparing 10 move
nto action. In each Instance replied, "Do
8 you choose" He finally said, swell, I will
o In the Kaatskill, and the next time with
ou."
The weehawken was lying about one thou
md yards from Wagner, and the Kaatskill
lth my gallant friend just inside Of me--the
re Of the fort coming In steadily. Observing
,e tide to have risen little, directed the
'eehawken to be carried In closer, and the
uchor was hardly weighed when l noticed
hat the Kaatskill was also under wsy--which
remarked to Captain Calhoun.
II occurred to me that Captain Rodgers do
ected the movement of the " eehawken, and |
e'srmined to be closer to the enemy II posi-
ie' MY attention was called or immediately
, q position for the weehawken, and soon
iter II was reported that the KaatskiII wss