Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-04-14
Land Forces Nearing Charleston
GENERAL FOSTERS SITUATION.
His Supplies About Used Up.
IMPORTANT ORUER BY GEN,
BURNSIDE.
PARTICULARS OF THE FIGHT AT
CHARLESTON

PARTICULARS OF THE FIGHT AT
CHARLESTON
WASHINGTON, April u.
The Tribune's special Of the account OF
the Charleston fight says:
The squadron arrived off Charleston on
the morning of the 5th and spent the day
examining bars and channels. The wind
being too high to cross that evening the
! Admiral disclosed his plan of attack,
which was to sail directly up and attack
the west face Of Fort Sumter, at 600 or 800
yards.
About 8 o'clock MOnIay morning the
signal for movement was given, and the
vessels started slowly. In consequence of
fog, however, they were obliged to postpone
the intended attack until the next day.
During the afternoon General Fury g
brigades worked its way up to Folly Isl
and, and established communication with
the feet, but no portion of the land forces
got into an attack at all.
On the 7th, at 4:l5 p. H., the fleet got un .
der way, and passed Morris Island batter
les without being fred upon, pushing right
on toward Sumter The new Ironsides
worked badly, and in consequence OF the
current, was obliged to anchor two or three
times.
Fort Moultrie opened first upon the
Weehawken, which was within 500 yards
of Cummings Point. The battery Of
Sumter and battery B. Immediately opened
and firing became general, and terrific.
Monitors still pushed on replying vigor-
ously, and passed northeast Of the face Of
Sumter, when they discovered three lines
Of distractions holding torpedoes, etc, one
of which exploded but did no great damage.
Finding it impossible to get across the OBJ
structions, they turned about and steamed
down the harbor. The Patspscos 200
FOUNDER had become disabled, and the tur-
ret of the Passaic SO bent that it was prac-
tically of mouse.
Other boats also passed up to the north
east face of Sumter until they also were
stopped by ebstructiOns, and turned back,
after being under fire three quarters of an
hour. All the Monitors were ordered
back, and at o'clock the entire feet was
out of range, and the action ceased.
Admiral Dupont intended to renew the
attack the next day, but on ascertaining
that the Keokuk and Passaic were entirely
disabled, and three others partially so, he
concluded to desist, in which he was sus-
tanned by all the commanders. The Mon
itors were hit from fifty to sixty titles
each, except the KeOkuk, which received
about ninety shots, and was penetrated at
water mark no less than nineteen times.
She was kept afoat till next morning,
when she sunk on the bar, her colors fly
ing. All on board were saved. The Iron
sides was hit sixty times, but not dam
aged. There are eleven large holes in the
side of Fort SUMTER apparently running
through the walls The entire firing only
amounted to one hundred and fifty rounds
When.our correspondent left, two of the
Monitors had sailed for Port Royal, and
others were to follow. Our entire casual
ties amounted to thirteen, of whom but
two or three were killed.
The Times special gives the following
list of casualties on the Nahant: Com
mander Downs, slight confusion of the
foot; Pilot Isaac Scofeld, severe contu-
sion of the neck and shoulders-doing
well Quartermaster Cobb, compound frac-
ture of the skulI-since died; three sea-
men slightly. On the Keokuk, Com
mander A. C. Rhind, confusion Of the leg !;
A. Mcintosh, Acting Ensign, dangerously /;
R. Nicholson, Quartermaster, slightly /;
three seamen seriously and seven others
slightly.
The Herald's account says: A rumor is
circulating both at Port Royal and at
Charleston to-day that our troops were
rapidly gaining the rear Of the city of
Charleston.
The Times correspondent says of the
fight at Charleston. The iron ships were
exposed to a concentric fire from FIVE diff
ferent points, which is unparalleled in the
history of warfare. The fleet found it
impossible to pass up beyond Fort Sumter
and assume their appointed place, owing
to the distractions which extended across
the entire channel from Sumter to Moul-
trie, while above these, near the middle
ground, were three other rows of piles,
and above these three rebel iron-clads. The
feet was thus compelled to sustain this
terrific fire, and nobly it did so for thirty
minutes, and during that time not less
than $500 shots were fired by the enemy,
100 being counted in o single minute.
BALTIMORE, April u.
The gunboat Flambeau arrived at Old
Point on Saturday afternoon, bringing the
officers af the iron-clad Reokuk.
The following is made up from an in
teresting account furnished the Baltimore
American, by an eye witness, and who
was in the fight: The Weehawken was as
signed the important duty, which was
faithfully performed by her in the midst
of the fight, to examine, and if possible,
to fire the distractions which the rebels
have extended across the harbor from Sum
ter to Moultrie.
Protected by scow and the "devil in
front Of her, she pushed straight up TO-
wards the distractions. They were found
to consist of network, chains and cables,
stretched across the haFbor, over which it
was impossible for the Weehswken to run
without fOuling her propeller, and which
she found it impossible to force.
To this net work the rebels were supposed
to have suspended tOrpedoes and other sub
marine explosives. She completed the
examination and tested the impossibility