Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-04-16
NATIONAL INTELLIu ENCER.
THE ATTACK ON CHARLESTON
DETAILS OF THE BATTLE.

The details Of the operations against Charleston Wlicn
publish below furnished by correspondents OF the
New York papers will excite universal attention The
engagement brief as il one OF the most terrible
in The annals Of and yet there was scarcely any loss
OF life on either side The grand experiment of iron
sosins stone seems have been tried and to have
suited in what might some accounts, be called drawn
battle between the Stone successfully resisted iron
and successfully withstood the attack iron. Enclosed
within their metallic rocky deiences the of rhe
TWO hurled death at each other and from the de-
fences both SIDES the missiles fell of almost harmless
Ii appears plain that the channel had been unobstruced
the entire feet would have by Fort Sumter without
material damage and this perhaps, the principal point
settled by the contest Iron clad ships penetrate har
bor guarded only by stone Notifications and pass the lat
under fire. with great safety chance shot, however
may always render unservicsabls the machinery Of the
turrets unless protected otherwise than now and to
the invention of such protection attention must be d.
rectod.
The feet crossed the bar of Charleston harbor Sun
day. the 9th instant On Monday all preparations
made but fog prevented the advance On Tuesday the
7th of April at II p. NJ, the advance movement began
the feet except the Ironsdes sailed within FIVE hundred
yards Of SUMTER eleven holes battered in the walls OF
that fort After being under fire thirty minutes the feet
was to retire. the nature Of the Instructions be-
ing by that time fully ascertained.
The correspondents of the newspapers state that the
attack is abandoned for the present The troops from
Stone and Edso are stated to have returned to Port
Royal The Navy Department, we learn. has received
merely briei memorandum from Admiral Dupont, con-
tanning no information addition to what has been
tofore published The reports of the various commanders
had not been prepared by them previous TO the departure
OF his dispatch boat.
We suboin the particulars Of the fight and its leading
Incidents commencing with the plan Of the attack which,
however was found imprsctcabe to carry out for
sons which will become apparent in the of the
ratye.
oaDka nF BATTLE AND PLAN OF ATTACK
The bar will be buoyed by the Keokuk, Commander
Rhind assisted by c. O. Bnutee Assistant United States
Coas, Survey, commanding the BIB; by Acting Ensign
Patt and the pilots of the squadron. The commanding
officers wi previous crossing, make themselves
auainted with the value Of the buoys.
The vessels WILL signal berg made, form in the pre-
scrbed order ahead at Intervals Ct one cables length.
The squadron will pass the main chip channel without
returning The fire Of The batteries on Morris Island unless
signal should be made to commence acton.
The ships will open fire on Fort Sumter when within
essy range and will take up position 10 the norhw ard
and westward of that fertilization, engaging s left
northeast face at distance Of from thousand eight
hundred yards firing low aud aiming at tho centre EN-
brasures.
men to carefully avoid wasting shot, and will eron upon
them the necessity of precision rather than rapdity of
IRE.
Each ship will be prepared to render every assistance
possible to vessels that may require IT,
The special code Of signals prepared for the ron.cad
vessels will be used In action
After the reduction Of Fort Sumter, it is probable the
next point Of attack win be the batteries Morris Island
The order Of battle will be the line ahead in the follow
ing succession:
1. weehswken, with raft, Captain John Rodgsrs
2 Passaic, Captain Percival ID ayton
3. MontaGk, Commander John L. Wordsn.
4 Patapsco, Commander Daniel Ammen
5 New Ironsidss Commodore Ihomas FurRer
6 Caskill, Commander Geo. W Roa gers
! Nantucket. Commander Donald Men Fairfax.
3 Eahant Commander John Downss.
Ksokuk, Lieut.. Commander Alex G. Rhind.
squadron of reserve, Of which Capt f. Green will
be the senior officer, will be formed outside the bar and
near the buoy consisting Of the following vessels
Canandaigus, Captain Joseph H; Green;
Gnadla, Lieut Commander p; Quaekenbush
Hossatanic, Captain VIM X. TsylDr
wissahickon, Lieut.. Commander j. G. Davis.
Huron, Lieut. Commander g. A. Stevens.
And will be in readiness to support the iron.cads when
they attack the batteries on Morris Island.
s. + DUPONT Rear Admiral
Commanding South Atlantic BlockadiDg Squadron
ADVANCING TO ATTACK.
pr.eey at balpast IL O'Clock the feet begins TO move
on 10 the attack The line of battle formed in the order
assigned to each snip in the Admiras programme-the
Keokuk which brings up the rear OF the line, lying down
nearly opposite Lighthouse inlet and the Others extending
on at intervals Of cables lengththe Weehawken lead
ing the van.
The head Of the line some four miles from the pc son
make before batteries
on Morris lsand-they must within easy range Of
each-have to be passed
The feet hardly in motion, however, when the lead
ing vessel the WeehsW stops and all the others
TO stop also. The cause OF this delay, afterwards
learned the arrangement OF raft which had been
tached the Weehawken for the purpose OF exploding
torpedoes and clearing away obstrnctons This nstru
ment one OF the inventions Of Mr. Ercsson's fertile
genius and consists Of raft about twelve feet square,
composed Of transverse mbers eighteen inches 10 thick
fitting TO the Prov OF the vessel From the for
ward part Of this raft suspended from cable six feet in
the water to be large proecle containing
fraction would be forward and aterally and capable Of
being exploded from the turret BY Of lanyard
One Of these rsfts which had been brought down
tsched to the Weehawken which for this
signed the leading position in the line. Owing to the
purely experimental character OF the Device however the
projecte not attached to the raft but in ts place
number OF graphing irons had been attached which
hoped would be found Of service in exploding and tearing
out torpedoes In the Of getting under way these
the Of the delay of the Weehawken and Of the
whole feet IL takes hour this matter to rights
and at halEpast one o'clock the fleet more under
way.
Slowly the leading vessel followed By the other eight
roncsds up the main chauhel-the shore of Nor.
Island against which from point Of view they seem
10 rest forming fixed point by which we measure the
progress Of the feet The first battery 70 whose ire
will be exposed is Port Wagner, and one fixes his eye on
1t and the Weehawken approaching nearer
She comes within range Of the for-no FIRE she passes
across it-stll FIRE. The second ship comes up and
meete the silent reception; and on one by one
till, with the Keokuk, the whole nine Tile by without
single shot from this seemingly formidable work
Meantime while the feet 10 passing Wagner unmoested,