The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1863-10-01

slipping sides. It's guns sweep down the Swash
channel, and will give an approaching vessel a
terrible raking fire. 1t has only been completed
within q few months past. Fort Johnson is
simply a huge sand battery, erected on the cite
of old Fort johnson, of Revolutionary memory,
one mile and q quarter from Fort Sumter.
Against a land attack, or by gunboats by Stono
river, it Is considered an essential work of de-
tense. There is a water battery in connection
with it, of four or FIVE seacoast mortars.
Yet, notwithstanding the strength of the de-
fenses Of Charleston, late advices indicate that
it will not be long before the Union forces gain
such positions, as TO enable them 10 demolish or
capture all these forts, and thus compel the
surrender and occupancy or the total destruc-
ton of t city. Even from the position now
held by Ger. Gilmore on Morris Island. near
Fort Wagner, shells have been thrown into
Charleston city, a distance of nearly fire miles.
which is probably the longest distance that can
non balls have ever been effectively thrown.
This battery of long-range Parrot guns was
planted by him on that island more as an expert
ment, and as soon as il was found that the shot
and shell fired from them would reach the city.
he sent u demand to Beauregard to surrender
or he would she'll the city within forty-eight
hours. and directed him TO give due notice 70
the inhabitants that they might be prepared.
The fulsome rebel General protested against this
threatened commandment, thinking it wholly
" unconstitutional and contrary TO the usages
of war. But agreeably TO the notice sent, Gil
more commenced at l A. NJ. on the morning
of the 9th August, to shell the city, firing
ahnnr ffraan shots a . tra pf,rpna1 hy Tho
Charleston papers, twelve of which lodged in
the city. No damage was done, except that
a warehouse in the lower part of the city. was
set on fire, which was soon extinguished.
Gen. Gilmore's purpose appears evidently TO
have been, not so much TO cause destruction Of
life or property in the city. as TO convince the
rebel authorities that the city was now at his
mercy, and that he could execute his threat,
which. till then, they seem not to have believed
and took no notice Of. But Immediately on
the opening of the bombardment, at midnight.
there commenced such q skedaddling of the chiy-
alric Palmettos as the annals OF war, or at
least this war, afford no equal-a stampede of
men, women, and children, white, yellow and
black,-a scene that must have afforded a rich
sketch for a ~IIogarth. The bombardment of the
CITY "Oulu ITOltDly " It~uLlCN III SCHlcuupSi ,
after a second demand for surrender. Ample
time has now been given to the deluded lnhabi-
tants Of Charleston not only TO save themselves
and their moyables, but also to decide whether
the city shall be saved by u surrender, or de-
stroyed OH a refusal. The eyes Of the whole
world looking on. the rebel leaders would prob
ably rather see the city laid in ruins than that
their pride should be humbled by a surrender.
The report that the shells fired into the city
were charged Will oreeh nrv,'' 10 p,ur~Liy
only one Of the inventions for which Behure-
gard ia famous; but whether it was SO or
not, that city may expect on a renewal OF the
assault what it deserves, q compound mixture
of Greek, Roman and Yankee fire, which must
place her at the mercy of the power she has so
long defed and insulted.
From the army Of the Potomac no very i'm
portant news is received. The same fatalic iner-
tia and ill-luck which have ever attended it,
under the command of Mcdowell,
Mcclellan, Pope, Burnside, Hooker or Meade,
still follow 1.-THE fault probably less of the
commanding General than of the controlling
power in Washington. The two armies appear
to be lying at bay. Meade's forces mainly con-
near Warrenton, along the Kappa
River. with small detachments stretch
ing up to the Potomac near Point of Rocks.
The position Of Lees army. as given by the
is now somewhat thus Gen. Ewell
lies near Orange Court House; ~. P. Hill,
near Rapidan Station; Longstreet stretches from
States Ford % Fredericksburg. Pickets
IN the RarTahannock are now to Port Royal,
Lees headquarters is about two miles beyond
$1,000 -. I.o - A. Cd III
Frequent skirmishes take place between
two armies in one of which the rebel chief
'1oseby received two wounds and died. 1t is
stated that the rebel army is being rapidly re-
,ruited rifh coHScrlpts, and that from 40 900,
he number Lee had when he recrossed the
it has increased to over 100 600. The
ebels are reported to have ~regained possession
# the peninsula lying between the Rappalan-
lock and Potomac Rivers. They have also cap
ured three Federal war vessels on the former
liver, two steam g~unboats armed with ll-inch
)ahlgrcns, and one revenue cutter. There is
'ut little chance of their being able to use these
essels, as the mouth of the river was guarded
Y a Monitor, and an expedition has been sent
o recapture or destroy them.
From the Southwest the news continues to he
cheering, and the Union armies are driv-
ng the flying rebel conscripts like chaff before
he autumn winds. The attack on Chatta-
ooga, which place had for months been the
eadquarters of Bragg's army in Southeastern
occurred on the 22d of August. On
he Oath, the evacuation commenced, and very
Nv rebels are now left north of the boundary
between Tennessee ana Georgia. Brags's
rmy must be in a sad plight, if the following