The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1863-09-12
LaTEA Fa0n THE A0RIH.

WJ6 WEWU - bUk NJ n n.
Northern11pers Of the 9th inst. hav
been recGis11 = this Office through tn
courtesy Of he officers Of the Exchang
Bureau We make a summary Of tn
news they contain
TuE sIEGE oT CHARLEsTON--CA so
1nR RIFLE PITS.
A CORRESPONDENT Of the New Yorl
7inses, writing from off Charleston Oh tn
18th ult-, gives an account Of the captnr,
of the rifle pits in front of Fort Wagner
He says:
After fifteen minutes OF deafening cannon
aiding, our guns having been replied TO h,
the enemy IRON Wagner, Gregg, and Simp
kins, the firing on our side was directed par
ueuiarly to puints beyond the ridge, and ti,,
9th Massachusetts, who we're near at hans
We're ordered to dash forward and seize thai
ground. In u moment the men leaped oyel
the parallel and in another moment wcr,
passing up the ridge.
Ono company OF the Glst North Carolins
were In the ride pits, hut before they knew
their own senses were surrounded and !akel
prisoners. Our men then placed tLenlselye.
in a state Of defence by throwinng up NJ
hhSti Is@Ssh CsscVu OcIOgt
ing tn the dimensions Of q pa. allel, making
i number Of five In the series. 1t cannot b,
said the company Qf North Carolians fought
obstinattly in tisk defence OF the ridge, fol
tisey, in Nae FIRST ace. We're too few in ll.in
beers, and in the SECOND place were too dnitk
~ surrounded. What our men had most t.
fear was the cani-ter and grape from Wag
ncr. The range was sh0rt-only liO yards
and it required u lively handling oi spades
to p;t up protection. From the tine tht
guns were opened 10 the moment the 2iil
were Oh the summit OF the ridge, tLirt,
minutes had elapsed. The regiment losl
two killed, eight wounded, and one missing
The rebel loss was iour killed, eight wound
cd, aud sixty-eight prisoners, including two
Lieutenants. In fact, the entire rebel com
pany, with the exception OF the Captain and
two or three priyates, were either killed
wounded, Or captured.
We gained portion of ground, the pos
session of which enabled the engineers TO 70
gu with the approaches toward Wagner
We now have the fifth parallel and sap ey
tending therefrom, the head of which is but
one hundred yards from the rebel fort. Nu
merous rifle pits Of the enemy, which wer,
filled with sharpsho0ters, have been leVelcd
and lie has been forced to contract his bo;,n
dairy limits. In Il word, VIC have materially
added to our chances of speedy capture oi
Wagner.
The Boston yournal has the following
about the shelling Of Charleston:
Our readers will be pleased to learn tina!
General Gilmore has no less than thirty
Parroit guns mounted that will throw shells
plump into Charleston. Also that the use Ol
Greek fire shells to bombald that rebel
stronghold was personally ordered by Presi
dent Lincoln. The Greek fire burns for 70
minutes. 1t will burn on the water us well
as on land, and each shell covers surface ol
one hundred square feet with flame The
shell bursts into about one hu.dreu and
twenty pieces, or ten times as many as the
ordinary shell. OF course the effect OF these
shells will be to set Charleston in flames
which nothing can subdne.
In addition TO the Greek fire shells, a large
quantity OF improved shrapnel shells, made
by the inventor OF the Greek fire shell, and
containing from five hundred to one thous
and bullets each, have been sent to Morris
Island, TO be transferred thence into the re
hcllious city in manner not very pleasing
to the enemy. These shells are fired with
time fuses, and are very destructive of life.
CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN FERNANDO
WOOD AND LINCOLN ON TIE QUESTION Oh
AN AMNESTY TO THE CONFEDERATE
STATES.
Fernando Wood publishes in the New
York papers Of Tuesday his correspond
encc with Lincoln in December last. The
first letter is that Of Wood to Lincoln,
informing him that somebody has told
him (WooU that the Confederate Sena.
tors were anxious to return to the Yam.
kee Senate if Lincoln would grant an
amnesty to the South, and asking Lin.
coin TO allow correspondence with the
said Senators, the correspondence to
"pass through the hands of the Presi-
dent Of the United States" Lincoln
thus replies:
EXECUTIVE MANSION,
Washington, Dec. II, 1862
Hon Fernando Wood:
Dear Sir-Your letter Of the Sth, with the
note of the SAME date, was
received yesterday.
The most important paragraph in the let
ter, as consider, is III these words "On the
.9Jih of November last | was advised by ail
which deemed likely TO be well
as well rs reliable and truthful, that
the Southern States would send representa-
tives to the next Congress, provided that 4
full and general amnesty should permit them
to do So. No guarantee or terms were asked
for other than the amnesty referred TO-"
| strongly suspect your information will
prove to be grOnndlcss; nevertheless, l I hank
you for communicating ii 10 me. Under
Standing the phrase in the paragraphs aboy,
Southern States would send
representatives to the next C0ngress"-to
be substantially the same as thai ''tle people
OF the Southern States would cease rcsisi
,v.,i,it roll 4. Epl,uif ~
and Sustain the nntionti authori,y-wiihin the
limits OF such States, uuderthe Constitution
OF the uuiied States" say that nsuch ease
tue war would cease ON the part Of the Uni
ted States; and that il within L REASONABLE.
time "a full and general amnesty" were ne
cessary to such end, it would not be with
held.
do not think it would be proper now ia
communicate this, iorma ~ Or informally, te
the people Of the Southern States MY be
lief is that they already know it and when
they choose, if ever, they can communicate
with me unequivocally. Nor do | think II
proper now to suspend military operations
to try any experiment of negotiation.
should, nevertheless, receive with great
pleasure the exact Information yon now have
and also such other as y0l may In any WA,
obtain. Such Information might be more
valuable before the 1st of January than al
terward.
Willie there Is nothing in this letter whicl
shall dread to see iii history, it Is perhap.
better for the presept that its existenc,
should not become pubic. therefore hav,
to request that you will regard it as eonfiden
ti,i Your Obedient servant,
A. LINCOLN.
NORTHERN POLITICS.
The National Committee OF the Douglas
and Breckinridge wings Of the Democratic
organization met at the st. Nicholas Hotel
New York, on Monday, and organized b.
electing Aaron Ward President. AmOngth'
Donylas Delegates were Thomas NJ. Lana