The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-12-29
Ihs Department Of North CHrOilnR aud
southern Virginia.

bo Department Of North CnrOIIRa aud
southern virginia.
4 General Braxton Bragg, commanding.
dajor Francis s. Parker, Acting Assistant Ad-
Isut-Geuera.
ienerai Bragg was assigned to the command
he department IN October last, and assumed
lmand, with headquarters NJ Wilmington, on
iember II, in the following order
IlHhGroh, \ e., November H. ISL. ! a'sume
soumsna Of the Degarmout Of Noft! Carolina, ce-
aa,T-tisGerai whiting ami Rrlrador- General Baker
Ncontuue the terutou u Command hero 1urg exercised
BRANTON gKN3d, General
he assignment Of Bragg to the sIpreme COM
md of this inportsnt post was received at the
n by the Rebel press as an evil omen, AMI an
Atiounte farewell Of Wilmington" was taken.
I department has been divided into the two
d,iCls Of Plymouth aud Wilmington. The
trps Of the LIST District, under General Law
res s. Baker, are so far removed from the
sceDf action at Fort Fisher, and so busily en-
gag opposing the advance of oar forces up
Rookie river, that they need not enter into
ourslculatiOns Of the force opp sing General
Bur.
District Of wilmington.
blor-General w. II. c Whiting commanding.
Nor JAS. II. Hill, Assistant Adjutant-GenerAL
neral Whiting, who has been, for many
mchs, in command of tho Third District OF the
Dertment, is considered the al est engineer,
ne to Bcauregard, in the COntCderacy. He is
saito have thoroughly studied the country, and
knEs every inch Of defensiOlc ground.
,fe has created several batteries Of late at
E-Ous POINTS, and added materially 10 the
4 9Th Of the old works. Of the force which he
A . hold these works and man the guns but
II Eknown. Besides the regular Rebel troops
e works, the forces under MS command
Il less consist TOR the greater part Of North
"a ho.na militia. In October last, when It
p d believed in the Rebel lines that we
IRE about to attack Wilmington, General Viii
\ II m prlgr
NstniOr reserves of the counties OF Cumberland,
ttaTnett, Richmond, and Robson, N. c., which
lere allowed to go to their homes on September
y, to !, assemble in Wilmington without delay,
\ lpOrling to Major James Reilly" The Will
|ipgton battalion is ale alluded to In one Of
eneral Writings orders. The Itb Regiment
oTth Carolina Home Guard, Colonel James G.
urr, was hastily collected at Wilmington, in
ctOber last under the following order
HEADQUARTERS SEVENTH REGMEsT wILHSGroy, N
October ~, lS4-I Cspsins OF companies wll report
SsS az W % t tome q aTs 8, t sei Dvssin I
IL This includes all foreigners magistrates, and
mil tia officers under nfy years OF age y Sr1sr sTiep
Colonel Commanding 7lh X gment H. q.
II. =. PARsOGs ,Adutant.
In addition to this regiment, the following
regiments rendezyoased at Wilmington in Sep
tember last
22d Regiment of North Carolina militia.
23d Regiment North Carolina militia,
5Gth regiment North Carolina militia.
1t may be inferred from this that the troops
depended upon to hold Wilmington are of very
poor material.
Subject to the command of General Whiting,
but under the immediate supervision OF General
Hebert, are the Notifications, Officially known AS
the
Defenses OF Cape Fear River.
Brigadier. General Hebert, Commanding.
Captain William d. Hardman, Assistant AdJu-
Colonel Lamb, commanding Fort Fisher.
Lieutenant James A. Kelly, Ald-de- Camp.
Lieutenant o. Ii. Williamson, commanding
Fort Johnston.
The Great Powder. Bont-Fuii Description
Of the VesseI-HOW the "LnuisIRna' IL
COnstructed and where SIN was Built-
I.tst of her Officers.
The plan of destroying forliGciJiOns from the
bea by the explosion Of an immense quantity Of
gnnpowder ia entirely new, and has now been
tried for the first time It was pra posed by Ad-
miral Porter to the Navy Department. Very
careful attention was given the mater by Colonel
Rodman, JefIers, Il. A, Wise, and the principal
men OF the Ordnance Department.
They all agreed as to its fels! ility, not one
dissenting. The idea was sugges.gl by the effect
of the recent explosion Of sbou thirty tons Of
powder in England, when every house within a
hall. mile radius was knOcgkd uoEn. Ine elsct
doubt, though its eflicacy upoa sAnd-works Is
questionable.
The United States stea n gun-boat Louisiana
wa taken TO the NOriOl Navy Yard about q
month ago, and sUcn ch ngGs made in her as
would adapt her 10 receive the po yder. She was
also disguistO a. much az possible, 20 as tO give
her the appearance Of blOckafe-runner Her
masts we're taken out, the whcC house removed,
and deck house built extending from the en-
6ine room 10 The tOreclste. She Was also painted
Nhne, and thus her general appe ance was very
GRAVY altered.
After all the required changes gad been made,
the Louisiana was towed tO Cru- Island, where
Ehe was loaded The hold was leit empty, AS tue
powder az the exp pOsiOn, was desired TO be as
much rs possible above water. / ne powder was
contained In bulk-bead Orru0yiug a pOr-
ton OF the berth-deck, and extending nearly 10
the boilers. Then just forward Of thlt, and
nearer the boilers section Of the perth deck and
hold were both loaded, the ho Il being nere d \ d
TO prevent downward effect 10 The explosion.
The house on the spar-decl VS. boarded ~
closely and covered with canvas and extended
from The boilers forward. This vas filled com
pletely. The first tier of powder was placed ia
barrels With the heads taken out, and tue re-
mainceT was in bags.
For the purpose Of exploding tho powder there
WsIe three clock fuses placed iu he vessels one
in each RaDgwsy, and one att, near the boilers.
From egch OF these patent Gomez fuse led com
pletely round the vessel, and terminated, one In
the hold and the Others in the GENRE of the berth
deck. A fuse also led directly from each clock 20
each Of these two points. In addition to this,
any one of the fuses, ignited, wOu Id tire all the
others, because each one crossed each Of the
Others, and wherever they crossed they were