The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1864-06-09

verely alone This feeling will no doubt
spread throughout the country, and the
Germans will be likely to settle the ac-
counts with hir. Lincoln at the next Pres
idential election. General Sigel is to be
retired from command and placed on the
official shelf during the continuance OF the
war.
Fort SUMTER AND CHARLESTON AS
THEY ARE.-Fort Sumter was associated
with the rebellion in its incipiency, and
promises to remain the bulwark and de-
Tense Of the pestilent metropolis of treason
to the termination Of hostilities. The
rebels have defended it with yreat sacrifice,
immense life-oilering, with extraordinary
tenacity and desperation Its external ap-
pearance, as seen from Gregg'S Point, is
but little changed since November last
On the sea-face, oblique from Morris
Island, not a WALL rampant, parapet, or
anything resembling them, can be diStin-
guished: nothing is there but ragged
mass of mortar, pounded into dust by the
thousands OF projectiles fred from our
guns and mortars. The BERNIE or base.
the sides and top are mere ruin to the
eye looking like a bluff or steep hillside,
covered with broken shot. she'll. iron beams
fragments of guns, splintered gun car
riages, and other debris Of war Yet the
rebel flag floats defantly over the ruins,
and the hateful red cross, dots and bars,
faunt and dance on every breeze that
sweeps ac,oss the bay. looking on Sum
ter to-day does not confirm the announce
ment by our Chief of artillery, in January
last, that Sumter is now untenable and of
no defensive value to the confcderates.
Our operations were abandoned too soon,
and its present strength and defensive
character confirms that belief 1t is still
the citadel of Charleston, Notwithstanding
its helpless appearance. From the para
pet Of Fort Putnam, on Gregg's Point, |
locked into Charleston Through field
glass, and although the lower portions of
the city appeared dull and dilapidated, yet
it was far from being deserted. 4 block
ade steamer, which ran up the Swash chan
mel the night previous (past the entire
feet and in front of our batterics), was
off IL
Ashley side of the city. Said steamer was
observed by our gunners in Wagner, and
several shots were fred at her, but without
effect. Two other blockade runners got
into Charleston a fortnight since. So
Charleston is not thoroughly blockaded by
the fleet, nor was it ever half besieged by
the army. Immense volumes of smoke
were rolling out Of some tall chimncys To-
Gated in the northeast section of the city,
where it is said the confedcracy have a
large foundry and ordnance mandatory
Three iron-clad rams have been con-
structed there within the last eighteen
months, and now defend the harbor above
Castle Pinckney. Blackened walls and
skeletons of buildings can be seen in differ
cnt parts ofthe city, evidences of lombard
mcnt, siege and conhagration The bonn
bardment of fCharleston, though unsucccss-
full in its capture has demonstrated a great
idea in war-the astonishing destructive
ness OF artillery at long range, a greater
range than ever before realized The bat
teries at Grcgg's Point are over four miles
from Charleston, and yet we have thrown
shells into the city, from thirty and one
hundred FOUNDER Parrott guns, daily and
nightly, for months past. The accuracy
of our fire has also been remarkable and
unprecedented. OF course, that is due to
ri0ed cannon, an improvement that N;.u-
ban and Montalembert never dreamed of,
but which are as superior to smooth-bore
guns as were the arms Of the first Napoleon
over the leather guns of Gustavus Adol-
phus.-IHRa3eIphja Inquirer.