The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-08-16

the T.h instant. As they are located thirty miles.
from the recent conflict at the forts they do not con-
tain many particulars OF the engagement. We
copy from them what is of interest:
PASSAGE OF THE FORTS.
The g1lnboat Morgan succeeded in reaching the
city last night, though chased and fired at by the
enemy S feet Her only casualty i. the fight was
one engineer slightly wounded by a shot which
passed through the ship near the galley.
The Galnes's crew have also come up i'll her
| launches. No officer hurt
The Tennessee was completely disabled in the
tight, being surrounded by her powerful enemies
She had four killed; have not learned how many
wounded. An enemy's monitor and gunboat
We're sunk. The adyices from Fort Morgan are
cheering. The casualties are astonishngly Light
the enemy firing wildly, and secnng intent mainly
on running past.
Captain johnson, of fredericksburg, Virginia
commanding the water battery, was slightly wound
cd. One man was killed and two slightly wounded
inside the fort The garrison in fine spirits and
confident Lieutenant Smith, at Fo1t Morgan, lost
one of his hands.
An officer from the steamer Morgan reports the
fleet passed the fort without replying to its fire
The large vessels had each double-ender lashed
alongside. As they passed, the Tennessee stood out
TO engage them, followed by the Morgan, Selma and
Gaines. The Selma and Gaines at once ran along
side the Hartford and engaged her, she fighting them
as they ran Alter passing out OF reach of the fort
the Hartford cast loose the doube-ender which the
Selma at once attacked but after severe 9ht the
Selma hauled down her eolors.
SCENES II MOBILE AFTER THE FIGHT
Yesterday morning, ut early honr, the news
was spread abroad on streets that the Yankee.
fleet had opened on Fort Morgan and had attempted
70 pass II, and 1t was announced officially that
the leading monitor was sunk. Fuller intelligence
published about haf-past ten o'clock in the
form Of a dispatch from General Page to the COM
handing general, which Was communicated to the
press and published III ths evening papers. This
followed by runors Of every description one of
which was, that the Tennessee was safe, the falling
of her flagstaff from shot having been mistaken at
the fort for her surrender This, unfortunately,
proved incorrect.
All accounts agree that the Tennessee made a
desperate fight and 80 did the Selma AT he-time
OF writing This Is all the intelligence that has reached
us from below.
On receipt of the news that the enemy had passed
the fort, the General ordered the bell to be rung
corng to previous notice as sgnal to the citizens
that the time for completing their organizations
at hand and that this work could 10 longer be de-
layed. 1t is unnecessary to say that this summons
caused great excitement, but if it partook of the
nature of panic, we able to discover it. In
one place might be seen men armed and unarmed,
hurryng to their respective rendezvous III another,
those who We're dspatching their necessary business
that having put their house i'll order they might the
better attend to their paramount duty.
Several new organizations were set on foot among
the citizens, while those of the military who are
here absent from their commands showed COM
mendabie alacity IN their preparations for bearing
share in the work before them Captain Clarity,
of the "Old Continentals," flom the Army of Ten
nessee, who is here i'll consequence of his recent
wound, reported to tho General with nine of his
men, similarly situated, for service wherever
dered, and several convalescent officers of the Amy
Of Northern Virginia issued call for the members
of that army TO meet IN the evening for tho purpose
of organization battalion.
Among the earliest acts of the day that Of the
Mayor and Municipal Boards, pledging the resources
of the city to the commanding general and request
ing him to defend Mobile to the last extremity
These are strong words, and we doubt no. the CITY
authorities used them with full understanding Of
their great import. We understand them to mean
that Mobile is not to be made second New Orleans
but that when enough shall have been done for
safety and In vain, f it must be So, the honor of
the city will still remain in his hands, and that the
wish of the people is that it be made pile of ruins
an altar of sacrifice, rather than become the theatre
for such disgracefu scenes as have been enacted in
our sister city. If there are any who dissent from
this view, who would consent to live under Yankee
rule we warn them to look to their goods and chat
tels-ther household gods, 1.-THE only ones which
.heir craven spirits have sounded
the hearts Of the real people VI Mobile in vain for the
last three years. if it falls into the hands of the ene-
my otherwise than desoiate, ,tre-blackened waste
THE EVACUATION OF FORT POWELL.
On Friday afternoon the enemy's fleet formed in
line of battle around this little work. and after n
long bombafdment the place was evacuated the
garrison escaping tosthe main land after night by
wading.
We are not in possession of the particulars that
led To the surrender of this important fort which IA
the key to the lower bay, and gives the enemy pos-
session OF 1t at wil because, US soon they opcn
the pass obstructed by engineers the feet can be
supplied BY transports from Paseagoula sound We
hope the report of the young officer who commanded
it will show that it not yielded while it Was at
all tenable its loss throws tho city back upon its
inner line of deienees, and causes the abandonment
Of the reasonable hope that If il had been held the
Heet would have been forced To to sea again by
the guns Of Fort Morgan ior its supplies.
THE CASUALTIES IN THE FLEET AND AT PORT
GAINES.
FoRT MORGAN, August 6.-I communicated this
morning BY dag Of truce with the eneinys cunboat
bound for the Pensacola hospital, with Admiral
Buchanan and our. wounded on board, and obtained
the following correct list ef casualties from ID b.
conred, Fleet Surgeon Of the Mobile squadron:
Tennessee, Hay.ship Of the Mobile Sqaaaron.
Killed: John Silk, frst-elass fireman, and Ed
ward Kilkenny, 6xsman.