, 1865-01-27
THE WAR In NORTH CARO-
LENA.
Operations Mt tic Mouth Of tho Cape
Fenr-Inportant Dispatch from !Ad-
nl1ral portcr-Ehc Forts Taken-A
E;sp1tch from E.ee-Efiuczatie Run
WASHINGTON, Thursday, Jan. es.-The Navy
Department to-day receIvcd the following from
tj,n{rn1

WASHINGTON, Thursday, Jan. a8.-The Navy
Department to,day receIred the following from
Admiral Porter:
NORTH ATLANTIC SQUADRON, ., S. F1Ao)
su1F MALrrnS, OFT SAI1Hs1I1r, AZ ~ n; c.
Inmy Inst informed you that Fort Caswc11 had
been blown mp and evacuated in consequence Of
the fall Of Fort Fisher. gent Lieut.. Cushing
around In the Monticello to the Western Bar to
ascertain what had taken place, and to obtain aid
from the officers In command Of the New York
and Vieksburg. Lieut.. Gushing did not obtain the
aid he required, tor Whist reason have not yet
learned, but with his u.ual energy he pushed on
md found Fort Caswcll had been blown up, Bid
Head Fort destroyed, and Fort Shaw also, and Fort
Campbell, to the westward Of CaaHell, abandoned.
All these forts mounted and 1o-inch guns and
Arms trong 15Qpoundcrs-
Lieutenant Cushing then pushed into Smithy.lle,
afterhoistine The aag cs the Union over Fort Cas-
well. The next thing saw wds the flag waving over
Smit1lyille. which the rebels had left In great
hurry attcs they saviour boats approaching, leav-
o spfsa a5 d9
at Deep Waser Point In thu meantime I had
succeeded In getting ,one, gunboat the Tacony,
over the rip and Interior bar, and sent her up to
Reeves Point 70 disable the guns at that place,
about three miles On the vest side Of the river,
above Fort Fisher.
Tins in Fl hours after the h1l Of Fort Fisher
thie river at Its entrnnce, built to Keep ont any
thing, haye fallen into our handa. They are gar
risoned for the present with sailors: lean scafce
1y give description Of these works. They arc
certainly the most formidable and the best built
earthworks cvcr saw. and do credit to the engt-
1sc Ts as aaea q 4 s Sss bes aF n FL t9 L Of 4eSs I
hands, except that the rebels have covered its
wallis with carth On the outside, md male them
] RESPECTS stronger than Foft If Fshsr and narsr a'I 3
take ty assault. Still it could be taken, and the
rebels kncwit Three Or four gunboats outside
would ECON have started them ont, have had
great diairnlty in getting the gunhoats over the
bar and the rips, and only succeeded this morning
in getting the last one through.
The rebels left plenty Of coed stores and pro-
stnd you list Of tie forts that have fallen into
cur hands since Fort Fisher, with the name and
Nc hare found here in each fort an Armstrong
gan, With the broad arrow on 1t and the name,
"sir William Armstrong; marked in full. As
the Britfsh Government claims the exclusive
know how they came into forts held BY the South
ern rebels.
1 md that immense quantities Of provisions,
nm almost afraid to mention the amount, but 1t
enopsh to sqppy ogss % t Is az
We picked mp telegram frum Gen. Lee TO hts
subordinate here sa}i1e that Il Fort Fisher and
Cafweli we're not held he would hare to cvacuate
be at all surprised II he left 1t any moment. We
hnYe plenty Or force to bold this place against tho
whole Southern Coniederacy. l have :t50 gins
troops nrc heavily cntrenched Their. are vessels
in The river and outside, and VIC only hope they
will attempt to retakc it. Ten thousand men IN
hold this place long nmc. We tlud thisa better
place to catch blockadc.runners than outsie. had
ihe blockadernnneEs lights lit lat Eight anl was
right Of wrorg We don't know. Two ofthem.
tho Stag and Charlotte, from Bermudn, loaded
with erroe. h'ankets, stores, s., ca Gang @ IL.
were taken possession Of The Stag WAS COM
! mandcd by 1.ich,rd Il. Gayle, Lieutenant in the
rebel nary. and belongs to the rebel Government.
4 number mnre are expected, and re will, hope,
catch portion OF them. Entrusted this duty to
Lieut.. Cushing, who performed it with his usual
good luck and intelligence. These two aIe rcry
fast vessels: and valuable prizes. They threw a
portion Of their raFe1s overheard Immediately on
lnlns they were trapped: ....
me Charlotte nrnKs tye Eo:ish passengers, a5;Ss;
CAME over, aa they expressed It. ION q lark, end
were making themselves quito jolly in the cabi1,
ore eysr s9smR' f'sts S icteys ssa o. ii s
d she ran by our h1ockaders outside.
Very respectfully. your obcdicnt servant,
asa was pts ts3Ts e rar9g s Ms'S S5e1 n; Wh
FORTRESS MONROE, Jan. e6-The steamer
Mcclellan arrived tbis forenoon from Fort Fiaher
with 100 rebel prisoners and mais and dispatches
from nnr forces operating against Wilmington.
Nothing OF importance had t1anspired in refer
cncc to the movements Of hc land ad naval forces
In that direction.
Our slnboats were gradually feeling their way
up the river, aud we're Some fonr miles above Fort
Fisher when the Mcclellan s1iled.
Our troops were quietly resting aud organizing
FoHTnEss NosEoE, Jan. A-1hr gunboat Ad-
vance arrived from Fort Fisher this morning with
portion Of tho crews Of the btocEGdc runners
Stag and Charlotte, captured the a1st inst while
| cndcayoring to run into Wilmington with cargocs
Of rifles hankcts &c, being ignorant Of the cccu-
patton Of Fort Fisher ~ our forces. The night
before the capture of these vessels, the blockade
runner Owl. commanded by Cnpt. Moftlt, came
yeEy rear makin: u similar mistake; hut suspect;
lights Of our forces made her escape and succeed-
cd in eludtng the vigilance Of our cruisers on the
| alert for blockade runners. Another blockade
| runner was howt vcr, CAPTURED last Sunday morn
Ing, of Fort Fisher, hut her name was not ascer-
| tanned,