Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-01-14

At 4 o'clock .. N on The 24th, Butler came 4
sight OF Fort Fisher. and found the naval Zee
ibombarding Il. -fr-
A powder vssssl hsd bees exploded the morn
ing previous.
Arrangements we're made to lasd rhe troop
next morning, under coyef Of the gunbosis a
sson as the IRE OF the Half-noon aud Flzy Pom.
HUI batteries bad been s;Ie1eed. which were u
the shore two or three miles shove Fort Fisher
Porter was ssnguine he had siienced For
| Fisher
De vas urged n that we're so 10 run by IN.
tort and then troops could land and hold IA.
beach without fear of being shelled BY the rebe
gunboats.
The Tallahassee being seen In the river. Gen.
Batter argued IL Porter would put his ships ia
the river the army could supply them acro.. the
beach; that at least the blockade OF wilming,os
would be thus efectusi even II rhey did no, ca .
ture the fort.
Porter replied, she should probably be Lost by
torpedoes II be made an attempt 20 run By, and
was reminded that the army might lose 500 men
by the assault. and his boat would not weigh in
balance. even in a money poist Of view with the
Lives OF these men.
Porter declined going by. and the expedition
was thus deprived Of that essential element Of
success
At noon on the 25,h the batteries we're re-
landed their troops
Finding that the reconaoitering party landing
could hold the shore. Butler determined that the
land forces should attempt the assault Curtis.
brigade was pushed TO within hundred yards Of
Fort Fisher, capturing the Half Moon battery
and its men.
This skirmish line advanced 10 within seven
~ five yards Of the fort, the garrison beng kept
in bom5-proofs by the naval fire. When the
al Al
personal examination BY Butler within Q few
hundred feet Of the fort showed it to be well pro
tected from assault by an extensive stocksde of
eastions ID feet high and Is feet wide, and that
no material damage had been done to the fort
by the pavy.
A flag, which had been cut down BY shell.
was captured on the edge Of a ditch, and an
orderly was killed about three miles from the
fort The report that any soldier entered is a
mistake. Ayers division has captured 2ls men
and ten commissioned officers Of the North Car
DINA reserves. Butler learned from these pris-
oners that two brigsdes Of Hates division were
within two miles OF the rear OF bis forces Their
skirmshers were actively engaged. and the re-
mainder of Hates division had arrived the night
previous at Wilmington, and were on the march,
thus forming force outside the works superior
to Butler.
In the meantime The weather had become very
bad, the sIrf rolling in so that landing becam
difficult =
At this time wei,zel reported TO Butler that
to assault the work, in his judgment. and that
OF experienced officers Of his command, was i'm
possible. with any prospects of success.
This opinion conceded with Buffers, but much
as he regretted the necessity Of abandoning the
attempt. yet he considered his duty plain. Not so
strong work as Fort Fisher had been taken by
assault during the war, and he referred to the
slaughtered thousands in the assaults on Port
Hudson and Fort Wagner
Butler says: therefore ordered that no assault
should be made. and that the troops should re
embark While preparations to re embark were
making. the firing of the navy ceased. The
guns OF the fort were fully manned, and sharp
hire OF musketrI. grape. and canister, swept the
plain over which the column must have advanced
L, was found impossible to get the troops all
aboard before the sea ran so high as TO render
further embarkatiou, even sending Of supplies
ashore impossible.
On the 26th, having made all proper DISPOSE
tons for getting the troops on board, General h
gave orders to the transport feet as fast as ready
to sail for Fort Monroe, in obedience to orders
from the lieutenant general. General B. states
he learned from deserters and prisoners that the
superstition was when the expedition vas planned
that Wilmington in the hands of troops TO
oppose Sherman. and so at the time Of the arr
val OF the army of Wilmington, there being
less than 400 men in Fort Fisher and less than
| ,OO0 within twenty miles, but a delay OF three
DAYS waiting the arrival Of the navy, and the
further delay of the storms OF the 2lst. 22d and
I'D gave time for reinforcemenfs to arrive from
The instructions of the general did not con-
template that the army bad neither siege train.
nor supplies for such contingencies.
Gen. Butler here says the eXgency of the pos
sible delay which the foresight ofthe commander
Of the armies had provided had arisen.
The loss OF the army ofthe James on the 10th.
l 9Th and 18th wa. moderate.
The cause OF the failure OF the expedition il is
not in my power even to suggest, and know none
OF the reasons which justify the delay of the
navy at Beaufort. Ii is presumed they are sufi
cent
Gen. B. then refers 10 the excellent behavior
of the troops and the assurance afforded him by
certain naval officers
Gen. Weitzel states that after getting q full
survey of the fort, he frankly informed Butler
that it would be butchery TO order an assault Oh
the works.
Gems. Curtis and Ames' reports are appended,
end copies of Gen Grants kilograms and or
ders to Butler conclude the document.
Gen. Grant, in his Endorsement of Buffers re
port, says it never was contemplated that Butler
should accompany the expedition. Weitzel being
specially named as the commander.
Gen. Grant thinks the DELAY in the moving Of
the expedition can be charged to waiting for the
gunpowder boat to be prepared Grant says But
Ter is in error in stating that the re-embark
alton of the troops was by his Instructions as
never contemplated withdrawal after
a landing had been effected. Gen. Grant ordered
that the first object OF the expedition be to
close the port Of Wilmington. aud il successful
to capture the city itself.
W ARLINGTON, January l3.
Mrs. Henry S. Poote, wife of the rebel senator
Foote of Tennessee, arrived at -Alexandris this
morning from Richmond. She states that her
husband is now under arrest ia Richmond on ac-
count OF his latefpeech in therebel Senate denun