Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1865-01-26

Capture of More of the Rebel Forts De-
ade Runners-Also of Armstrong Guns
Bearing the s'Broad Arrow, of the Bri /.
fish Government-How did the Rebels
Get Them !-Intercepted Dispatch from
General Lee-He says that If Fort Fisher
is Taken he Must Abandon Richmond.
The Navy Department has received the fol-
lowing interesting dispatch from Admiral
Porter:
NORTH ATLANTIC SQUADRON y. s Flagship
Haluern, Oft SmihpilIe, ". c., Jan. 90, 1865
Sir In my last informed you that Fort Cas-
well had been blown up and evacuated ia
consequence of the fall of Fort Fisher I sent
Lieut.. w. b. Gushing 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 Nyack and Vicksburg and
axe advantage of the occasion. Lieut. Gushing
did not obtain the aid he required, for what
reason / have not yet learned; but, with his
usual energy, he pushed on in his boats, found
Head Fort destroyed, Fort Shaw ais }, and Fort
Campbell, to the westward of Oaswell, had
been abandoned. All these forts mount o and
10 inch guns and Armstrong 150.pounders.
Lieut.. Gushing then pushed into Smithville
after holding the flag of the Union over Gas
well: The next thing 1 saw was the flag
left in great hurry, (after they saw eur boats
approaching,) leaving everything in the heavy
and beautiful fort uninjured. and two 1l-inch
Point.
In the meantime had succeeded in getting
one gunboat (the Tacony) over the rip ian in
disable the guns at that place, about 3 miles
(on the west side of the river) above Fort
Fisher. Thus in "a hours after the fall OF Fort
Fisher and its out works, all the formidable
chain OF forts in this river, lat the entrance,)
built to keep out any thing we had, have fallen
into our hands They are garrisoned for the
E,rn w
/ can scarcely give description of these
works. They are certainly the most formida-
BILE and best built earthworks 1 ever saw, and
do credit to the engineer who planned them.
One would suppose that the whole Southern
Confederacy had been at work throwing up
mud and sand; and Gen. Whiting. the engineer,
certainly had an abiding faith in the durabil-
ity of the Confederacy as he shows his opin.
ion by his works. which have been four years
building, and were taken in as many days.
Fort Cas- we'll is the same shape as it was be-
fore it fell into rebel hands, only the Confed-
crates have covered the masonry with their
earth on the outside, and made it almost i'm
pervious TO shot and shell. 1t Is in many res
poets stronger than Fisher, and harder to take
by assault. Still it could be taken, and the
rebels knew it. Three or four gunboats on the
inside would soon have started them out.
have had great deal of difficulty In getting
the gunboats over the bar and the rips and
only succeeded this morning in getting the last
The rebels left plenty of good stores and pro-
visions, and our men are now subsisting on
that
1 send you list Of the forts that have fallen
into our hands since Fort Fisher fell, with the
number and calibre of their guns.
We have found in each fort an Armstrong
gun, with ''broad arrow" on it, and Sir Will
liam Armstrong; name marked in full on the
trunnion.
As the British Government claims the ex-
elusive right to use the guns, 1t would be in
teresting to know how they have come into q
fort held by the Southern rebels.
L find that immense quantities of pro DIVISIONS,
90 &I@S =, 81
port into rebeldom. / am almost afraid to
mention the amount, but enough to supply over
10000 men; ii is all English, and they have re-
ceived the last cargo; no more will ever come
this way.
his subordinates hsfss: from Gen Lee ss9
Fisher and Caswen were not held he would
have to evacuate Richmond. He says most
truly, and should not be at all surprised if he
left il any moment.
We have plenty of force to hold this place
against the whole Southern Confederacy. I
have two hundred and fifty guns bearing On
the narrow strip of land where our troops are
heavily entrenched. There are vessels in the
river and outside, and we only hope they will
attempt to retake it. Ten thousand men in
Fort Fisher, with the guns of the squadron,
would hold this place long time.
We find that a better place to catch blockade
runners than outside.
i had the blockade runners lights lit last
night, and was obliging enough to answer their
signals, whether right or wrong we don't
know. Two of them, the Stag and Charlotte,
from Bermuda, loaded with arms, blankets,
shoes, &c, &C., came in and quietly anchored
near the Malvern, and were taken posses.
The Stag was commanded by Richard H.
Gayle, Lieutenant in the rebel navy, and
belongs to the rebel government. A number
more are expected, and we will, hope, catch
q portion OF them.
/ Entrusted this duty to Lieutenant Gushing,
who performed it with his usual good luck and
intelligence. These two are very fast vessels
and valuable prizes. They threw a portion OF
their papers overheard Immediately, on finding
they were trapped.
Ienclose list Of guns captured by the Nayy
since the capture of Fort Fisher, and the mama
OF the different works. This lumber, added to
those taken around Fisher, makes 1853 guns in
taken
enclose a few papers that may be interest
ing.
The Charlotte brings nve English passen-
gers-one Of them an English army officer.
They all came over (as they expressed IT'D son
jolly in the cabin over their champagne, f hav0
ing feliciiated themselves on their safe arrival.
The Stag received three shots in her as she ran
by our blockaders outside.
am. sir, very respectfully, your obsdient
servant,
DAVID ID. PORTER, Rear Admiral.
Hon. GIDEON WELLEs, Secretary OF the Navy,
Washington, ID. O.
Lat Of Fort. taken possession Of by the Navy, since
The fau Of Fort Fisher with their aymaments:
Reeves Points 10-inch guns
Above Smithville-2 1O.inch guns.
thville-4 10.inch guns.
Fort Caswell-l0 10-inch-2 9.inch-1 Arm.
strong-4 32s rined-2 32s smooth-3 S.inch-i
Parrot 20 pdr-3 rified field pieces guus
Forts Campbell and Shaw-6 I0.inch-s ada
smooth 90 rified-l s-inch-6 field pieces~2
mortars-22 guns.
Smiths islands 10-inch-6 32s smooth 0 -.
rifed-4 field pieces-2 mortars-17 guns.
Reported at the other end Of Smiths Island,
guns.
Total captured-s3 guns.
uANCOCKY CORPS.
"ich II is understood the LIST
Inc olsaohity " with reference to the