Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1865-01-27
Admiral Porter's Dispatches.
FLAGSHIP MALVERN,

Or Fort FISHER. n. c., Jan. II. 1866.
SRI have the honor to inform you that OBJ
erations have been resumed against the forts at
the entrance of Cope Fear river since the first
attack on that place and the subsequent with
drzwsl Of the troops.
have been employed in filing the ships with
ammunition and coal The difficulties we have
encountered no one can conceive. All our work
had to be done with the larger vessels anchored
on the coast, exposed, you may almost say at
sea. to the violent gales that blew here almost
necessarily. On these gales the enemy depend
ed to break up our preparations. We will see.
We have gone through the worst Of it. Have
held on through gales heavy enough to drive
anything to sea, and we hsve sustained no dam
age Whatever. After the troops arrived the
weather set in bad and the gale Was very heavy.
As soon as II was over got under way, on the
| 18th inst, and, forming the vessels in three
lines, with the transports in company | steamed
| for Fort Fisher
On the morning Of the 18th, the feet took its
station IN three lines, close to the beach, and the
hosts were sent at once to take of the troops
These were landed, with about IL days proyis-
lions. at about O'Clock p. NJ. This time pur-
sued different plan in attacking the rebel works
sent in the new Ironsides, commodore Radford,
| leading the monitors Ssugus, Canonicus, Mon
adnock and Mahopac. At half past A NJ,
the forts opened on them as they approached,
but they quietly took up their old positions with
In 1000 yards Of Fort Fisher, and when ready,
they opened their batteries in this way |
tempted the enemy TO engage the monitors that
VIC might see what guns they had, and, seeing
where they were, be able to dismount them by
our fire. Quite a spirited engagement went on
between the forts and the Ironsdes and monitors |
1t was soon apparent that the iron vessels had |
the best Of it. Trsverses began to disappear,
and the southern angle of Fort Fisher commenc- |
ed to look very dilspidated The guns we're sileno-
ed one after the other and only one heavy gun in |
the southern angle kept up its FIRE The FIRE Of |
this gun was not at all accurate, as it inflicted
no damage on the iron vessels. They were hit,
though, several tunes. By way of letting the 4
enemy know we hsd some SHELLS left on board
the wooden ships, and did not intend to take any
unfair advantage of him by using iron vessels |
alone, ! ordered line 10. on the plan, led BY
Capt Alden, Of the Brooklyn. Id hne No 2,
led by Commodore Thatcher, of the Colorado, to
20 and attack the batteries. This was done in
the handsomest manner; not mistake was CON-
mittsd. except firing TOO rapidly, and making too
much smoke
Ths hesvy FIRE of the large re.sels shut up the
enemy's guns at once, snd sitter firing tll after
dsrk the wooden vessels dropped out 10 their
anchorage. The lronsides and Monitors main
tained their position through the night, firing N |
shell new and theu They are new lying within
one Thousand yards of the fort, and some Of the
Monitors within seEen hundred yards. and the
fort does not ere gun at them, thinking, no
doubt, that If Is a wusie Of powder.
The firing from the feet will commence as ,
soon as We get breakfast, and kept up as long as
the Ordnance Department provides US with q
shells and guns. There V q perfect understand ,
bRfGAen freneral Terry and Il H. |