Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1865-01-20

eth inst.' to take effect on Monday July llth 1884
The Fight at Fort FIsher-Exple!
sion of ofGunG-TheEffec ct OF the EEirIt
Att2ck-Energy or Our Soldiers.
From the N. Y. Tribune.
| WAsHINGToN, Tuesday, Jan. 1T-9P.M
Your correspondent, E. S., sends to this
Bureau the following:
H'Dq'Rs. ExPEDITIoNARY FoRCEs, = I
oEF WILN1NaToN, N. c., Jan. IA, 1865.
To-day has witnessed the first serious
accident in the navy, Two of the heavy
l6-inch gunson board of the monitors (dif-
ferent vessels,) have exploded, killing two
men and wounding four others. The acci-
dent in one case was owing to the prems-
ture explosion of the she'll in the gun, and
the other to the she'll not being home,
The enemy sent down steamboat tow
ing q barge loaded with ammunition for
Fort Fisher, this forenoon, being unaware
| that our forces were on the Cape Fear
river. When the boat was about roudiue
to land, she was stopped and boarded b7
our forces and the whole institution cap
tured. There was only small party in
| charge of the boat and barge. While en-
gagged ip unloading lhe ammunition to save
1t, a guuboat came down from Wilmington
aud attacked our men, wounding Captain
James H. Reeve, commanding the Sd N. Y,
volunteers, by a. shell, which crushed his
leg below the knee. Four men were wound,
ed, and, it is reported, that one man was
killed A-train was laid to blow up the
barge If we find we cannot hold it. A
gunboat was sent down to drive our men
away, which. shelled across the panins6ias
not over mile. ksss s5y : -
Artillery has been landed to-day. which
will be sent across aud so pflateds Is I'd
command the river. The rehsl 6fi inboat5
are not iron clad, and can be Managed by
our land batteries as soon as thsy afis.be
planted on the river. .'- i,-,'i5. ,.,i 2
A citizen prisoner, captured last ayeus
ing, reports that the rebel gaRFisbh mas
been reiuforcedi and now nu&bsfs ], 800
men, all of whom are contained i'm the
bomb b-proefs OF the square "EastIle ipoft3-
They have little or no ditch Sf3nnd The
fort, but the paraPet is between tWel1e1and
fifteen feet high, and the fifteen tFaVerses
are at least fifteen feet higher, OF thirty,
feet above the beach level. These i'm
mense piles of sand, at a distance ofafeW
miles, appear like q row of huge hay.atkcks.
Between are the embrasures, where the
heavy guns of the fort, seventeen in num-
Der, lie crouchiug; and, 30 far as appear
ances go, still nearly intact, notWbbstand.
ing the terrible hammeriug by the foot
These high and mountainous piles of sand
are perfect protection against aa emilia
ding FIRE, however strong. They swallow
our shot and shell like the ocean; the only
difference being that the more iron thai is
projected into them the harder they are,
and the stronger they become to resist bur
shot. The fire of our monitors and gum
| boats, therefore, has been mostly directed
square into the embrasures of the fort, A
close inspection by the glass this morning,
shows that two or thrse oiJthe. rebel guns
have been dismeuuted-by the heavy FREE
Any permanent breaches of such Ia tort,
however, are wholly out of the question:
A few carloads of sand may be displaced,
which, under cover of the night, when our
FIRE Is suspended, can easily be shoEeled
into place sgainI and. the fort is ready once
more for repetition of the FIRE. -. io1s q
The statement of Gen. Butler and of Gen.
Wei,zel, that the first bombardmento had
not materially damaged thu" rebel work
might also have contained. the additional
remark that no possible amount of ofsheHingi
could effect any purpose whatever against
such work. ..-.- --.-..-....-......-.- -. z
our arrival here, is to the effect that. .dp-
ring the first attempt to take Fort Fisher,
I
/ drawn from their guns. During the heavy
FIRE they were perfectly covered by small
bomb proofs or gopher holes by the side of
each piece, and were ready to pop out and
open on any body of troops attempting To-
storm the work. " ~ 500
The people of Wilmington were greatly
| surprised at the coming of our forces
second time, and, so says the citizen, they
were greatly in doubt as to the real design.
| a direct attack on Wilmington was antici'
pated. This impression arose from our
| landing a mile and half higher up the
beach than on the former occasion.
a 80 FOUNDER sea. coast gnuI which was
captured yesterday at the Mound Battery
was only loosely spiked with wrought
Iron nail, which was easily removed, and
the gun has been trained upon theun To-
day. There was also a magazine tall OF
ammunition captured, Which will be found
very convenient .ti1s.S
The energy of our soldiers in coustruet-
ing intrencnments since they landed has
been theme of praise by every one. rhey
began work at 8 O'Clock in the morning.
and at 10 Q. m. q complete breastwork AVe
feet high had been completed from the
Flagstaff to the Cape Fear River, DIS
tance of one mile and a half in stralgnt
line, but following zig gag course 1t va
probably two miles in length. AT t9a
same time the men were engaged all nlgnl
!. in carrying on their shoulders bed ano
provisions q distance of two miles to the
advance line now occupied. fv~;
The first man injured shortly after land aud
ing yesterday, was Captain in the d6stt
: New York, wounded in the leg, Sign
wound by musket ball
During last night the enemy in. For
Fisher fred at intervals down the beach
iahnllinn nnr man hnk nnhndH VAS hurt.