The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1865-01-06

If the fire had been suspended, the gar
rison would instantly have swarmed back
into the fort from the bomb-proOfs, and,
with grape and canister, have probably
swept that ground over which the column
was advancing. Weighing these two
General Weitzel pronounced
the storming of such work, in such
circumstances, impossible.
The first assault on Fort Wagner, IN
which fell the heroic Shaw, affords an
There also the fire OF the
fort had been siienced by preliminary
bomba.dment and the garrison driven
under cover. But when the lombard .
lnent ceased, and the attacking column |
moved, it Was successfully resisted by |
the guns Of the fort and the musketry !
fire III its garrison. There is no ,eason
to suppose Fort Fisher would have done
worse, or Buffers troops have Jared bet
ter. Fisher is a stronger work than
Wagner, and no troops could be braver
than the Fifty-fouzth Massachusetts,.
From the New York Colnmerc;all
The Tribune in its endeavors to screen
General Butler from popular indignation,
makes the following unfortunate allu-
sion:
The first assault on Fort Wagner, in
which fell the heroic Shaw, affords an
illustration. There also the fire of the
fort had been silenced by preliminary
bombardment and the garrison driven
under cover. But when the lombard
ment ceased. and the attacking column
moved, it was successfully resisted by
the guns of the fort and the musketry
FIRE Of the garrison. There is no reason
to suppose Fort Fisher would have done
worse or Buffers troops have Jared bet
ter. Fisher is a stronger work than
Wagner, and no troops could be braver
than the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts,.
Admitting that the comparison is true,
which it is not, did General Gilmore, in
the language of the President, "turn
tail" after the failure of the first assault,
and, scampering to his transports, hurry
off to Port Royal? By no means. On
the contrary, he held on to the vantage
ground which he had secured, laid siege
to the stronghold, and in time captured
it, with it's valuable supplies of cannon
and ammunition, thereby sealing uE
Charleston harbor. Had this able engi
ncer. or Baldy Smith-both of whom
were sent into retirement at General But
ler's dictum been in command of the
troops at Fort Fisher, this affair would
have had different termination.
From the New York world.]
Whether General Butler and the mill
tary officers of whom he took counse
are responsible for the check which thi
colossal expedition has received in tn
very outset of it's career, it is not 10
your correspondent to say. Certain it is
that, in the fleet, he is universally blamed
in vehement and emphatic terms, TO
continual delays when the expedition
was preparing, and for lack Of enterprls
when the action was in progress. AS al
indication of the intensity of feeling
against General Butler which at presen
pervades the fleet, l may mention tina
but lust now naval officer, whose nam
is familiar in every household in the land
denounced him as "either black hearte'
traitor or an arrant coward" Another
} equally we'll known, said: 1" lie force
himself into the expedition, and be
lieve he came down with the deliberat
7 purpose of defeating the enterprise. II
: was determined to have his own way
and seeing that he could not, was Der
On thwarting everything" Naval Officer
G assert that the fire of the fleet had 81
= fenced the fort and driven its defender
to seek any hole for shelter, and that
bold dash would have effected the captu1
of the place almost without resistanc
On the other hand, as Admiral Port'
admits, General Weitzel is an accom-
e plished engineer, and his opinion is wo'
thy of consideration General Weitz
is a young and ambitious officer, wi
J. would scarcely throw away like
% chance of distinguishing himself Y
- the feet did such tremendous work, al
% seemingly with so much of success,
= far as its share of the engagement "
e. concerned, that the public will be apt
"a cast the odium of failure On General b.
- l.r and mis- advisers.
" From the New York Times's Correspondent
- Too much dependence was placed
~ the probable disastrous results to
enemy of the gunpowder explosion.
was believed by those who planned
n1 matter that every gun in the vicinity
9, Cape Fear would be dism0unted by
10 concussion. l believe the navy had n
ID thing to do with originating the schen
ae At any rate, it was foolish. and exp
20 20 sive experiment, which produced no 60
o' and brought much evil. =,
n After the transports had taken tn
re re sudden departure from the scene OF
20 tim Admiral Porter declared that