Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1865-01-18

Tho Taking Of Fort Fisher--.The Rich
mO1d Press Before and After.
By sudden turn in the wheel of for
tune, Fort Fisher has been won to the i'm
mortal vslor of our brave men. 1t makes
the blood run high and pride in the splen-
did courage of the North stir proudly, to
read ofthe desperate daring which seized
from the rebellion the strongest fort in the
world, manned by over three thousand
men. No sublimer deeds of heroism have
been witnessed during the war than those
enacted by our troops, climbing psrspets
fifteen feet high and advancinglike sea of
fire from one end of the fort to the other.
The heart of the nation which had grown
sad over the great and only failure of the
year, now leaps buoysntly in its faith and
hope at once admir- ing the magnificent
bravery of its sons and inv oking the mercy
of God on its fallen defenders.
Fort Fisher that has thus fallen prey to
our armies just at the moment that the re-
bellion was endeavoring to catch new
life from despair by mocking at our failure,
gives us the control of Cape Fear River
and possibly of Wilmington itself. What
ever obstruction may yet be in the way,
will be removed by the aid of the prison
ers, thus giving access to our gunboats.
Reading eglorious achievements of our
army, and the comments of the rebel press
over the recent failure, we are reminded of
the vanity of all human endeavor, and of
the fustian rhetoric which props up the
rebel hopes. The Richmond Sentinel of
the 18th, whose chief occupation is to
soothe JEFF Davis troubled spirits, goes in
to an agony of delight over the "Sore dis
appointment of the North" 1t INDUCES
in the following strain
To tba,s. iG Was no positive secret that
tne scheme was intrusted to the Cyclops of
New England acuteness-The Paladin Of
her truer impulses-the exponent of her
soul-seated principles-the notorious But
Ter. It was no positive secret that the
hand and heart of this Bombastes Furioso
we're consulted in the Matching of the
scheme; of course his invaluable service
was secured to conduct it to an inevitable
triumph. "Inevitsble," because to doubt
its sublime success would have been fat
blssphemy against the Jupiter at the
White House and his Hercules nat the
'front.' Did it not cost q mint and look
monstrusly imposing; could it fail Did
it not have a Butler to lavish his ingenuity
and inspirations on troops painting for
beauty and booty could its exploits
prove fruitless Did it not have mas
/ sive array of naval talent and Numbers, in
charge of all the martial and maritime sp-
plisnces known to invention what on
earth could Withstand it2 With such a
'set out" SIS brought the famous armada Of
Philip of Spain into contempt by compar-
ison, what possible 'set off" was, in the
least, likely to damage the prospect OF
spoil the project? Surely no prowess
was in the.''vanquished" South that could
arrest the progress Of such q mighty en-
deavor Butler would come and sec and
settle that question forever. And he came,
and ssw, and went back again, crest-tallen
and glory cropped. Butler and his COM
rades had, in little, profted by the exper-
| fences Of Richmond, Charleston and many
other spots where Confederate valor and
genius, blessed by Providence. has stood
against their mightiest might, irreducible
and invin-ible.
But the Sentinel, after this fearful II e.
toric, confessess that "s1 the efforts for ou1
subjugstion were not and are not now pro.
portionaJly as great or alarming as aOa,
this attempt to capture Wilmington" Aftel
this defeat we may imagine what sud
den shifting of feeling there will be about
the headquarters of Davis. Verify tht
days of evil to Davis are gathering thick
and fast. Sherman is already under mo-
ton through South Carolinsi moving to
wards Riehmondto complete the destruc
ton of the rebel crew yet sheltering tht
traitor Davis.
In view Of this signal victory, we can
not butssy "GlOry to God in the Highest,
and all the people will say amen.