The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1865-01-02

Pokemsnt to-day present picture of the
characterization Of. Ave thousand colored
troops ltum the transports 81 General
Buffers expedition. Their taking up .
strong position and holding It against :
vigorous attack Of Braggs troops, their
assuming then the Offensive and carry
Ing, ct tho point of the bayouet, an
earthwork in front of Fort Fisher, and
from this advantage their dashing ct Fort
Fisher ITSELF which they entered, and
whose fag they hauled down, arc worthy
Of the highest commendation but the
handful Of heroes being inexplicably
small in numbers, could not hold their
victory. The expelled garrison, being
largely reinforced, returned and retook
the fort and drove out our black troops
with heavy loss.
The remnants Of them were re-em-
,barked, but the feet remained at an
Choir, and the men-of.war opened their
FIRE again upon the fort and the rebel
troops.
It was known in the feet that Lee had
sent two divisions of his best troops to
Bragg. It was also known that Hardee
was hurrying up from Savannah under
orders to save Wilmington.
The Tribune has the following edi-
torial comment on this disaster to But
ler's expedition:
Dispatches from Wilmington are con-
Trajectory and incomplete. New York
was little startled yesterday afternoon
BY report from the agent Of the Asso-
ciated Press that the attack on Whining
ton had been abandoned, and that both
naval and military forces had arrived
near Fortress Monroe. Two hours later
this statement was cautiously contra
dicted, and the Washington telegrapher
declares that his first report. would seem
to be mistake. Instead Of the whole
feet q single vessel, and that . dispatch
boat, had returned to Fortress Monroe.
But If this later telegram, which ap-
pears in our columns this morning, be
closely scanned, the pruning Of the CEN
sor's knife will be discovered. We
quote, marking the hiatus: "A detach-
ment of troops landed on Sunday after
noon. The skirmishers pushed up gal
lantly to the fort under cover of our fire.
Some of the more daring actually entered
the works and brought off the Tag
The bombardment Of the feet continued
ON Monday" And We presume our sps-
cial dispatch from Washington does, in
substance, correctly I'll that yawning
gap. The force under General Butler,
which landed on tho Fort Fisher penin-
sula, was notoriously inadequate to con.
sA--itzuaAAHEzA.~aa~.-1a &..~A Serooo SanSSot
Braer. There were ct Wilmington not
merely the usual garrison, but the two
divisions which Lee sent down when the
sailing of porter's feet was known
These troops had time to arrive long be-
fore the feet, which had buffeted the At
.lantic storms for . week, and which has
concentrated 1T last with weakened
numbers and strength. Reckoning,
therefore, all the reinforcements which
Bragg had been able to gather, it is safe
to say he considerably outnumbered the
expeditionafy corps Of General Butler,
and we are entitled, if not compelled, to
infer that when the first assault on Fort
Fisher had failed, it was not found pos
sible to maintain the hold on the land
which had been gained by the landing Of
our troops.
General Buffers troops did all that
such force could have done. They es-
,tablished themselves on the peninsula
in itself triumph-resisted an imme-
date attack by the forces sent down
from Wilmington to fall upon their rear !;
then moved against the fort, carried an
outlying earthwork, pressed forward
against the main work, surmounted its
parapet, hauled down its flag, and then
alas, then, outnumbered by the rein
forced garrison, themselves, attacked by
superior numbers, were compelled to re-
linquish all they had won and to seek
again the cover Of the ships. That their
losses have been heavy is implied in the
statement that the remnants" of them
re-embarked-probab under protection
Of the fire of the feet. It is plain there
was heroism enough on the part of the
troops skin enough on the part of their
commander; but the old, old story of
insufficient numbers is once more re:
hearsed. Wilmington and its defences
were known to be garrisoned strongly;
known to be capable Of quick reinforce.
msnt from Richmond; proclaimed on
the highest official naval authority to be
against naval force sim
ply; and yet the land force sent to CO.
operate with the feet seems to have been
wholly incommensurate with the magni-
tude Of the enterprise.
There can be no doubt that tho par
tieulars furnished by ourspecial cores
pendent ore, in the main, correct. The
re-smbarkation, moreover. VI. interpret
~ equivalent to the abandonment of tho |
enterprise for the present, since our
forces would have held their ground on |
the peninsula had they been able to, or |
Nd they seen any prospect Of operating
efhsiently against the fort. They surely
womb not have gone on board ship for |
TIE So Of hazarding the psrils Of an
other landing on the Same shore. i
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