The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1865-01-10

Corr, sQondence Of The Richmond Dispa:ch.1
WI1hlNGToN, NORTH CAEoL!NA, !
JANUARY =, 1865.

Scouts report that the land and naval
! forces recently operating against this
! place, under the command of Butler and
| iOrter, were at Mo!enead City and Beau
/ fort on Saturday and Sunday last, wait
ing for orders from Washington. The
! land force va estimated AZ twenty thou
sand rcn and ,ne Ilo;i!la at one hundred
and twenty, three sal, including ten
iron-clad;. Ino enemy freely admitted
that they were badly beaten at Fort
| Fisher, an.l SAY thcy have not seen or
healt anything of Butter since thc fight.
It waS supposed, however, that he mad
returned 70 the Army Of the Potomac
1t was not known at Beaufort, even by
tnc highest officers, whether the eXpedi-
ton would return to Fortress Monroe, or
renew the attack upon Fort Fisher, or
make descent upon some other point
on the coast 1t is hardly probable that
another attempt will be made against
the dcfences Of this harbor, at least for
some time to come. Even if fresh ope-
rations be decided upon, it will require
TING to retit and patch up and get ready
the necessary supplies Of food and am
| ulullltlOI.
We know not to what extent The YES
sells of the armada were damaged; but
it is not believed here that many of them
were so much disabled that they cannot
be repaired for future use. They fired
at long range, as learn from Colonel
Lamb-the monitors about eighteen hun-
dred yards and the wooden hulls about
two miles Two Brooke guns, upon
which much reliance was placed, burst
after few discharges; and the Arm
strong gun, magnificent piece, occupied
a position on the sea face where it could
not be brought to bear upon the enemy
except at long intervals. 1t was fired
three timcs-on the first day, ] believe
at three wooden vessels and at each dis
charge vessel was seen to withdraw
from the conflict. Colonel Lamb was
ordered not. to waste his ammunition, in
the hope that the fleet would come to
close quarters, if it did not attempt to
pass the fort; and hence, during the
two days the battle was waged, only
twelve hundred and sixty-two shots
were fired by the fort.
do not know that it has been stated
in any Of my former letters that Fort
Fisher, or rather the defenccs Of the New
inlet or eastern entrance to the harbor
Of Wilmington, consists of two lines of
detached batteries nearly at right angles
to each other, bearing the one on the bar
and channels, and the other on the land
approach-the latter formidable cur
tain, extending from the sea beach across
to the river. Nowhere except at one or
two places are there two guns together,
but each gun is separated from its neigh
Dor by traverse both on the right and
the left. The trayerses are sixty feet long,
fifty feet wide at the base, and about
thirty feet high. Vhe number and size
Of the travcrses furnish the key to the
very small loss sustained by the garrison
and the small number Of guns dismounted
by the enenys fire. Indeed, the pro-
lection afforded by the traverses against
an entilading fire from the sea is perfect,
as was shown on both days Of the battle.
There are other. features CT tie fort
/ should be glad 70 mention, if it were pru-
dent, which add greatly 70 the safety and
efficiency Of the garrison.
The fort nas been erected since the
beginning OF the War principally rnde,
the direction Of Ma jorU General Whiting,
one oi the best engineers III the Coniede
rate army perhaps in any army. 1t Is
built entirely Of sand; the superiority
OF which over dirt, brick and stone, rs f
material in the construction OF forts, is
now generally conceded by experienced
engineers, al least IN the Confederate
army. 4 cannon ball OF bolt, fired into
bank of earth - soil, wiA cut q clean,
well-detined hole, as through cake o
cheese; whereas sand presents greater
resistance and closes up behind the shot
in other words, it stops up It's own cracks
r The greater resistance opposed by sanc
/ arises from the fact that it IS composed
Of an infinite number OF small wedges OF
angular particles, which are forced toge-
{ tlnr by compression--wedged ir, as i
4 were-so that the greater the pressure
l. the greater is the resistance. The mor'
S shot, therefore, there are fired into
work constructed Of sand, the tirme
, and stronger it becomes. And hence, TOO
y the profile Of Fort Fisher, notwithstand
& ing the terrible fire to which 1t was ex
G posed, and the large number Of enormou
g missiles fired into it, remains periectl.
intact.
t. doubt whether the importance OF tn
re victory on the gath and 25th OF Decem
g ber is fully appreciated either in k'en
mond or by the country. | am certai
. that the conduct of Colonel Lamb, Dol
'e before and during tho battle, cannot Q
'r too highly commended, A native Of No