Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1865-02-01
From COMMODORE PORTER.
Recent Operations Of the Fleet.
NYasHINeIoS. Jan. c6


Recent Operations of the Fleet.
WAsHIseroS, Jan. 26
The Navy Department. 20 day received
the follow ing report FROM a dmiral Porter:
NORTH ATLANTIC SorApRoS
FLAG SIM MALVERN,
Of SInithvi.le, N. c., Jan 20.
In my last report informed you that
Fort Caswsll-had been blown up and cvac-
uated in consequence of the fall Of Fort
Fisher. l sent Lieut. Gushing around in
the Monticel O to. the western bar to ascer
tain what had taken sp'a ace, and to obtain
aid from the New York and Vicksburg
Lieut.. Gushing did not obtain the aid he
requested, for what reason, | have not
vet learned, but with his usual energy, he
pushed on and found Fort Caswe | had
been blown up, Bald Head Fort destroyed,
Fort Shaw also. and Fort Campbe |, to the
westward of Caswell abandoned
All these forts mounted 9-inch and
l0~inch guns, and Armstrong. $50 pound
ers
Lieut.. Gushing then-pushed into Smith
VI lie, after hosting the flag of the Union
over Caswell The next thing saw wa.
the flag waving over Smithyille, which the
reh-ls had left in great hurry after they
saw our boats approaching, leaving every
thing IN the beautiful aud heaey fort UNI
| injured, and two o-inch guns only were
spiked in the fort at Deep Water Point
In the meantime had succeeded in
getting one gunboat, the Tacony, over
the bar, and sent her up to Reeves Point,
| to disable the guns Mt that place, three
miles above Fort Fisher, on the west side
. of the river.
80. L. C,rl
| Fisher and its out works, all the formula
BILE chain of forts in thi. river, at It's en-
| trance, bui TO keep out everything, have
! fallen into our hands.
| The forts are g.rrisoned, for the present,
with sailors. .a
can scarcely give description Of
! these forts. They are certainly the most
! Formidable and the best built earthworks
| | ever saw, and do credit to the engineer
! who planned them
! Fort Caswell is Of the same shape n. it
! was before it fell into the hands Of the .eb-
! els, except that the rebels have covered its
/ walls with earth on the outside, and made
! them almost Imperyious to shot and shell,
! lt-ls IN many respects stronger than Fish
| CT and harder to take by assault, sti | it
/ could be taken, and the rebe knew three
/ or four gunboats outside would soon haze
| started them out | have had great diff
Guilty III getting the gunI o It's over the bar
| and the rips, and ony succeeded this
morning in getting the last one through
! The rebels left plenty OF good stores and
! provisions, and our men are now subsist-
! ing on them. | send you list Of the forts
that have fallen into cur hands since Fort
Fisher fell, with the number and eaibre
Of their guns. We have found here in
Z Z, J
arrow on it, and the name. Sir VIM Arm
strong" marked in full A. the British,
Government claim the exclusive right 70
use these guns, it would be interesting to
know how they came into forts held by
the Southern rebels. ] find that immense
Quantities OF provisions, stores and cloth
ing, have come through this port am
almost afraid 20 mention the amount, but
1t IS enough to supply over $4,000 men-
It IS 4 English. They have received
the last cargo, no more vi ever come this
way.
We picked up.a telegram from Gen Lee
to Ills subordinate here, saying that if
! Forts Fisher and Caswell were not held
he would have to evacuata Richmond lie
! Rays most truly, and should not be sur
priscd if he left It at any moment We
have a sufficient force to hold this place
against the whole Southern Confederacy
/ have $50 guns bearing on the narrow
striF of land where our troops are heavily
intrenched.
There are vessels in the river and out
side, and we only hope they Will attempt
to re-take It. The ten thousand men in
Fort Fisher, with the guns Of the squad
ron would hold this place long time We
found this q better place to catch blockade
runners than outside.
/ ! had the blockade runner lights lit last
night, and was oblicinc enough to answer
/ their signals but whether right or wrong
| we d0not know.
Two of them, the Stag and Charlotte
/ from Bermuda, loaded with arms blanke cts.
/ shoes, &c, come in and quiet anchored
near Malvern, and were taken possession
Of
The Stag was commanded By Richard
/ Il. Gayle, a Lieutenant IN the rebel navy.
/ \ number more are expected, and we will,
| hope, capture portion of them. | en-
trusted this duty to Lieut. Gushing, who
performed it with his usual good luck and
intel igence. These two are very fast YES
sells and valuable prizes. They threw a
portion Of their papers overheard, imme-
dat. y on finding they were trapped
The Charlotte brings five English pas
sen&erS, one OF them an English army off
Ger. They all came over, as they expressed
it, ION a lark, and were making them
selves quite Jolly in the cabin, over their
champagne, feliciting themselves on their
safe arrival The Sag received three
shots in her stern by our blockaders out
side.
Very respectfully,
Your ohedient servant,
DAVID D. PORTER,
Rear Admiral
! Hon fIiinnn II "a San-o.n-.. H.