Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1865-01-06
oArruRE or FoRr Y ALLIsEER.

feature of our troops
CAPTURE OF FORT NJ ALLIsTER.
DEcEHBER 1s.-At Fort McAllister. To-day / |
have been spectator Of one ofthose glorious sights
where the actors passing through the most fearful
ordeal of FIRE which befalls the soldier, come ont
successful, and are always after heroes.
The Second Division Of the Fifteenth Corps have
marched to-day fifteen miles; and, without the as
sstance of artillery, have crossed an open space Of
ex hundred yards under fierce fire of twenty one
heavy guns, crawling througha thick abas, crossed
ditch of great depth, at whose bottom driven
thick palisades, torn them away, surmounted the
crest and palisades shot and bayoneted the gunners
who refused to surrender, at their posts and plant
ed the Stars and Stripes upon the work in triumph.
The assault was made with single line, which ap-
preached the fort from all sides but that of the river
at the same instant, never for an instant wavering
no man lurking shelter, but facing the hre mantul
ly.
The explosion of torpedoes at this point did not
deter them General Sherman's old Division and
Corps had been told that he had said, 'carry the
place by assault tonight if possble; they resolved
to fulfill their old commanders wish, aud they did
it. Perhaps in the history of this there has
not been more striking example ofthe evidence OF
quick determined action. Had we waited, put up
intrenchments, sheed the place and made the usual
approaches, we should have lost many more lives,
and time that was invaluable. AS it is, entire
loss is not more than ninety men killed and wound
ed, and we have gained necessity, base OF sup
glorious example, and this esprit du corps has been
raised to the grandest height
In FIVE minutes the rally had been sounded hy the
bugles. One yolley of musketry was heard, and the
next moment the three brigade flags of Hazen' S Di-
vision placed almost simultaneously on the psr-
apets of Fort McAllister and our men swarmed into
the work and shot down the Rebels at their gun s.
The fort was in twenty minutes after Gen eral
Shermans order to take it was given. Gen. ,ral
Sherman then sent word that he would be dc Hn
t0 lOOk ont for boat he fup
Immediately steamed down to Ossabaw Sound, to
find General Foster or Admiral Dahleren but til ey
not being there dispatches were sent to them at
Warsaw, announcing General Sherman's intended
VISIT and the ting returned its old position While
approaching the fort again small boat was seen
coming down. 1t was halted with
Nv hat boat is that ~ and the welcome response
came back
''6herman.n
Il soon came olougside, and out of the little dug
out, padded by two men, stepped General Sherman
and General Howard, and stood on the deck of the
Dandellon. The great leader was received with
cheer after cheer, and with every manifestation of
delight and satisfaction by ALL He was In splendid
spirits, and expressed his qualification at reaching
his base. He remained on board until about two
O'Clock in the morning. While on the boat he
wrote his dispatches to General Grant General Hal
leeli General Foster and Admiral Dahlgren. On
the following day he came on board the Nemaha,
aad was received by General Foster. The Nemaha
then proceeded to Warsaw Sound, when Admiral
Dahlgren, accompanied by his staff, came on board
and spent some time in conversation with th Gen
era
OPENING OF THE oGEEcHHB RIVER.
On Thursday last General Foster ACCOMPANIED bv Mai
Strong and Maj Gray of his Staff and Lieut. Fisher Of
the Signal Corps proceeded the Aemaha to the Oes
chee to open the river to Shermans base of supplies
passed the distractions below Fort McAlster and nro
eeeded distance up the river when darkness and the
dense fog which arises nightly the rice marshes
made it impossible to venture further the channel being
unknown and exceedingly toruous As soon as .be foo
was disspaed on the following morning, Gen. Foster or
dered the steamer to 20 on.
The river through immense fields of rice thousands
of acres in extent either side here and there we
passed large steam rice mills surrounded by negro huts
On the banks, in front of their quarters were assembled
groups of negroes of both and of all ages and
VINO watched our Passage with wonder not unminged
with JOY which they manifested by tossing up their hats
waving bandanna handkerchief making low courtesies
and dancing plantation jgs to the great amusement Of
all.
BHEKMAN's run R4cR MILLS
Some Of the rice mills observed to be running at
high rate and afterwards ascerained that General
Shermans soldiers in possession and were
in grinding rice and laying in nice supply of that pop
ular edible.
After twenty-five miles of exceedingly tortuous naviga-
on in which it seemed scarcely advanced an inch TO-
wards our destination, we finally reached the railroad
bridge OF the Savannah and Gulf Railroad crossing the
0geeehee and found partially destroyed by fire by our
days before. The draw MAS burned and the
passage way blocked with debris General Foster or
dered the steamer Island CITY, Captain Ketcbum which
had board Colonel Markand with nearly three hun
dred bags Of mail matter for Sherman to hitch haBser
On the piles and debris and draw them out After an
hour and aha Of hard work, superntended by Captain
Kechum, who displayed extraordinary degree Of
ergy and TACT taking hold with his own hands and work
made passable
The Island City went through at once followed by
the Nemaha, and without trouble reached the King
Bridge the State road. This bridge had been burned
by the Rebels the approach of forces but had beer
rebuilt by Capt Reese Chief Engineer Of HoWards wing
in day and a-half The bridge is about six hundred
yards in length, and strongly constructed The nginee
force of Sherman is an efficient one as this wonderful
performance shows AtKings Bridge the engineers were
constructing docks and supplies already being
there The line of communication is an easy and saf
one and until Savannah is taken win be exclusively uset
to supply Sherman's army.
large quantity Of the supplies Sherman needed ar
now in the river passing up his base and his army
not likely to be troubled for the lack of anything
ry to make his campaign a success.
General slocum captured on the Savannah river aboy
Argyle Island, two Rebel steamers one of which wa
burned and the other employed in ferrynR troops ant
supplies to Argyle Island an island about three mile
above the city and to King Island, small island som
On Friday LAST couple of Rebel gunboat ascen ded tn
river from the city, and attempted to annoy our forces b.
avigorous sheng. They did not occasion any damage
and only elected number of shots from our twenty
FOUNDER PARROTS the city which easily reached b.
our prosctle Finding that the city was suffering from
our hre the Rebel gunboats dessed from their annoy
anee and withdrew to the defences of their batteries
sLoouM's POSITION SECURE.
Since then General Socums forces have made their DO
stion secure, and win proceed put heavy guns
battery that will destroy the Rebel gunboats and max
the city an undesirable place of residence if General She
man Is compelled to lay siege TO and carry by assault
HARDEE's oPERATIoNs~
To thwart any operations on our part 10 stil furthe
extend our left beyond the Savannah river and seze tn
Union causewsy the only left open to the Rebel
to escape they shall conclude to adopt that last
Sort General Hardee has over pretty strong fore
to hold the position and prevent from falling into on
hands Whether General Sherman proposes to take tina
loe or not am net in position to say 1t is not improb
able that other points may be found to cu that line
meanwhile Hardee by extending his lines has weakene
his front around the city proper. His force is varous
estimated at from fifteen to twenty Thousand men, 0
whom only FIVE thousand old soldiers the balance be
ing Georgia militia consisting of old and boys Gen
Sherman his works and carry them by storn
at any time, if he did not feel confident of having tn
town without the great eusion of blood that an assaI
would necessarily produce. He desires to save his mel
in every way, and he viii do by not being in hurry