Year: 1861

Interesting from Charleston.


The Charleston Correspondent of the New
York Tribune writes under date of the 8th,
that the South Carolinians had not finished
their great floating battery.


For upward of a month past the Rebels
have been permitted to transport their guns,
ammunition, and nearly everything neces-
sary TO render complete their batteries in
the harbor, right under the hose of Major
Anderson and his garrison. He could at
any moment have stopped them by sinking
the transports, but they have been suffered
to perfect the means by which, if they sue
ceed, Fort Sumter and its devoted garrison
are to be sacrificed to q man. The Rebels
assume, therefore, that they will be permit
ted to clap the climax by mooring their bat
teries under the walls of the Fort, Mt their
convenience, unmOlested.


The writer continues:


have the best of reasons for asserting
that Major Andersons forbearance will
have ceased when they undertake to do so,
and that they will not be permitted to move
any batteries whatever within the range of
Fort Sumter without encountering what
ever protest may be conveyed from the
mouths of heavy guns.


Major Anderson will be caught mapping
neither as to the precise character of the
battery itself, or as to the intentions of the
rebels in regard to it. On this point speak
with considerable positiveness. The guns
on the walls of Fort Sumter sweeping the
horizon (of which there are thirty, mostly
32-pounders), can be elevated so as to strike
objects at the distance of quarter of a mile
The battery, if moved nearer the Fort than
a quarter of d mile, would therefore be out
of the way of these guns.


But the lower tier Of guns are within six
feet Of the water, and may be brought to
bear on objects at any distance not exceed
in four miles, rising six feet out Of the water
The Floating Battery will present a surface
of about twelve by ninety-tive feet above
the water and would, therefore be a fine
target for Sumter's heaviest guns throwing
l20 pound shot. | have competent author
ity for saying, that no battery the rebels
are likely to build, can Withstand these
shots, whether encountered while the NOV
ing is being undertaken, or after that has
been done at their leisure. informed, as
Major Anderson unquestionably is, of the
character and capacity of the famous Float
ing Battery, do not think that either he or
his corps of experienced officers under him,
are at all exercised concerning it. Either
the rebels are wrong IN estimating the Ca
pacity Of the thing for the objects for which
it is designed, or Major Anderson is wrong
in estimating the capacity of his guns to
knock it into flinders in space of time
that will be regarded as a5tonishingly brief,
by the rebels.


The rebels no doubt expect to so conduct
the seige as to weary out Major AnderSon's
men. They make great calculations on
this, and persuade themselves that within
twenty-four hours after the seige shall have
been commenced, the walls will be preached,
and the garrison quite at their mercy |
will not undertake to say how long the gar
rison will be able to Withstand the sege
and keep up the fire on the besiegers, but
predict that the catastrophe, if it comes at
all, will not be within twenty-four hours
| am rather prepared to think that Cum
ming's Point Battery may finally effect a
breach in Sumter's walls, if Sumter's guns
do not first destroy Cummings Point Bat
terry. The fight, if there is one, will have
two sides to it. While Cummings Point
Battery is the one that will annoy Fort
Sumter most, at the same time it is the one
to which Fort Semter will pay its earliest,
warmest, and continued compliments. 1t is
no further from Fort Sumter than Fort
Sumter is from it and from what l know
of what pertains to- the matter, I think it
at least as much a question whether Sumter
will not completely knock up Cummings
Point Battery as that the walls of the fort
viii be knocked by it. 1t may, after all,
turn on the point of human endurance


As to Fort MOultrie, Major Anderson will
probably waste no unnecessary shot or time
on her. He may make a single meal of
her. or leave her for lunches at odd spells.
He knows just what he can do with her,
and how to do it. \ terrific battery of
four 42-pounders, five IO-inch Golumbiads,
and seven 32-pounders bears directly on
her The same is the fact as to Cummings
Point Battery and Fort Johnson, which
latter is not much to be feared.


As to Castle Pinckney, I expect to see
her go down like an egg shell if it shall be
thought worth while to give her wipe or
two. You may rely upon it that Major An
derson will not expend the thought or some
of his men with unnecessary attentions to
those points that cannot materially annoy
him. Cummings Point will be the chief one
of interest.


AS to whether Maj. Anderson will under
take to shell the city or make any demon
stration on Charleston, there is considerable
speculation and some uneasiness. | am
satisfied that he will not, unless it becomes
necessary to touch the enemy in that par.
ticular spot. That he can 10 it, | am Ger
tain, but do not think he will