Saturday, August 21, 2010

From Port Royal

New York, Feb. 13.

The Baltic arrived brings 700 bales of cotton and crews of the stone fleet. – Eight rebel prisoners were also brought and placed in Ft. Lafayette, who were taken in a boat.

The weather was getting disagreeably warm and heavy rains falling. Contrabands were still picking cotton, and their number fast increasing. Gen. Sherman has succeeded in excluding all reporters from his lines.

Several regiments have been removed from Hilton Head to the fort on Daufuskie Island, the nearest point to Fort Pulaski that can be occupied except Tybee. Several gun boats, a schooner and a number of flats with Parrott guns, howitzers and mortars, accompanied the expedition. Tatnall’s gun boats soon after made their appearance, and three ran the gauntlet to Ft. Pulaski. Stevens’ brigade was prevented from forming a junction on account of obstructions in the river.

Fort Pulaski is said to be in as bad a fix as Sumter was.

Our engineers are driving piles to a marshy island, for a road and a foundation for batteries. This island lies between the Union forces and Fort Jackson.

Our forces make advances every day. Our gun boats had shelled out a post on Pine Island, and made an advance toward Bluffton, where is a large force. Fort Jackson is to be taken, and Savannah will soon be captured.

Another account says, the expedition left Monday, including all the gun boats and transports sufficient for the shipment of 12,000 troops which will go through Calabogue sound into Savannah river, without coming within range of Fort Pulaski’s guns.

The rebels have withdrawn a large number of troops form Charleston and Port Royal to Savannah. 12,000 troops were to leave soon to take the railroad, and thence to Charleston. Three regiments of cavalry join them; also several artillery regiments. Weather healthful – troops enthusiastic.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Friday Morning, February 14, 1862, p. 1

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