The new South. (Port Royal, S.C.) 1862-1867, December 05, 1863, Image 2
J
THE IEF SOUTH.
JOS. H. SEARS, Editor and Proprietor.
* PORT ROYAL, SATURDAY, DEC. 5, 1SG3.
Tiie New* South can be obtained of the following
persons:
J. C. Alexander, P. M., Beaufort
J. W. Allen, P. M., St Augustine, Fla.
W. C. Morrill, P. M.
L. It Brooks, 39th 111. Vols.
E. D. Doolittle, Vol. Engineers.
Wai. Mason, 52d Ta. Vols.
Sergt C. S. Gat, Co. M. 1st Mass. Cavalry.
Regiments will please send in their orders the
early part of the week.
Siege Operations Before Charleston.
The people at the North possess a sanguine
temperament, and indulge in hopes relative to
the suppression of this Rebellion that are very
creditable to their natures if not to their military
judgment. They have always anticipated too
much ; always looked for success too early, and
always demanded more than is reasonable from
the commanders of our different military departments.
Every body, (Mrs. Grundy included)
expected a very pleasant campaign when McClel
lax started for the peninsula ; everybody, (John
Smith besides) counted each new commander of
the Army of the Potomac as " the coming man
and all the world, (including the Tongo islands)
believed that Vicksbnrg would fall as soon as
Graxt began his first parallel. In brief our military
operations were to be of "the high-pressure
order "?we had only to map out campaigns?
start formidable expeditions?make a few tactical
manoeuvres and the Rebs would skedaddle?th?
Rebellion
" riclt Into thin air.
And like the baseless fabric of a vision
Leave not a rack behind."
We know at this late day exactly* how tho Peninsula
campaign terminated ; we know how mul
titudinous?stretching out almost " to the crack
of doom "?have been the commanders of that
gallant but ill-fated Army of the Potomac ; we
know also how long a period it required to cap?
ture tha Confederate stronghold in the South
West And our friends in the North have yet to
learn that all military operations require Adequate
time for their accomplishment.
The plans of Gen\ Gtt.t.more are now patent to
every intelligent military observer. It was first
to effect a lodgement on the South East side of
Morris Islahd, where the enemy was already pos
- * * ? * j -l-./ Lie. : n .1
ted and wmcn ne was strongly luruiyiug. oecuuu,
1 to besiege and rednce Fort Wagner, by which all
the works on Cnmmings Point would necessarily
and inevitably falL Third, to reduce Fort Sum-"
ter, (from the positions gained,) so that the ironclad
fleet could remove the obstructions in the
channel, then go up the harbor and capture or
destroy rebellious Charleston. This was the plan
of attack?Mis was what Gex. Gillmoee promised
?this was all that the Government asked or ex
pected from our small but heroic besieging army.
Have not the objects of Gen. Gillmoke been
successfully and fully accomplished ? Has not
our gallant army?a mere subsidiary force?done
I its woffc and (lone it well? \ \
We do not profess to'be military writers ' or
military critics ; we do not "speak by authority "
on this matter; nor do we intend to review the
brilliant operations on Morris Island ; the glori-!
ons victory of Jnly 10th, when we obtained a foot- j
hold on the extremity of that desolate drift of the i
ooean ; of the day-dawn attack of the 11 th, (to !
carry Wagner,) lead by tiie lamented and chival- '
reus Gex. Strong : nor of the terrible and sail
guiaary storming assault of the 18th, in which j
we were repulsed with severe loss, but which added
new fame and imperishable glory to our arms.
Then followed the siege of Wagner : the laborious
!
work in trench and parallel; the masterly engi
ueeriug art; the fifty odd days of bombarding the !
enemy's works, and his tinal expulsion on the Oth
of September : followed up by three months' continuous
pounding of Sumter, with rifled P;irrotts
and sea-coast mortars, and ending in the demo- i
lition of that famous citadel of Rebellion.
1
When the iron-coated fleet of Admiral Datil- ;
grex?in which are the proudest and noblest j
hearts in the American navy?d<?es a duty now
incumbent upon it, and which the people of the ;
North have a right to expect and which the Gov- j
ernmont ought to demand, then will be ample time
to criticise the merits or demerits of the besieging
!??<! nfivnl forces "before Charleston." The
obstructions in the channel are now understood,
and no matter how real or imaginary they may be.
it certainly is no duty of the army to remove J
them?the army has already done Us duty ; Gen. i
Gillmoee has accomplished all that he promised, j
and when the history of this besieging army is j
written, the world will be astonished at tho Her-'
culeaa labor performed by our troops, as well as ;
the masterly genius that surmounted all obstacles
and achieved success when ordinary abilities !
would have met with inevitable failure.
All itioht.?Our excellent Provost Marshal j
General, Lieut.-Col. IIall, has the art of haul-ing j
every good thing into his possession; even from
tho sea, the air, and the earth, and may be from
the bowels of the great globe itself. Consequently
he has recently detailed Lieut. Alexander F.
Newman, of the Engineer Corps, as Assistant'
Provost Marshal, and a more judicious appointment
has never been made in this Department.
Lieut. Newman is aji accomplished gentleman
and an efficient officer; in brief, "a proper man
as one shall see in a summer's day." Headquarters
on Folly Island, is now "all right"
Bmo.-Gen. T. W. Sheeman.?'The first commander
of the "Department of the South," is at '
his home in Newport, It. I. His leg has so far
healed that he will soon be able to wear the artificial
one now being made for him in New York.
He was at the Metropolitan Hotel when the Arago
left, and our Mr. S. prevailed on him to set
to Brady for his Photograph?the first one he has
had taken for many years.
We hope to have copi-s of it for sale by the
next steamer. We are making4an effort to get
some pictures of every G neral who lias ever been
connected with the Department.
The Steamer Boston belonging to this department^
on the dry dock at Jersey City undergoing
quite extensive repairs. Several of her plank near
the keel were completely honey-combed by worms,
and it is a wonder "She ever lived to get North.
Jler timber, however, arc perfectly sound. She
has a frame stronger than many of tho ocean
steamers. It will take a ruon'h to complete rc?
pairs on her.
"Wo have in our office a piece taken from her :
keel, showing the havoc made by those rascally !
little timber eaters.
?Our press gave out Monday, and we were
fearful we should be compelled to suspend the
publication for a week or so. Mr. McGregor
Chief of the machinery department: and an
artist in mechanical matters, came to our aid
promptly, and put it in order, much to our gratification,
for which he has our cordial thanks.
"Peculiar" by Epos Sargent?Broken Columns,
The Rejected Wife have been received
and for sale at our store. Anthony & Co., of
New York, are printing for U3 photographs of
Du Pont, Sherman, Seymour. Tep.sy, Ha lpinf,
and other notables.
%
Transportation to and rr.oM the Department
of the South.?We have been permitted by
Major S. Van Vliet, Chief Quartermaster, X. Y.,
to copy for publication the following note :
Washington, D. C., )
October 2(itli, 1803. )
Major S? Vita VUct, CUUf Quartermaster, JY?r Yuri:
I told you (see my telegram r. few days since in
answer to an inquiry from you,) that Gen. Gillmure
Lad the same authority to grant passes to
persons to come into the Department of the South,
that Gen. Saxton had. No passes however, covering
transportation are valid without the special
approval in each case of the Secretary of War.
The rule of the Department is, not to t msich r
applications for passes to go to the Department
of the South or North Carolina, on the government
transports, unless previously approved l>y
the depot commanders.
Exceptions must be in extreme cases and very
rare.
Jas. A. Hardie,
Ass't Adj't. Gen.
The Quartermaster also informed us that all
persons in government employ, other than soldiers
returning to the Department of the South,
Iaai'a oK_or?oo tivmlrl Ian o rrr/>rl CsOfl fill
(liivi 1UU)V vx uv/ovuci) fivuiu vv v-v^vu
for transportation. All citizens going on government
transports would be charged the same
amount unless otherwise stated on their pass from
the Secretary of War. S.
The following circumstances occurred in this
neighborhood sometime ago, and there are probably
many hero who recollect it, although the
principal has since retired to the shades of private
life.
At a certain post in this department, garrisoned
at the time by a regiment from the Empire State,
who have since made themsclvs famous by gallant
deeds, a soldier was taken ill, and unfortunately
died; the commanding officer anxious to impress .
on his companions in arms the exemplary charac- * #
? * .1 ??
ler OI lilL'ir UUUlitlUU, iwucu au uuiu^isuv.' uiuv*i|
which was read before the regiment at their evening
parade. After recounting his varioas merits,
it closed with the'following sentence,
" The God of Battles trill give him a soldier's
rest,"
" By order of
Lt. Col. N. Y. Y..
Commanding Post."
It is to be hoped that the order was obeyed and,
aW. the deceased soldier secured the desired rest.
[FOR THE XT.W SOUTH.]
FORT PULASKI.
Al! quiet, safe and right. Hope stands cheerfully
seeking to see the right wing of the Department
" go in" to Charleston, which will be done
in diue time. Meanwhile the chivalry are having
a sweat. Query ? I3 not the Confederacy in llio
condition of old Prometheus,?fast bound by tho
Fates while the vulture of slavery is eating out its
vitals ?
On the evening of the first instant our sentinclj
discovered about ten o'clock, a number of strange
lights on the islands of the north bank of the river.
Snrvn iVir rnnboat Man Flciccr fwe surmosel sent
N,ww? "?" O %J ? > X h. /
up a rocket from her beat in Skull Creek. Ai
once our boys had orders and opened our columbiads
in the north water battery. Having flew the
compliments over the river and pronounced their
challenge in emphatic terms to the night-walking
or night skulking traitors, now quickly such
- - ' ?? * - -1 il - fTL. ti. !__??
"taps exungmsneu tne ugms: me -reus
choose darkness rather than light, because their
deeds were evil. "Whether any 4 4 contraband" keel
44 leaped at stars and fastened In the mud," as yet ?
deponent saith not Let the chivalry send down
their cotton.
*ju. xu x. xx. xmxi.i.f.r.i*
Dec. 2, 1863.
^ O ?
?"W'e are under many obligations to Purser
McManus of the Fullon, for full files of late New
York papers.