The Surge of Gaeta.
--We take the following from a letter in the
Constitutional, dated on board the frigate
Garibaldi,
Mola di Gaeta, 28th January:
‘
I take advantage of a few moments on shore at Mola to send you some details respecting the siege.
On the 21st, about 10 o'clock, and experiment was made with the electric light from
General Cialdini's residence to throw a light upon
Gaeta, so as to enable the artillerymen to point the guns with precision.
On the 22d, at 8 A. M., white 4,000 men were working at the parallels, the fortress opened a terrible fire with 200 guns at once.
Our camp immediately replied to it, and the squadron at the same time received orders to manoeuvre.
At 9 A. M. the
Admiral gave the signal for departure, and ordered the commander of the
Garibaldi to lead the attack.
At 10 A. M., the
Garibaldi was in full way on the fortress.
At 11 she opened fire against the eastern batteries with a view to silence them, and at the same time to throw shells into the fortress.--In this she succeeded.
The other vessels of the squadron soon joined in the attack.
At 6 o'clock in the afternoon the
Admiral ordered the firing to cease, to give rest to the crews.--During the night all the vessels remained in front of
Gaeta; the gunboats alone continued the attack.
On the 23d the
Admiral, after expressing his thanks to the commander of the
Garibaldi, left for Mola, only leaving the
Garibaldi, a steam frigate and two gunboats to cruise before
Gaeta.
In the space of six hours our frigate sent in 971 projectiles.
Five shells from the fortress struck us, but did little damage.
The steam frigate
Constituzione had two men killed and three wounded. One of the gunboats suffered a similar loss.
The frigate
Maria Adelaide lost one of her band, and had three men wounded.
’
In the camp the explosion of a powder magazine caused the death of a captain and 22 men. The steamer
Etna, which Francis II.
brought with him when he left
Naples, was sunk in the port with 30 men on board, who all perished.
The attack caused considerable damage to the fortress.
It is suspected that great discouragement prevails in the garrison, as 132 men deserted during the night of the 23d.
