From the Seacoast.
（our own Correspondent.）things in Savannah--General Lee and his Works — the defences of Savannah--Yankee batteries — Tatnall's fleet — re-enlistment — patriotic Irishmen, &c.
Savannah, Ga., Feb. 16, 1862.
I avail myself of the quiet of the Sabbath afternoon, to write you an account of our present position and prospects, and the actions of the past week.
I had delayed writing, hoping to have some very valuable information to convey to your readers, and also as general expectation prevailed that the long looked for movement of the Yankees would be made on Friday last, when the Almanac declared that the highest tides would occur.
I have seen Friday pass without aught of special interest; and though the Federal marauders are still near our river, they have done little to harass us, and the advance appears as far from taking place as one month ago.
I can give to you, however, this assurance, in the language of the immortal bard of Avon, ‘"Out of this nettle, danger, we have plucked the flower safety"’ I would not express too much confidence, nor do I wish to underrate the great work that has been done by General Lee, in rendering the defences of the river worthy of the great cause, and the anxiety which our foes manifest for the capture of the city, but I wish to make plain that from the threatened attack of three weeks ago, greater attention has been drawn to the river, and I can assure you that we can hold our own, and bring to bear upon the enemy as many guns as it is in reason possible for him to introduce into the river by gunboats. Thanks to the energy and capacity of Gen. Lee, this work has been pushed ahead vigorously since he assumed the command.
Gen Lawton has been relieved of the defence of this post, and has been ordered to establish his head quarters at Skidaway, where he now is.
No fair estimate can be made of the difficulty of erecting batteries on this river without a full knowledge of the nature of the neighboring banks and soil. Skirted as it is for miles on either hand by low banks and by marshes generally, the erection of a battery capable of sustaining the weight of metal necessary for its armament, becomes a work of no ordinary labor and energy, and but few men could have been found who could carry out the undertaking so well as the laborious and energetic Mr. Chivers, who has it in hand. Several have been completed and guns mounted, and when the enemy does come he will find such hot work ready for him as I hope will cause him to abandon the attempt. They now have access to the river, not only with their light barges and flats, which they have built and armed, but with their lighter gunboats; so constantly do they prowl about the river at night that the telegraphic communication with Fort Pulaski has been cut off repeatedly, and though as often repaired, is now finally interrupted. The attempt was made to repair again on Thursday, but the boat being seen was pursued and fired upon by a boat's crew, who had to give up the chase. Again, the Ida, a small steamer plying between the city and the fort, was kept down on Friday; on her return she found the Yankee barges awaiting her, and perforce she had to wait, arriving here to-day by a circuitous route, known to the captain and pilot. She was fired upon, but all the shots fell short. She reports the Yankees as having erected a battery at Venus Point, and as having changed the guns since Friday from lighter pieces to columbiads — Indeed, Commodore Tatnall's flagship came near being captured yesterday. Going down, unaware of the existence of a battery, she was fired upon, and the shells burst about her in every direction. He has since remarked that, had they with held their fire till he had approached nearer, they would have captured his vessel and all aboard.
It is unfortunate that we are powerless to remedy this state of things; at least, I believe no effort has been made to prevent their coming into our river, save the trifling blockade and obstruction of Wall's cut, long since removed.
It is not impossible to prevent their entrance, notwithstanding our authorities seem to think so and act upon that idea. One good floating battery rendered bomb-proof, (not a difficult problem to solve,) covered with railroad iron, would effectually stop their predatory incursions in our waters, and confine them to Mud River and vicinity. You have remarked, time and again, in your valuable paper, the utter felly and uselessness of expending money and sacrificing the lives of gallant soldiers in defending sand batteries, which have been proved, by sad experience, incapable of withstanding the assault of a respectable gunboat; while engineering skill and perseverance might easily produce a bomb-proof protection to our men, and an impregnable defence against the enemy.
The batteries on Skidaway are every day expecting an attack. When it does come you will hear of as sudden a backing out as at Port Royal and other points. But the island is of little importance, and should have been abandoned are this, as has been done at Jekyl's and St. Simons's Islands, by order from the War Department at Richmond.
The impression is general here, that re-enlistments will be quite numerous. The Irish Jasper Greens have already re-enlisted, after only a few days' return from a long period of duty at Fort Pulaski.
In Charleston an Irish battalion is being raised, and at Columbus another has been started — that in Charleston, with a fair prospect of success, numbers several companies. The Celtic portion of our citizens is among the best stuff wherewith to make soldiers. With an ever-ready and generous forgetfulness of self in the hour of danger: with strong and robust frames, made to battle with the hard edges of rough adversity, and with a truly inherent love of their glorious island, where they are formed into battalions peculiar in its organization to them, they will become the strongest bulwarks of a good cause. I trust the good effort made in the South will extend itself, and find supporters everywhere.
I heard with great regret that your adventurous correspondent, ‘"Bohemian,"’ than whom I knew no more pleasant and accomplished writer and acquaintance, qualifies me to add, no more whole-souled and generous gentleman has fallen, along with so many others worthy a better fate, into the hands of the enemy. I will miss his letters in the Dispatch, which have always repaid the careful reading I gave them. I trust he will be able to induce a proper respect for non-combatants in the heart of Mr. Ambrose Burnside, and return once more to delight your readers.
The Fingall, which has abandoned the idea of running the blockade, was to-day taken down to Fort Jackson, made a store-ship and the quarters of the gallant Commodore.--The crew left yesterday for Norfolk, on their way, via Fortress Monroe, to England.
Can you inform us what especially good news lies perdu in Richmond that the Examiner declared a few days since would counterbalance our defeat at Fort Henry? We would like to know very much hereabouts, as it would tend to render the timid more courageous and the despondent more hopeful. It has been long enough concealed to produce all the good effects to be hoped from concealment.
The organization of the permanent Government of the Confederate States in Richmond will be attended with many good effects, one of which the people hope will be a knowledge of the actions of our representatives. It is necessary to the proper maintenance of Republican institutions, a fundamental principle indeed, that the people should know how to reward or ranks its public servants, and I trust will be ...
