The Yankee Blockaders off Charleston.
[Correspondence of the N. Y. Times.] U. S. Steamer Florida, off Charleston, S. C. March 26, 1862.
On the 18th inst., we captured a purist — the ship Emily st. Pierre, of Charleston, S. C. 101 days from Calculla, loaded with 2,176 bales of gunny-bags.
We think she has saltpetre under the gunny-bags.
We took her crew off, except her captain, steward and cook, and sent her to Philadelphia for adjudication.
There were five vessels in sight at her capture, which will participate in the prize money; The Florida, flag-ship, James Adger Flambean, Sumter, and ship Onward.
The vessel is worth about $35,000, and the cargo about $45 or $50 a bale.
It cost three guineas per bale at Calcutta.
She belongs to Charleston; has ‘"Charleston, S. C.," ’ and the arms of Charleston and Augusta, Ga., pitted on the glass of her cabin doors, but has an English manifest, which, of course, is only a blind.
We caught her running into Charleston.
This success has aroused us afresh, and we are on the alert constantly.
During the daytime everything is quiet and goes on as usual, but as soon as twilight begins to deepen our watchfulness begins.
Our vessel is ready to slip anchor and steam away at an instant's warning.
Not a light is to be seen on deck or in the gangways.
At the masthead, yardarms, catheads, gangways, and on the paddle-boxes, are stationed sentries, relieved every two hours, peering into the gloom, on the lookout for lights or dark objects.
Captain Goldsborough peace the deck, cigar in month, long after midnight.
Guns are cast loose forward, and the quarter gunners and primers stand ready to point and fire at any suspicious object which the darkness may reveal.
Every night we are called to quarters, whether anything is in sight or not.
On the night of the 22d ult., all was still on deck, as I have described, when suddenly, about half an hour after I had turned in, I heard the call to quarters, the anchor slipped, the chain splash as it fell into the water, and the bell strike four; ‘"go ahead fast."’
A light had been seen some distance ahead, but had disappeared at the moment we slipped anchor.
We crowded on steam and shaped our course in the direction indicated by the lookout.
In a few minutes the light was again reported from the masthead, and was soon seen distinctly from the paddle-boxes.
I looked for it in vain for a long time and strained my eyes in the dark until I saw half-a-dozen lights; but we soon came near enough for us to see the vessel itself, and we went after her with all the speed we could command — some seven or eight knots.
As we approached the object, though still three or four miles off, all hands were much excited, as we took her to be the Isabel trying to run in with a cargo of ammunition.
At length we got closer, and as we gained upon her our pivot gun was made to bear on the lights and fired, immediately followed by our forward battery.
As the smoke cleared away the lights became dimmer.
Shot after shot were fired, still keeping up the chase.
Blue lights shone from the chase.
‘"Never mind that, keep on firing, if she is all right she ought to heave to; fire on until we see that we are gaining on her"’ The order was obeyed, and soon we found ourselves gaining, and the bright light showed us that the strange steamer was lying broadside on, have to.
Then we showed a light, and our captain asked, ‘"What steamer is that?"’
‘"The United States steamer Oriental, with troops for Port Royal."’
‘"What are you doing at Charleston, Then?"’
‘"We didn't know we were so close in shore,"’ was the reply.
‘"Send your captain aboard."’
The captain of the Oriental then came aboard, and after he left we heard that they were very much frightened, for our shot came all around them, and the last shot we fired went directly over their quarter-deck, obliging every one in that vicinity to dodge it to save their heads.
They took us for the Nashville, and that was the reason they did not stop at first.
Yesterday the Florida and James Adger went in just beyond the range of Fort Sumter, at least two miles nearer than we had been before.
The casemates of the fort could be counted with the naked eye, and the colors of the flags on Castle Pinckney and Fort Moultrie were vastly distinguished without a glass.
We saw two or three steamers and several sailing vessels in there.
This morning just after daybreak, we discovered a chance close alongside.
We took from it five contrabands, among whom was a woman.
They left Charleston at midnight, and passed Fort Sumter without being discovered.
They were almost frozen.
We put them in the engine-room, and when thoroughly thawed out they gave a great deal of information of such importance, that the captain sent them to Port Royal at once, and also sent with them the prisoners taken from the Emily St. Pierre, who had been on board since her capture.
One of the negroes is a blacksmith and the woman is his wife.
He was at Port Royal when we attacked that place, and has been engaged in the rebel Government machine shops.
He was inside of Fort Sumter yesterday.
He says they have eighty guns there, of which the largest calibre are eight-inch. So our eleven-inch guns are better than any they have.
He also says that they are building a ram at Charleston, and have been working on it night and day for some time, and expect to finish it in thirty days; that there are eight vessels there loaded with cotton, waiting to run out, and that when we and the Adger ran in yesterday, all thought ‘"the Yankees were come, sure;"’ that crowd and crowds of ladies, as well as men, came down to the docks of the city to examine us through their glasses, and the greatest excitement prevailed throughout the city.
He had planned to run away some time since, and a week ago was all ready, and had an armful of papers, but the night was too clear.
They came off so suddenly last night that they could bring no papers.
Some more are coming on Friday night. 