The Daily Dispatch: January 21, 1862., [Electronic resource]

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The Burnside expedition.
arrival of Gen. Burnside.
Illumination of the vessels and their appearance.
Excitement at Fortress Monroe.
&c. &c. &c.

From the New York Herald's Fortress Monroe correspondence we gather the following very interesting particulars relative to the Burnside expedition:

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Fortress Monroe, Va., Jan. 11.

The great lion of the day is Gen. Ambrose B. Burnside and his gigantic expedition, which has collected there entire since this morning. During the entire afternoon of yesterday the fleet came into the Roads, continuing to arrive until this morning, when the Picket, having Gen. Burnside and immediate staff on board, brought up the rear.--Hampton Roads has only witnessed one such spectacle as the one presented at present, and that was during the latter period of October, when Gen. Sherman's Port Royal armada congregated here. The scene presented by the numerous vessels composing this expedition is very animating. During the evening of yesterday all the vessels were illuminated, and the music of the numerous bands with the regiments on the vessels was soul-stirring in the extreme. The calm, placid water and the bright silvery moon added additional splendor to the occasion.

Long after retreat was beaten did the soldiers of the Tenth regiment New York Volunteers line the ramparts, and cheer upon cheer resounded through the ‘"stilly night."’ Brigadier General Reno and staff, accompanied by Lieutenant Colonel Modge, of the Twenty-first Massachusetts Volunteers, paid their respects to Major General Wool, and at ten o'clock Chief Quartermaster Captain Grier Talmadge, had one of his boats, the Rancocas, in readiness to take the distinguished visitors on board of the steamer Northerner. A sail in the harbor under such auspices, on a bright moonlight night, with the thermometer at sixty degrees, is a pleasure which cannot very conveniently be indulged in north of ‘"Dixie's land."’

General Burnside, on arriving at Old Point this morning, waited on General Wool and held a lengthy consultation with the veteran hero commanding this department. Voluminous dispatches from Washington to General Wool by this morning's mail undoubtedly had considerable bearing upon the part which the department of Virginia will sustain in the anticipated assault by General Burnside's expeditionary corps.

Our neighbors, the rebels, are of course on the qui vive, and it must have been galling to them to listen to the delightful strains of Gilmore's and other bands that are constantly performing national airs on board of the vessels. The Sound of the music is heard at Sewell's Point as plainly as it is at the fort and already has a rebel flag of truce come up on a flimsy pretext to spy out the strength of the expedition, &c.

There is nothing new to record in this department, and the troops under Gen. Wool are very anxious to participate in the coming struggle of the expedition. Time will tell whether their services will be brought into requisition.

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The sudden departure of the expedition.

The extensive armada of Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside weighed anchor at 12 o'clock last night, and left the harbor, no one excepting the guards and lookouts being aware of the fact until this morning. The fleet is immense, and by the time this reaches you the blow will already have been struck. I have no doubt that the expedition, which, in imitation of the Port Royal wing of operation, has been planned with great secrecy, will be successful, and it will again become our task to record another brilliant achievement of the Union troops.

Although General Burnside and his surrounding officers have visited the fort while in the harbor, and pressed on all sides to reveal the destination of the fleet, still the place of attack remains a secret — those that are in the secret pretending not to know, or are unwilling to tell. As a matter of course, there are a great many wiseacres, who boldly assert that one or the other place will be bombarded; but, my word on it, the proper destination is only known to the Department, General Burnside, and probably Gen. Wool.

When the fleet commenced to congregate in the harbor, the division of General Wool fully expected to be called upon to participate in the impending strife; but the expedition having sailed and no orders having been issued to that effect, disappointment has taken possession of most of the troops both here and at Camp Hamilton. The weather is prosperous and fair, promising to continue thus for some time to come. This probably accounts for the sudden departure of the fleet, which was expected to rendezvous here at least a week.

The details of the expedition you have already received from your correspondents accompanying the expedition. It will therefore become needless for me to say any more than that the array of sails and steamers composing the armada looked very formidable, and by no means to be despised.

The armament of the gun-boats fitted out in this harbor is of the heaviest calibre, 100 pound rifled Parrot, and nine-inch rifled Dahlgren guns forming the chief portion of ordnance carried by the gun-boats.

Ammunition, stores, &c., have been supplied the fleet in great abundance prior to touching here, and only the gun-boats that were fitted out in these Roads received their guns and ammunition from Captain Poor, the Naval Ordnance Officer of Hampton Roads.

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Vessels reported for the Burnside expedition at Fortress Monroe, January 11 and 12, 1862.

United States steamer Picket, with Gen. Burnside and staff.

United States steamer Young Rover, from Annapolis.

Steamer Union--stores.

Steamer Sentinel, from Annapolis.

Steamer Eastern State, from Annapolis.

Steamer Cossack, from Annapolis.

Steamer Huzzar, from Annapolis.

Steamer Northerner, from Annapolis.

Steamer Zouave, from Annapolis.

Steamer Wyandotte, from Annapolis.

Steamer Ranger, from Annapolis.

Steamer Eastern Queen, from Annapolis.

Steamer Pioneer, from Annapolis.

Steamer Admiral, from Annapolis.

Steamer New York, from Annapolis.

Steamer Louisiana from Annapolis.

Steamer New Brunswick from Annapolis.

Steamer Chasseur from Annapolis.

Steamer G. Peabody from Annapolis.

Steamer Cordelia, barges, Philadelphia.

Brig Dragon from Annapolis.

Schooner Skirmisher from Annapolis.

Schooner Highlander from Annapolis.

Schooner H. E. Brown from Annapolis.

Schooner T. W. Brady from Annapolis.

Bark Kate Simpson from Annapolis.

Bark Guerrilla from Annapolis.

Ship African from Annapolis.

Ship A. E. Thompson from Annapolis.

Ship Greenleaf from Annapolis.

Canal boat Ranger.

Canal boat Rockett.

Canal boat Bombshell.

Canal boat Grapeshot.

Canal boat Rover.

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List of vessels reported at Fortress Monroe for the Burnside expedition.

Name of Vessel.	Reported.
Schooners Emma	Dec. 21, 1861.
Cordelia	Dec. 22, 1861.
L Millford	Dec. 23, 1861.
J Burley	Dec. 23, 1861.
P M Wheaton	Dec. 23, 1861.
H Rogers	Dec. 23, 1861.
Glenwood	Dec. 23, 1861.
Alert	Dec. 23, 1861.
Flying Scud	Dec. 23, 1861.
J P Roach	Dec. 23, 1861.
E H Abbott	Dec. 25, 1861.
Restless	Dec. 25, 1861.
Eva Bell	Dec. 25, 1861.
Kate Callahan	Dec. 25, 1861.
A Corduroy	Dec. 25, 1861.
J H Bonce	Dec. 26, 1861.
T H Leonard	Dec. 27, 1861.
Deborah Jones	Dec. 27, 1861.
Spencer D	Dec. 27, 1861.
H H Coggeshall	Dec. 28, 1861.
E S Bailey	Dec. 28, 1861.
M E Carlisle	Dec. 30, 1861.
N B Banks	Dec. 30, 1861.
Sea Bird	Dec. 31, 1861.
W Montague	Dec. 23, 1861.
Ferry Boat Eagle	Dec. 31, 1861.
Ferry Curlew	Dec. 31, 1861.
Schooner Colorado	Jan. 4, 1862.
S Boice	Jan. 6, 1862.
M G Lenthall	Jan. 10, 1862.
Wm Farrington	Jan. 11, 1862.

To give you some idea of the strength of the vessels attached to the expedition, I will mention one.

The Hunchback has an armament as follows:--One 100-pound rifled Parrot gun, long range; three 9-inch rifled Dahlgren.

She carries six large ches from the United States steam frigate Roanoke, which are commanded by Midshipman Benjamin H. Porter. Each launch mounts a 12-pound Dahlgren boat howitzer, weighing six hundred and eighty-two pounds.

Company B, of the Union Coast Guard, was detailed by Gen. Wool to the Hunchback. The company numbers 74 men, and is commanded by Lieut. C. W. Tillotson. Second Lieut. T. W. B. Hughes, of the same company, takes command of 38 men of the detachment, and is detailed to the guns-boat Southfield.

Lieut. Tillotson is a New Yorker, and a splendid gunner, having distinguished himself at the Hatteras inlet affair.

The rebels have been trying their be at for the past two or three days to find out something relative to the place of attack. In this instance they have adopted the same method as when the Port Royal fleet was in port, viz: of sending two or three flags of truce per day to find out something. How far they have succeeded I am unable to say, but I am of opinion that Yorktown will turn out as great a bugbear this time as Bull's Bay has proved in the former instance. Huger, Magruder and other rebel Generals may have prepared extensively for the reception of our troops and gun-boats, but if either of the last named gentry should happen to be present at the place of attack by General Burnside they will find that this time they have caught a pretty large sized tartar.

Rumors of all kinds are already rife since the expedition sailed, and it is currently reported that we will be lulled to sleep this night by the roar of cannonading. I must, therefore, allow your readers to conjecture whether the place of attack is near Fortress Monroe or not.

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The very latest.

--Most of the vessels comprising General Burnside's expedition left very quietly at intervals during last night. The others left during the forenoon to-day, including a large fleet of schooners, which has been here for some time.

The New York did not leave till eleven o'clock to-day, and the transports Louisiana and New Brunswick are still here this afternoon.

A number of schooners and several gunboats, said to form a part of the expedition, are still in port.

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News from Fortress Monroe.

--A report was brought up yesterday morning that a large propeller was ashore a few miles below Cape Henry. The Spaulding was sent to her assistance, but could find nothing of her, and consequently returned here early last evening.

The enemy raised a new flag staff and flag yesterday on Sewell's Point. It is seen very conspicuously above the trees.

The Spaulding is loading rapidly, and is expected to sail for Port Royal, via Hatteras, this evening.

Company B, of the Naval Brigade, with Colonel Wardrop and Lieutenant Tillotson, came over from Camp Hamilton this afternoon, and went on board the gun-boats Hunchback and Southfield, to man the guns. The above are part of General Burnside's expedition.