The general impression communicated both by the
Charleston papers and by the
Yankee correspondents from the scene is that some night this week the iron-clads intend attempting to burst through the obstructions and get into the firmer harbor.
The letter bag of the
United States gunboat
Ottawa, with letters to friends at home, dated as late as the 29th instant, floated ashore on Saturday night, and is in possession of our officers.
The
Mercury says:
‘
By letters from the
Captain (
Lt. Commanding Wm. Whitney) to his wife, and by those of other officers, we are informed that the
Yankees have entertained the idea of breaking up our harbor obstructions by night operations, and actually made the attempt last Wednesday night with their monitors and two gunboats, of which the
Ottawa was one "Violent squalls of rain and wind" are given as a reason for their having turned back before reaching the obstructions, of which our Yankee neighbors have apparently so whole-some a dread and so high an estimate.
The attempt, they say, was to be made again on the night of the 29th instant, (Saturday,) and, as it was not done, it is to be presumed stormy weather again intervened, between the monitors and our obstructions which stand intact.
From this effusion we learn, as was anticipated, that very many of their officers in the fleet "are breaking down and being sent home continually, from the incessant wear and tear on them in this hot climate. " It appears, in the attempt to destroy our obstructions, the Passable got aground, and was near being abandoned by her crew.
The Ottawa has thrown 80,000 pounds of shot and shell, and burned 11,000 pounds of powder.
’
The
Courier, of Monday, gives us a history of the operations of the enemy on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
During Friday night and Saturday the shelling from the enemy's land batteries was unusually slow, our James Island batteries, however, keeping up a constant and vigorous fire in reply.
It says:
‘
Until yesterday no formidable attack has been made on
fort Sumter since the attack of the monitors on Sunday morning, the 26th inst. That attack was short in duration, but the fire very accurate, and owing to causes we trust now removed, very dangerous.
It may not be indiscreet to mention in general terms the fact that had the fire been continued in all probability the magazine would have soon been made unsafe, or had an early renewal of the attack taken place the fort might have been blown up. The monitors, however, drew off. Seven days have since elapsed, and the powder since then placed beyond danger.
’
About half-past 4 yesterday afternoon battery Chives opened on a side wheel steamship transport loaded with troops.
The troops were landed at
Oyster Point.
The enemy were also observed landing heavy guns from a propeller.
The firing Sunday afternoon was kept up regularly between the enemy's batteries and
fort Moultrie, batteries Chives,
Haskell and
Wagner.
The
Yankees are reported working continually and cautiously on an advanced battery at the rifle pits, and yesterday afternoon kept up a steady fire from one
Parrott gun. Later in the day, however, they had succeeded in getting two more in position, and at last accounts had opened a heavy fire on battery Wagner from three
Parrott guns.
Out of a little over eight hundred shots from the four Yankee batteries fired at
Fort Sumter yesterday, hardly one hundred struck the fort, all the rest falling short, showing a proof that the enemy's guns are losing their efficiency.
The enemy, it is reported, has mounted new guns on his batteries Nos. 1, 2, and Gad-berry
Hill.
Two of these guns are believed to be three hundred pounder Parrotts.
He has also mounted a very heavy gun in battery at Gadberry Hill.
There has been no change of importance in the position or number of vessels in the fleet.
Very heavy firing commenced at nine o'clock last night and still continued at the hour of closing our report at 12 o'clock.
The Plan for passing Fort Sumter--the navy must now do the work.
The New York
Herald contains a four-column letter containing the latest Northern news from
Charleston.
We extract some portions of it:
It is certain that no serious offensive powers are left to the rebels in
Fort Sumter, and the passage of the fort by our iron-clads is entirely practicable, without much danger from its fire.
At all events, we have inflicted enough damage upon the fort to justify us in regarding it as practically reduced, and incapable of inflicting serious harm upon a fleet.
If the navy cannot now pass the work, we may as well regard that arm of the service as of little value.
The long looked for moment will soon arrive when a second attempt to pass it by our iron-clads will be made.
The first, on the 7th of April last, by the squadron under
Admiral Dupont, although one of brilliant dash, boldness, and vigor, failed for reasons well known to the public.
They were not owing to any lack of courage, skill, or determination on his part, or on the part of the gallant officers who so manfully supported him, but solely to the vessels themselves, several individuals to the contrary not withstanding.
Of this no one who knows the circumstances of the case can doubt.
This, the second attempt, is under more favorable circumstances.
Sumter is out of the way, or at least so weak as weak as to inspire little fear.
Fort Moultrie can be passed at a distance of nearly, if not quite, a mile, and her fire and that of battery Bee should not be very dangerous to the monitors.
Battery Gregg, with her single gun, is of little account.
What is most to be feared is the obstructions and torpedoes.
The enemy have unquestionably been busily engaged in perfecting their very effective system of obstructions and submarine defences since our occupation of this island, with a view of meeting a contingency now presented by the defenceless condition of
Fort Sumter.
Then they have
Fort Johnson, the new batteries near it, the
Middle Ground battery, and others which I cannot locate, with the rams, upon which they place much reliance.
But all this is to be more definitely settled, probably, before this will reach you, and it is useless to indulge in further speculations on the subject.
What
Admiral Dahlgren's plans are I do not profess to know; but I have reason to fear that he is losing most valuable time by his delay.
Every moment now is worth a year in ordinary times — a fact which the rebels recognize, as they are strengthening and enlarging their old batteries, building new ones, and mounting heavier guns at points where they will be terribly effective against the navy if it ever attempts to move towards
Charleston.
A few days' more delay may ruin the entire campaign.
Sumter was reduced because it was in the way of the navy; but
Admiral Dahlgren has as yet made no advance towards completing the work which
Gen. Gillmore has so gloriously begun.
The army is unable to do more.
Gen. Gillmore has performed his part of the contract, and it now remains for the navy to enter upon and perform its part of the work.
A week's delay may enable the rebels to replace
Fort Sumter by new batteries within the harbor, which will make the capture of
Charleston as far off as it was before we fired the first shot against it. There is a deep feeling of fear growing on shore that the fruits of our glorious triumph will be permitted to slip from our grasp by inexplicable procrastination on the part of the navy.
I cannot explain this seeming want of energy on the part of the naval authorities.
They may be able to do it; but some better reasons must be given than those already in circulation, or the country will feel far from satisfied with the results of naval operations in this quarter.
A rebel Infernal machine Visits the New Ironsides.
On Thursday night last, about 10 o'clock, while Resign
Porter was officer of the deck, he discovered what he supposed to be one of the monitors moving rapidly down the channel and towards his ship, the new Ironsides.
He watched it closely as it neared him, and soon saw enough to excite his suspicion that all was not right.
When she had come within speaking distance he called her and asked what vessel it was. The reply came, "Ay, ay, sir; all right." As this was not the proper answer to be given by any of our vessels he hailed again.
The next answer was, "A live Yankee from
Port Royal." He was then satisfied that she was a rebel vessel, and he called all hands to quarters.--The strange vessel continued to move towards the
Ironsides, and attempted to cross her bows or explode a torpedo against her sides.
But she failed in the latter attempt, and only succeeded in getting foul of the frigate's ram, which stopped her for a moment.
She finally got off and started rapidly towards
Fort Moultrie.
Several guns were fired from the frigate's at her, but it was thought none struck the audacious vessel, as she went off flying.
The Swamp Angel Speaks to Charleston.
In a finely constructed battery, in the marsh to our left, is a gun which bears upon the rebel city of
Charleston.
Of its calibre and precise location I shall write in due time; but at present I desire only to mention it as firing the first shot against
Charleston.
It was fired on Friday night a number of times at the city; but whether the projectiles reached their mark is a question of some doubt.
It is reported that the fire-bells of
Charleston vigorously rang for some time during the night, either to call the citizens and military to arms or to rouse the fire Depart- partment. I give the report as I received it in regard to the alarm; but I do not vouch for its correctness.
We shall doubtless hear of this gun again as playing an important part in the tragedy now enacting.
Change of the garrison in Sumter.
The
Charleston correspondent of the Savannah
Republican furnishes an interesting letter from there on the 25th ult. He predicts that the city of
Charleston will shortly be shelled in preference to its defensive works.
The following is an extract from the letter:
The noble and gallant garrison of
Fort Sumter--the 1st regiment South Carolina regulars,
Col. Alfred --after their long, arduous, and successful services, were, with the exception of one company, relieved to-night.
Their places are supplied by a force of picked men detached from the 27th and 28th Georgia regiments, respectively commanded by
Captain Edwards, of the 27th, and Worthe., of the 28th, the latter being senior officer.
I was among these gallant veterans as they rendezvoused on the wharf to-night, preparatory to their departure on the steamer, and I may say, without exaggeration, that a finer and more resolute body of troops is not to be found in the world.
Most of them volunteered for this particular service, and they seem delighted at the idea of defending the old ruin to which they are ordered, especially as there is some intention of an assault by the enemy in barges.
It is understood, I believe, that
Col. Rhett is to remain in command of the fort.
There has been no shelling of the city since Sunday night, and many are of the opinion that one of the guns burst in the last attempt, and that the circumstance has deterred them from a renewal of the bombardment.
Certain it is, that the last gun fired gave forth a very peculiar report, and nothing was heard of the shell in the city.
Notwithstanding the cessation of the fire, what has already been done has pretty effectually moved off the down town population.
The streets have been crowded with baggage wagons since Friday night, and all who had anywhere to go to, and some who had not, have "changed their base," either to the upper portion of the city or to the country Fortunately, there are many vacant houses up town, and there has been no serious difficulty in procuring accommodations in that quarter.
The race course, I learn, has become quite a populous little village, many of the poorer people having fled there for safety from the shells.
The weather is still unsettled, and the frequent showers anything but comfortable to the troops who are bivouacking on the island.
The
Atlanta Confederacy learns from a credible source that since the damage sustained by
Fort Sumter,
General Beauregard sent a commission composed of Engineers to examine its condition and report whether it was capable of defence.
They proceeded to the fort, and after a thorough examination, (the fort being under fire at the time,) reported that it was susceptible of defence for an indefinite period.
General Beauregard then called for volunteers to defend that fortification.
To this call there was an immediate response from more men than was necessary.
The following is an official order relative to the garrison of
Sumter:
The
Commanding General has witnessed with genuine pride and satisfaction the defence made of
Fort Sumter by
Col. Rhett, his officers, and the men of the First Regiment of South Carolina regular artillery, noble fruits of the discipline, application to their duties, and the soldierly bearing of officers and men, and of the
organization of the regiment.
In the annals of war no stouter defence was ever made and no work ever before encountered as formidable a bombardment as that under which
Fort Sumter has been successfully held.
Respectfully, your ob't serv't,
(Signed,)
Thomas Jordan,
Chief of Staff.
To
Brig Gen.
Ripley, commanding first Military District, S. C.,
Charleston, S. C. 
