Owing to the interruption of the mails, the
Charleston papers have not been received with regularity, and we have been unable to give detailed accounts of the recent movements of the enemy on that city.
A copy of the
Courier, however, which we have received, gives a summary of the recent events there, which gives a clear idea of the character of the feeble and ineffective attempts of the
Yankees to capture the "doomed city; "
The first demonstration made by the enemy occurred on the night of the first July, at which time a large force of the enemy, commanded by
Col. Heiner, of the 103d New York regiment, crossed from Dixon's Island to the peninsula of
James Island, at
Legare's farm.
The next morning a fight took place between that body of the enemy and our picket guard, composed of
Blake's 1st S. C. Artillery and a detachment of the
Palmetto Siege Train.
After having been repulsed several times, with heavy loss, the enemy succeeded, by the aid of greatly superior numbers, in foregoing our feeble line to fall back, with the loss of two guns.
On Saturday they landed a column on
John's Island.
At the dawn of Sunday the active foe attempted to get possession of
Fort Johnson.
A picked body of men, numbering about one thousand, in twenty-eight barges, under
Col. Hoge, 53d Pennsylvania regiment, made a determined attack on that work.
They sustained a bloody repulse at the hands of the brave men under command of
Lieut Col. Jos. A. Yates.
That engagement left 140 prisoners and five barges in our hands, together with a large number of dead, whose fate was revealed by the proceeding tide.
On the same day, about 9 o'clock, the force at
White Point,
John's Island, made a timid assault on
Gen. Robertson's lines, but were driven back with ease.
The enemy contented himself on Monday with feeble demonstrations upon our lines, which were quickly checked.
On Tuesday his forces were again drawn up in two lines of battle, but he did not venture to provoke a combat.
While there on the land refrained from using their rifles and cannon, the gunboats hammered away furiously on Battery Pringle, but their shot and shell did but is firing damage to that stronghold, though they had been raining their missiles upon it since Sunday Nothing worthy of note occurred on
James's Island on Wednesday.
On the morning of that day a fight took place on
John's Island, that was conducted on our part by the Marion Artillery and a portion of
Col. Harrison's regiment.
The enemy was severely punished.
Thursday afternoon the enemy on
John's Island assaulted our lines with spirit three several times, but he was buried back with heavy loss.
Through the whole of Friday the monitors and mortar boats in
Stono threw shot and shell at Battery Pringle, that fort replying with marked effect from its Brooke gun.
Saturday was ushered in by the roll of musketry and the deeper sound of light artillery, betokening a severe fight at
John's Island.
The result of that battle was a decisive and glorious victory.
The soon of Sunday witnessed the monitors and other war craft in their former positions in our outer harbor, the enemy the night before having retired from
John's Island.
A short time after nightfall the persistent foe made another attempt to capture Battery Simpkins, but their reception was so hot that but three of the barges effected a landing.
They seeing that their comrades lacked the needful valor, did not tarry long confronting the danger.
