The details of the affair are to the effect that Col. Geary left Lovettsville on the night of the 7th inst., with his whole command, and marched by two distinct routes through.
Wheatland and Waterford to Leesburg, capturing prisoners by the way, and scattering the rebels pell mell.
In consequence of his taking these routes the military necessarily entered Leesburg on the easterly and westerly sides, which movements they doubtless effected at the same moment, after taking possession of Fort Johnston, which has been since re-christened Fort Geary.
They entered the town with all the military glory of a victorious command, the rebels retreating rapidly as the Union troops arrived.
The command, after capturing many prisoners and a quantity of stores, took possession of the bank, post-office, and public buildings.
Forts Beauregard and Evans have also been captured.
The Baltimore and Ohio railroad.
A letter from Baltimore announces that the above named road railroad is about t
in the marsh near the hulk of the old steamer Monigault, for the purpose of observing our movements at Cumming's Point, and giving notice by rockets to their Morris Island batteries when to open fire on our transports.
The military authorities having determined to capture or drive off these water pickets of the enemy.
an expedition was formed with that view.
About 8½ o'clock on Monday night Captain Sellers, with a detachment of thirty men from the 25th S. C. V. (Eutaw) Regiment, left Fort Johnston in two boats and rowed into Schooner Creek.
About the same time Captain Warley, of the Navy, with two boats, manned by marines from the Confederate States steamers Chicors and Palmetto State, also approached the position in which it had been correctly supposed that the Yankee boats would be found.
Captain Sellers's men having left their boats, deployed as skirmishers, wading knee deep, in the marsh.
They soon encountered the enemy, who took to their boats (two in number) with all spee
ing of one or two small steamers to and fro; trace the streets up from the battery, and almost fancy we see the people moving in them.
The tall steeples of Grace, St. Michael's and Christ's churches have grown accustomed sights, and those in the fleet who have been familiar with Charleston in other days point out prominent buildings, and speculate as to the fate of old friends whom the war has swept into the vortex of treason and disloyalty.
But, though Charleston is thus near to us, the same glass that seems almost to place it within our grasp shows to us Sumter, ruined yet defiant; the threatening embrasures of Fort Johnston, and the long line of batteries which fringe the shore of Sullivan's Island, from Moultrie upwards, until these sandy outlines are lost in the woods about Mount Pleasant.
These are the sentinels that guard the road to the city.
They will be overcome, humbled, and captured — not a doubt of that — but whilst they remain, though near, Charleston is not outs
is visit to the fort Tuesday night, and brought to the city.
These specimens embraced shot and shell of every size and shape from the fifteen-inch Monitor, three hundred pounder Parrott, rifled and Willard shots, down to the smallest description of projectile.
The party then embarked for the Island, passed on their way two of our gunboats, the Chicora and the Palmetto State, the crews of both vessels turning out and greeting the President with loud and long cheering.
On arrival at Fort Johnston the party was met by Col. Harrison, commanding the post.
A rousing salute was fired by the Chatham Artillery, attracting the attention of the Yankees, who crowded and lined the parapets of Gregg and Wagner, seemingly anxious to learn what unusual even had occurred to cause such a demonstration.
The President, after a close inspection of Fort Johnson, batteries Simkins, Cheves, and Haskell, proceeded to Secessionville.
The troops of that post were drawn up in line and inspected by
he cruise.
This I do literally and without alteration, which fact will be sufficient apology for its faults.
* * * * * *
August 6th.--This morning we were still aground on the "rip," the draft of water being too great to pass the eastern bar at these tides.
The steamers Flamingo, Caps Fear, and Yadkin, were made fast to us at high tide, and in a short time we were afloat steaming down towards Fort Caswell, preparatory to a trial of the other bar. All day long we lay at anchor off Smithville, a village somewhat visited in years gone by as a summer watering-place, but now looking in the last stages of chronic dilapidation.--About 8 o'clock came the boatswain's pipe to "up anchor." Rounded the fort at nine, and at ten were on the bar.
At this hour the moon had gone down, a few black clouds floated in the sky, and the stars shone dimly through a thin gauze-like vapor that rose from the water.
A fair night to run out. After passing the bar, came upon two blockaders, one on e
with whom he is busily engaged in repairing damages and in getting down four other guns (being all that he can get hold of) from Wilmington to replace those that were disabled; that the works are stronger against an assault on the land side than on the sea front, and that there are no obstructions in the channel other than some dozen or fifteen torpedoes — a portion of which were put down a week ago. He further states that William T. Lynch is acting as admiral of the station, and lives at Smithville; that Robert F. Pinckney is acting as commodore of the station afloat, having only a small tug, without any considerable armament, under his command; that the iron- clad ram, formerly in the river, got aground and burst open, and was dismantled of her engines and armor; and that the Tallahassee put to sea on the night of the 22d or 23d of December, with from six to eight hundred-bales of cotton on board, by way of the western bar, with a view to bring back a cargo of hard coal sufficient t
From Wilmington.
--The Wilmington Journal of the 21st contains the following:
"The Yankees appear to have left their base in front of Major-General Hoke's forces on yesterday, and concentrated at Fort Fisher.
Their fleet has also disappeared.
They, of course, hold Fisher.--Whether they have re-embarked their main body, we are unable to say. They occupy Smithville, it having been evacuated by our forces.
"There was considerable skirmishing around Fort Anderson on Saturday evening and Sunday morning. It is supposed the enemy are anxious to silence Anderson, in order to open the way up the river for their gunboats.
In this attempt we hope and believe they will meet with sad disappointment.
All quiet below last evening at o'clock."
ial dispatches about Wilmington from General Grant.
The following official dispatches from General Grant relate to the movements at Wilmington:
City Point, Virginia, January 23, 1865, 10 P. M. Hon. E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War:
One of my staff has just returned from Fort Fisher with dispatches from General Terry, from which I extract the following:
On the 16th, the enemy up Forts Caswell and Campbell, and abandoned them and the works on Smith's island, and those at Smithville and on Reeves's point.
These places were occupied by the navy.
The whole number of guns captured amounts to one hundred and sixty-two.
A large number of small arms also fell into our hands, besides quantities of ordnance and commissary stores.
Our casualties prove smaller than at first reported.
They foot up thus: Twelve officers and one hundred and seven men killed; forty-five officers and four hundred and ninety-five men wounded. [Signed] U. S. Grant, Lieutenant-General.
best soldiers the Union has sent forth, we may well calculate that not many months will be required to put him, with a powerful and flushed army, on the southern border of Virginia.
Lee, before that event, may have evacuated Richmond, and have taken his position on some new line south of the rebel capital.
What then will he do?
Will he fight or retreat?
A telegram from Fort Fisher, North Carolina, the 13th, says:
A courier from General Sherman to Admiral Porter arrived at Smithville yesterday, having ridden across the country at great peril, announcing the capture, by Sherman's forces, of the town of Branchville, after three days hard fighting.
From the Trans-Mississippi.
A letter from the Trans-Mississippi says:
Price's headquarters are at Bonham, Texas, four miles south of Red river, in a fine foraging region.
Magruder is at Camden, Arkansas, with a part of his command, but the main body (chiefly cavalry) is on a stealing expedition in Texas.
d, sent it across the river, where it grounded, immediately in the rear of Hoke's lines at Sugar Loaf.
The rebels, of course, considered themselves flanked by our most formidable vessel, and, fearing a joint front and rear attack, concluded to run.
The following is Porter's official report:
United States Flagship Malvern, Cape Fear River, February 19th, 1865. Sir:
I have the honor to report the surrender or evacuation of Fort Anderson.
General Schofield advanced from Smithville, with eight thousand men, on the 17th instant.
At the same time I attacked the works by water, placing the monitor Montauk close to the works, and enfilading them with the Pawtucket, Lenape, Unadilla and Pequot, the tide and wind not allowing more vessels to get under fire.
The fort answered pretty briskly, but quieted down by sunset.
On the 18th, at 8 o'clock, I moved up closer, with the Montauk leading, followed by the Mackinaw, Huron, Sassacus, Pontusuck, Maratanza, Lenape, Unadi
