CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVI, Issue 1703, 28 February 1862, Page 5

CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA.

NEWS TO STH DECEMBER.

By the Star King, Captain Confield, from Puget Sound, we (S. M. Herald) have news to the 4th of December from Washington, and to the sth from St. Louis.

We understand that Captain Confield spoke the Edith Rose, from California, and received from her a complete file of San Francisco papers to the 13th of December, only two Of which however — viz. the 7th and 10th — have been preserved. This will account for the meagre and fragmentary nuture of the following extracts. The San Francisco Herald of the 7th publishes the following overland telegram : — St, Louis, December sth. Great Excitement and consternation exists at Charleston and other towns South. At Charleston the rebels are burniug all their cotton and rice, to prevent it falling into the hands of the Federals.

At Greenville, Tennessee, two Unionists have been hung by the rebels. Their offence was bridge burning. Parson Brownlow is making himself felt. In East Tennessee, at the head of 2000 men, he attacked a large rebel force and defeated them wtth great slaughter. He captured ton of the rebel teamsters, with their teams and freight.

The Federal fleet have captured a ship, having on board a large cargo of sugar and molassess ; the vessel was trying to steal out of New Orleans when taken.

The "Associated Press " have received the following items : —

A special despatch to the Neiv York Times from Washington, dated the 4th, says: — Information has been received his evening that the rebel forces in possion of Armadale have a large force of cavalry. There are twelve forts around Centreville, defended by field pieces.. Four regiments of the enemy lately left Centreville, where there are now 12,000 men. Washington, December 4. A deserter from the rebels — a servant of Beauregard — dressed like a New York soldier, came into camp last night. He says that his whole regiment had been supplied with uniforms a week sinoe. They were received in the South from Boston. He states that there is abundance of good shoes for those who can pay for them ; he had paid six dollars for his. £$■*'

The following intelligence of the Port Royal fight is stated to have been received by Eastern papers from rebel accounts obtained at Fortress Monroe : — ■" In anticipation of the arrival of the great expedition, the rebels have been engaged in erecting batteries upon the point of Hatton's Head and on the opposite neck of land. The principal fortification on Hatton's Head was denominated Fort Walker. It is situated on low laud, partially concealed by trees and under-brush. Adjoining it were other batteries of smaller size, but so connected as to prove a formidable bar to the entrance of vessels. Fort Beaufort was of considerable importance, having been mounted with heavy guns. The garrisons are supposed to have been South Carolina regiments, assisted by additional regiments from Richmond. The batteries at Bay Poiut, opposite Hatton's Plead, were equally as formidable. Inside of Port Royal entrance and behind the bafteries lay the rebel fleet of Commodore Tain all, which consisted only of small vessels, oarrying a few heavy guns, but principally light ones. Tugs constituted a great portion of the fleet. Many of these remained outside of the mouth of entrance until the arrival of our fleet, when they formed in line of battle behind the guns of their own forts and aoross the entrance. On the morning of Thursday,

the United States fleet, numbering fortytwo vessels, headed by the flag-ship, approached the mouth of the entranoe of Port Royal. This was at half-past nine o'clock. Several of the transports remained off the coast. Upon arriving at a suitable position, the guns of the fleet opened a continuous fire upon Forts Walker j and Beaufort, as well as upon those of Bay Point. Under cover of this fire an effort was made to run the gauntlet of the batteries, which they did and a number of vessels passed the fire from the shore batteries with very trifling injury ; fifteen of them succeeded in passing up beyond the reach of the land batteries. As the Union fleet sailed up, the Mosquito fleet opened fire, but seeing the impossibility of making any resistance, soon dispersed. Some were forced to run on shore, others were driven up the inlets out of sight. Commodore Tatnall went on shore with some of his men to assist in working the batteries, and used them against our vessels which were endeavouring to follow the advance of the others. The passage of the fleet through the cbaunel was not accomplished until the firing had continued from half-past nine in. the morning until nearly five in the evening. One of the Union gunboats is believed to have been burnt, and three steamers disabled. It is acknowledged by the enemy that they had twenty men killed in the Fort Walker, It is impossible to state what their loss was at the other batteries. No sooner did our vessels go past the batteries at Port Royal entranoe, and slide into what is termed Broad River, than they made for the mouth of the inlets leading to Beaufort, Savannah and Charleston. These they immediately blockaded, but not in time to prevent the escape of the small rebel vessels. Not one of the Federal vessels was sunk, and the only one believed to have beou destroyed by fire was the gunboat referred to above. The crew is said to have passed through a murderous fire to another vessel, which they reached with very little if any loss. The Union vessels acted under special instructions in blockading tha inlets which led to the most important points, and which afforded loop- ' holes of escape to the enemy. While a portion of the fleet entered upon this duty four ships made at once for Beaufort and at three o'clock on Thursday these vessels were in sight of the town."

Commenting on the American news, the Herald of the 13th remarks;—

The rebel sympathisers in this State affect to ridicule the reports which continually reach us that the blockade is seriously embarrassing the Confederate Government. They argue that the soil is as productive as ever, and that instead of cotton, tobacco, &c, the negroes can raise corn, potatoes, and other necessities of life sufficient to keep body and soul together. This may be true, but "man cannot live by bread alone," nor cau an army of half a million of men be subsisted and maintained merely on the produce of the plantations. Had not this immense army to be fed, clothed, and kept in the field, and constantly increased in numerical strength, it is possible th<U the people of the rebel states might continue to live iv a condition of semi-barbarism, without the fear of being starved, notwithstanding the blockade. Bread, however, is only one necessity ; a thousand other commodities are essential in sustaining this army and keeping it in a condition of efficiency commodities which the South has no manufactories nor resources to supply. Up to the present time the rebel troops i may have* been fairly furnished with clothing, shoes, medicines, munitions of war, and other indispensabilities, but the stock on hand must necessarily, owing to the vast consumption, be speedily exhausted, with no prospect of being renewed. The consumption, again, will be continually on the increase as the war progresses, since the appointments and materiel of the Southern army must be proportioned to the equipments and and materiel of |the army of the North, It is idle to say that personal courage will supply the place of powder, that pride is a better remedy for ague than quinine, or that promises to pay can purchase as much broadcloth as ready money cau command. Such ideas may delude the mind in a first moment of passion but cannot long deceive. The present war is as muoh a test of the ooniparatnre resources of the two great section! of the Union as of the courage of Joyal and disloyal men and the blockade has cut the South off from supplies, without which sooner or later its armies must become demoralised. Of the boasted independence of the rebels at this time, the Cleveland Plaindealer wittily says : — "An intelligent gentleman, just up through the Mississippi Valley, informs us that the demand for salt is beyond all descriatiou. They cannot kill more fresh meat at a time than oau be eaten in six hours, for they have neither salt to oure nor ice to delay decomposition. The fall fevers are upon them, and the cry for quinine comes fairly up from thousands of parohed lips. Almost every day trunks are seized on their way South packed with quinine. They have no oil, A gentleman from Alabama informs us that butter is used to oil locomotives and cars, and the railroad companies really feared the trains would have to give it up. They have a little lard, but no ability or machinery to make oil out of it, and so they have none to barn for light, nor have they tallow or burning fluid. A geatlemaa passing through the Carolinas found them burning pine- knots for light, sotheir independence is getting a little light on the subject. They have no leather

for saddles, harness, or shoes, nor shoe* makers to make it up, or threap; or pegs, or awls to work with. Their- independence mast be 'shod with a preparation. This last gentleman wishing for some shirt buttons, was told in a city about the size of Cleveland, that there were "not a dozen shirt buttons in the town." Th'ejr' would pin their collars and sleeves bat the darned Yankees had stopped sending them pins, and they are out. They - can't stitch them, for they have no needles or thread. A spool of Coats' thread would sell readily for ten pounds of cotton, and oh, 'scissors,' what a scarcity of cutlery in the Independent South. Newspapers stop by scores for want' of paper. They have scarcely enough left to write the Declaration of Independence on, and no steel pens to write it with, but they could use quills if they only had a Yankee knife to make them into pens. The cry for flannel is loudi long, and useless. They have not got.it nor have they " wool" of the sort to spin; or spindles to spin it, or looms to weave it. What an independent web they are weaving. They have grates but no coal, sewing machines but no cloth, or thread* or needles. Common combs nearly' all lost their teeth, but they can crop the hair and occasionally shake their hatlest heads.

(FROM THE "SAN FRANCISCO HERALD," NOV. 22). __ A large English steamer, with muni' tion« of war for the rebels' has been captured off the Southern coast by a Federal frigate. .

The Charleston . Courier states that there is little ootton stored at or. near Beaufort. Messrs. Pope and Bayard, who reside on Hilton Island, set fire to the buildings on their premises, and their crops, leaving a mass of ruins behind. A report is current that black flags have been hoisted at Savannah, Charleston, and other places on the Southern coast, which indicate that no quarter will be given to no invaders, and no quarter will be asked.