THE LATE AMERICAN NEWS.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume V, Issue 253, 17 April 1865, Page 3

THE LATE AMERICAN NEWS.

(From the Cross', 12th instant;) .' W e hhvo received .bytKe.; Lombard a Sydney Herald of tne-27th nit., which contains details of the Amhriosn* news, the telegrams of which have already been published -by us. We mate tbe following extracts:— ' KFWSTQJANUAOY2I. ’ . , Th e Daily Jilia„ California of the 22nd-remarks that peace rumors still continue to burden the telegraph. Jeff. Davis and the rebel junta are at ■ ■ loggerheads. The latter have given an indication' of a wish for the appointment of peace commissioners. Jeff. -Davis is said to he .opposed to any movement iivthat direction. He says that nothing "short of submission will satisfy the Government. The press of Richmond-joih in - the uproar, and calls for^.Lee to be wade Dictator. Blair has again gone to Richmond. V • The rebels, it is reported, have blown up Fort Caswell. It is reported that they have evacuated Wilmington, but we regard the announcement as very doubtful. The rebel papers admit that the successes so far achieved by our arms have the ’ effect of closing the port. W ith reference to Richmond, thr Bulletin of 21st, January observes:—lt would not be sur- • prising if the late rumors that Richmond is to be speedily evacuated shou.d move true. Lee cannot detach men enough to oppose Sherman’s opera- ■ tions without exposing the rebel capital to the chances of a successful assault by Grant.

: CAPTURE OF FORT FISHER. Fort Fisher, January 16. After a careful reconnaissance on the 14th, it was decided to risk an assault on Fort Fisher Pain’s division, with Colonel Abbot’s brigade, was to hold our line, already strung across the peninsula and facing Wilmington, against Hoke, while Ames’s division should assault on the west end. After three hours heavy naval firing, the assault was made at three o’clock in the afternoon of the 15th, Curtis’s brigade led ; as soon as it was on the west end land,front, it was followed ■hy Pcnnipacker’s and Bell’s brigades. After des--perate fighting, gaining foot by foot, and severe loss, at five we had possession of half the land front. Abbott’s brigade was then taken from our line facing Wilmington, and put into Fort Fisher, and on pushing it forward, at ten o’clock it took the rest of the work with little resistance—the garrison falling hack to the extreme of the peninsula, where they were followed and captured. • I hope our loss will not exceed 500 ; hut it is . impossible to form a correct estimate in the night. Among our wounded are the commanders of the three leading divisions General Curtiss i» * slightly, and Colonels Pennipscker and Bell dangerously. The- land front was formidable, the parapet in places being 15 feet high; hut. the men went at it nobly under a severe musketry fire. The marines and sailors marched up gallantly, hut the tnusketry fire from the east and front was so severe that they did not succeed in entering the work. The navy fire during die bombardment, judging from the holes in the works,- must have been terrific. Many guns ware injured, but I cannot say . how many—on the Point 30 or 40. C. E. CoMSTOTK, Chief Engineer. The following is from Admiral Porter, — FlAft-ship Mai/vekn, opp Pout Fisti eh, Jannsay 14. , T have the honor to inform you that operations have been resumed against the fort at the entrance of Cape Fear river. T sent in the . New Ironsides, commanded by Radford, leading the monitors Sangamon,- Camonicus, Eodadnoek, and Mohopac. At 7.30 aim. the forts opened on them as they approached, but they quickly took up their old positions within 1000 yards _ off Port Fisher, and when ready they opened their batteries. In this way I tempted to engage the monitors, that we might ascertain what guns they had, and where they might be dismounted by my - fire. Quite a spirited engagement was carried on between the forts and the new ironsides and monitors. It was soon apparent that the iron vessels had the best. of it. The traverses began to disappear, and the southern angle of Fort Fisher commedced to look very dilapidated. Its guns were silenced one after another, and only one heavy gun in the southern angle kept up its fire. The fire of this guh was hot accurate, as it inflicted no damage on the iron vessals, although they were hit several times. ' By. Bie way of letting the enemy know we had' some shells left on the wooden ships, and did not -intend .to take any unfair advantage of him by , using iron vessels alone, I ordered line number one in the plan of battle, led by Captain Alden, of the Brooklyn; and line'number two, led by Commander Thatcher, of the Colorado, to attack the batteries., This was done in the handsomest ;m an tier. Not a mistake was committed, excepting firing too rapidly and making too much ' 'smoke. The heavy fire of the larger Vessels shut , up the enemy’s gun* at once, and after firing up to after dark, the wooden vessels dropped out to their,anchorage, and the ironsides and the monitors 'maintained' their position throughout the night,-firing Shell occasionally.' They are now lying within 1000 yards of the fori, the monitors within 700 yards of the fort, which does not ire a gun. - X see no reason to doubt’ dur success, as the fort will be used up soon. We have a respectable force landed on the strip of land, which .dur naval guns completely command, and’ in • ■ .place of defence which would enable ns to hold ..out against |t yeiyiarge army.

- v - / ■ • ■ - ‘ •_ POHTKB, i- ■ lfewYorlt,january-21. Admiral Porter, in his detailed report of tfje » ..attack on Fort Fisher, gives the total number - of naval officers Skilled and wounded at twentv-ono; • and of others killed, wounded, and missing at . • 309. He statestlint the rebels have blown up Fort Caswell, and-the rebel steamers Tallahassee . andJ-hiekaraanga, and;tbett'they- will be.in \JFib . mington .before-Jong. ... The A*# contains the following':— of the; (fiill ;of Fort Fshdr, >•'- > to.'jilwi' river, was made knolrri thfi’movri mg, ajvS occasioned a

sensation of profound regret: ■ the fort is equal to the closing of the Wilmington by the enemy's fleet.. It is situate Jabout eighteen mile9 / hek»w-fche i jwai-- t}ie paaih defence of the entrance oT the river." Its fall will prevent in future the arrival and departure of blockade Miners. How far this reverse may prove injurious to our c&use remains to to he seen. At present, .we regard it as rather an unfortunate than disastrous event. FROM SHERMAN. ‘ ■ •' ■ • Raw York, Jan. 21. - The. Herald's correspondent-says that General Sherman had preparations for a. new movement, nearly, completed. The Seventh Corps, under Rlair, and Hatch s division of Foster’s armv, were in the secure possession of an important position at Pocatoligo Bridge, on the Charleston and Savannah railroad. The Fifteenth corps would soon join them. General Sherman had issued an order -Sifisg notice to the farmers that they may visit Savannah, Fernandina, and Jacksonville, to exchange their produce for supplies needed by their families, guaranteeing protection. In case they, or any of the Union citizens of Georgia are molested, severe- retaliation is to be visited on the rebels. He also encourages tha people to meet together, to take measures for the restorat'on of National Civil Government, ” St. Louis, Jan. 21. The State Convention, in Committee of the whole, on the bill of rights, yesterday passed hv nearly a unanimous vote the following resolution ;

Resolved.—That this State shall ever remain a member of the American Union, and that all attempts, from whatever source, upon whatever pretext, to dissolve the said Union, or sever the said nation, ought to. be resisted with the whole power of the State; that every citizen of this State owes a paramount allegiance to the Constitution and Government of the United States, and no aw or ordinance of this State in contrav eution thereof can have any binding force. . . JEFFERSON DAVIS DEFINES HIS . POSITION. New York, January 21. The Richmond Whig of the 18th publishes an important letter from Jefferson Davis, in reply to one from the Senators from Georgia, in which they took ground, against the resolutions introduced in the rebel house in favor of reconstruction. Davis argues that a convention of the States is impracticable, and that peace movements on the part of individual States tend only to create discord in the Confederacy. He says that the only plan bv which peacecan.be obtained is provided for in the rebel Constitution. He does not say what this plan is, but proceeds at length to show that all .propositions looking to conventions are futile ; that the United States will not negotiate ; that they will not accept anything but a surrender, which the rebel States will not grant.