Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, Volume IV, Number 8, 23 Pepeluali 1865 — FOREIGN NEWS. [ARTICLE]

FOREIGN NEWS.

The Capture of Fort Fisher. Io our paper of the 26th of J«nuarv we gave some acoount of the grcat fleet that sailed from Fortress Monroe on the 12th of December. We a!so explained the great im« portnnce of Wilming(on to the rebels, as the centre of the extensive trade carried on by the English blockade runners in eannon, rifles, po\vder, blankets, medecines, &c., „ for whieh the rebels paid in cotton. AII this trade is now at an end, and all the rebel porta are at last hermetically sealed. The news was received at Richmond \vith eon* sternation and rage, and wi.ll no doubt have the pffect of hastening the jpvacuation of that rebel capital. We will now give a brief eonnected uccount of the late operations at th« mouth of Cape Fear River. The First Attack on Fort Fisher. After the great fleet left Fortrēss Monroe, the weather was very stormy, and the transports had to put into Beaufort, North Carolina. After the storm was over, the fleet went in to att3ck Fort Fisher. In front of the entrance to Cape Fear River is a low sandy island called Smith's Island. the south point of whieh is Cape Fear. Thereare two ehanneU by whieh Capo Fear River is entercd, one«Dn the north side of Smith's Island. called New Inlet, whieh is guarded by Fort.Fisher, and another on the west side, whieh is guarded by Fort Caswell and Fort Johnson on the main land, and by the Light House Battery on Smith's Island. Fort Fisher is situ&ted on a long sandy eape on the north side of New Inlet, and is one of the Btrongest forts in Americ x. On the 32d Admirnl Porter »ent in a vessel called the Louisiana, containing 215 tons or 430,000 pounds of gunpowder and had her blown up close to Fort Fisher. It was thought that the effect wou!d be similar to that of the recent explosion at Erith in England, and that the mng.izine of the fort would be exploded by it. This proved to be a mistake. The shock produced by it was slight, although the report was heard al Newbern, 60 milea off. Ihe next morning the fleet went in and commenced bombarding thefort. Four ironclads led the way for the rest of the fleet. The firing was terrific. Adtniral Porter says that 115 shells were thrown into the fort every miriute. The rebels could not show themselves outside of their bomb-proofs, or fire a £iingHgun in reply. The firing ceased at dark, and the vessels retired to a safer anchorage. The next mcrning the fleet attacked again as before, and the troops were landed about five miles east of the fort. They were said ' to be about 5000 in all. They captured two small out \vorks wilh 260 prisoners and a few eannon, and advanced within quarter ofa mile of Fort Fisher. The advanced line of skirmishers approach©d within 50 yards of the fort, while the garrison wcre hiding in their bomb proofs from the terrible fire of N the fleet. Three or four soldiers even ventured into the fort among the bdrsting shells, and carried off the rebel flag, whieh had been shot a\vay. Gen. Butlerand his second in command, Gen. Weitzel, after carefully reconnoitering the fort decided that it could not be taken by direct assoult. They also heard of a rebel force under Gen. "liake coming down from Wilmington and determined to abandon the enterprise. The troops re-embnrked on the transports, part that evening, and the rest the next morning. They then returned to James River while the iron-clads went to Charleston. Admiral Porter continued the bombardtnent a day or two longer, when he was obliged to leave by a violent storm as well as by want of ammumtion. Gen. Butler was dismissed from the comrnand of his army, and sent home to Lowell, Massachusetts. l'he Second AUaek «n F«rt Fislier. Admiral Porter was occupied several daya in refilling his vessels \vith ammunition and eoal. The land forces were sent back under the command of Gen. Terry. Onlhe 12th of January the whole fleet sailed again for Forit Fisher. The attack commenced at 7 in the morning. Five iron-clads one of whieh was the terrihle "hon Stdes" went close in and opened fire. After they had silenced all the guns on that *ide of the f«;rt but one, the rest of the fleet opened fire, and the fort was immedialety "shut up" while 597 of the heaviest eannon known were playing upon it. Thiß tremendous fire was kept up for three days. During the day land force disembarked, and fortfied a line the pen insula above the fort. They 'are reported to have been about lt),ooftin number, nearly °ne half of whom were troops. On the 14th Gen. Terry carefuily reconnoitered the fort and decided to attack it. On the'lsth they stormed the fort at 3 P. M. They had to scale a parapet 15 feet in heigbt under a stonu of musquetry and grape shotand then to drive the garrison from one traverse to another for seven hours. At length near 10 o'eloek P. M. the garri»on were forced eom

pletely out of the fort, and pursued down to the «nd of the peninsula where they surrendered. Dunng tbis desperate contest the fleet thtew their fire into the fprt with such wonderful precision as to rake the rebels without injuring their own friends. la doing this they were guided bv signals from Ge«. Terry, whieh had been previously agreed upon bstween hien and Admiral Porter. At the same time the rebels from Willmington under Gen. Hake eime down, and attacked tbeir rear but were easily repulsed. The garrison of the fort were about 2200 under Gen Wniting and Col. Lamb, who were ail kil)ed or taken prisoners, besides 72 guns and extensive stores. The next day the rebels blew up and abandoned Fort Caswell fort Campbell and Light House Battery and the pirates Tallahassee, and Chickamauga, making the total atuount of guns taken 162. One or two days afu*r the powder inagazine ofFort Fislier exploded, killing and wounding over a hundred men. A telegraph wire bas since been found leading from this magazine across the Cape Fear JRiver to the rebei e.imp. and it is believed that the maga2ine was purposely exploded by them. The total loss of Gen. Terry's army was 69), of whoin 8S were killed. Admiral Porter gives the nuinber of killed and wounded in the navy at 330. A baltallion of marines and sailors aided in storming the ioft. On the 19th and 21st several English b!ockade runners ran in and were taken by Porters fleet. They are now removing torpedoes m the river while the land force is inoving on Willmington. Part of the fleet has gone to Charleston and a few to Fortress Morftoe. [ D.i manao iho makou e hookomo i na Olelo Hawaii o na Nu Hou o na Aina e, aka, aole e hiki la inakou ke hookomo, ua piha e ka pepa, a e komo ana nae i keia Heiu ae].