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SAVANNAH DAILY HERALD. VOXATMF, I.\ :No. H. j fljc Ustbitmtah ihulglfcraft 16 PUBLISHED £VERY EVENING, SUNDAYS EXCEPTED, BY a. W. MASON & eo. At 111 Bay Stbf.kt, Sav&nnah; Georgia, j terms:' Per Copy * Five Cents. Per Hundred $B 50. Per Y'ear , $lO 00, advertizing: A limited number of Advertieemeets will be re ceived at the rate of Twenty Cents per Line for first insertion, and Fifteen Cents per Line for each subsequent insertion; invariably in advance. Ad vertisements should be handed in before noon of each day. JOB PRINTING In every style, neatly and promptly done. Two Days Later from the North K. IT. BATSS THIS 14th! Gen. Butler’s Official Report of the Wil mington Expedition. Attempt of the Rebel Senator Poote to Escape from Richmond. LATER FOREIGN NEWS,! &c., &C., &CJ. We are indebted to Capt. A. C. Crow ell, of the steamer W. W. Coit, for Northern papers of the 14th. We make extracts containing the most important news. THE WILMINGTON EXPEDITION. Gen. Butler's report of his part of the Wilmington Expedition is published in the N. Y. papers by request of Gen. Grant. After describing the delays which occurred, he says; At 4 o’clock on the evening of the 24th 1 came in sight of Fort Fisher and found the naval fleet engaged in bombarding it,th’epowder vessel having beenexploded on the morning previous, about one o’clock. Through Gen. Weitzel, I arranged with Admiral Porter, to commence the landing, under cover of the gunboats, as early 8 o'clock the next morning if possible—as soon as the firing of the Half Moon and Flag Pond batteries had been silenced. These are up the shore some two or three miles above Fort Fisher. Admiral Porter was quite sanguine that he had silenced the guns of "Fort Fisher. He was then urged, if that were so, to run by the fort into Cape Fear river, and then the troops could land and hold the beach, without the liability of being shelled by the enemy's gunboats, the Tallahassee being seen in the river. It is to be remarked that Admiral Fkr ragut even had never taken a fort except by running by and cutting it off from all prospect of reinforcement, as Fort Jack son and Fort Morgan, and that no case mated fort hacHieen silenced by a naval fire during the war; that if the Admiral 'would put his ships in the river the army could supply him across-the beach, as w r e had proposed to do Farra gut at Fort Bt. Philip; that at least the blockade of Wilmington would be effec tual even if we did not capture the fort. To that the Admiral replied that he should probably lose a boat by torpedoes, if he attempted to ran by. He was re minded that the army might lose five hundred men by the assault, and that his SAVANNAH, GA., THtfßsi>AY, .JANUARY 19. 1335. boat would not weigh in the balance, even in a money point of view, for a mo- ! ment, with the lives of these men. The ] Admiral declined going by, and the ex-j pedition was deprived of that essential \ element of success. . j At 12 o'clock noon of the 25th, (Sun day) Capt. Glesson, commanding covering division of the fleet, reported ] the batteries silenced and his vessels in | position to cover our landing. The trans- j port fleet following my .flagship stood in , within eight hundred yards of the beach and at once commenced debarking. The landing was successfully effected. Find ing that the reconuoitering party just landed could hold the shore, I determin- \ ed to land a force with which an assault might be attempted. Brevet Brig. Gen. Curtis, who deserves well for his gallan try fchd conduct, immediately pushed up his brigade within a few hundred yards of Fort Fisher, capturing the JLrff Moon Battery and men, who w ; ere taken off by the boats of the navy. This skirmish line advanced to within seventy-five yards of the fort, protected by the glacis which had been thrown up in such form as to give cover, the garrison being com pletely kept in their bombproofs by the fire of the navy, which was very rapid and continuous, their shells bursting over the work with very considerable a?cura cy. At this time we lost ten men wound ed on the skirmish line by the shells from the fleet. Quitting my flag-ship, I went on board tne Chamberlain, and run in within a few’ hund.ed yards of the fort, so that it was plainly visible. It appear ed to be a square, bastioned work, of very high relief, say fifteen feet, sur rounded by a wet ditch some fifteen feet wide. It was protected from being en veloped by an assaulting force by a stock ade, which extended from the fort to the sea on the;one side, and from the marshes of the Cape Fear River to the salient on the other. No material damage to the fort, as a defensive work, has been done. Severn teen guns bore up the beach, protected from the lire of the navy by traverses i eight or ten feet high, which were un doubtedly bomb-proofs. It was easy to maintain the position, but the shells of the navy, which kept the enemy in their bomb-proofs, would keep my ti oops out. When these ceased falling the parapet was fully manned. Lieut. Walling, of the One Hundred and Forty-second New "York, pressed up to the edge of the ditch, and captured a | flag which had been cut down by a shell from the navy. It is a mistake, as was at first reported to me, that any soldier entered the fort. An orderly was killed about a third of a mile front the fort and his horse taken. In the meantime, the remainder of Ames' division captured old men and ten commissioned officers of the North Carolina Reserves and other prisoners. From them I learned that Kirkland's and Hapgood’s brigades of Hoke's division had left the front of the army of the James near Richmond, and were within two miles of the rear of my forces, and their skirmishers were then actually engaged, and that the remainder of Hoke's division had come the night before to Wilmington, and Wete then on the march. I also learned that these troops left Richmond on Tuesday, the 2()tb. Knowing the strength of lloke's division, I found a force opposed to me outside the works larger than my owa. In the meantime the weather assumed a threatening aspect. The surf began to roll in so that the landing became diffi cult. At Hiis time Gen. Weitzel reported to me, that to assault the works, in his judgment and In that of the experienced officers of his command, who held a skirmish line, with any prospect of suc cess, was impossible. This opinion co incided with my own; and much as I i regretted the - necessity of abandoning thd attempt, yet the duty was plgin. Not so strong a work as Fort Fisher had been , taken by assault during this war; and I hail to guldfe my experience of Fort Hudson With Its slaughtered thou-. sands in the repulsed assault and the double assault ; of Fort Wagner, where thousands were sacrificed in an attempt to take a work less Strong than Fort Fisher, after it had a continued and fully as severe ft fire ; and in neither of the instances I have mentioned had the as saulting force in its rear, as I had, an army of the enemy larger than itself. I therefore'Ordered that no assault should be made, and that the troops should re-embark. While superintend ing the preparation of this, the firing of the navy ceased. Instantly the guns of the fort were fully manned, and a sharp fire of musketry, grape and canister swept tile place over which the column must have advanced, and the skirmish line was returning. Working with what diligence we oouid, it was impossible to get the troops aboard before the sea ran so high as to render further embarka tion. Or even the sending supplies ashore impossible. I lay by the shore until 11 o'clock the next day, Monday, the 2btb, when, having made all proper disposi tions for getting the troops on board, I gave qrders to the, transport fleet, as fast as they were ready, to sail for Fort Mon roe, in obedience to ray instructions from the Lieutenant General. I learned from deserters and prisoners captnj-ecl, that the supposition on which > the Lieutenant Genc’d directed the ex pedition, that Wilmington had been de nuded ot troops to oppose Gen: Sher man, was, correct: that at the time when 1 lie army arrived off Wilmington there was less than 400 men in the garrison of Fort Fisher, and less than 1000 within twenty miles; but the delay ot three days of good weather, the 10th, 17th and 18th, waiting for the arrival of the navy, and the further delay from the terrible storm of the 21st, 22d and 23d, gave t ime for troops to be brought from Rich mond, three divisions of which were either there dr on the road. The instructions of the lieutenant General to me did not contemplate a siege. I had neither siege trains nor supplies for soph a contingency. The exigency of possible delay, for which the foresight of the Commander of the ar mies had provided, had arisen, to wit: the large reinforcement of the garrison, with the fact that the navy had exhaust ed their supp y of ammunition in the bombardment, left me no alternative but to return with my army to the Army of the James. The loss of Friday, Saturday and Sun day, the IPth, 17th and 18th of Decem ber, was the immediate cause of the fail ure of the expedition. It is not. my province even to suggest blame to the navy for their delay of four days at Beau fort. I know none of the resources which do or do not justify it. It is to be presumed they are sufficient. [Special Despatch to the New York Times.] Washington, Friday, Jan. 13. *BXRY S. ATTEMPTS TO ESCAPE FROM RICHMOND. It appears that Henry B- Foote, mem ber of the lebel Senate from the State of Tennessee, who recently declared his in tention of leaving the Confederacy, and going to some sequestered spot, where he could enjoy a little repose and be free from taxation,” has endeavoring to carry out his purpose. A few days ago he left Richmond, in company with his wife, and started for this city. When he reached Occoquan, a place about 15 miles southwest of Alexandria, he was arrested by rebel cavalrymen, and compelled to return to Richmond. His wife was left by the rebels at Oc coquan, and our Government, being ad vised of her whereabouts, immediately i sent an escort to give her safe conduct into our lines. She reached Alexandria this morning. ■Mr. Foote is doubtless by this time in Richmond; and it is believed that he will fare hard with the rebel authorities, after so energetic an attempt to desert the Confederacy in .this, hour of her trouble* Another Account.— Mrs. Henry 8 Foote, the wife of the rebel Senator Boote, of Tennessee, arrived at Alexan dria, this morning, from Richmond by way of Fairfax Court House, She states that her husband is n6w under ar rest in Richmond, on account of Lb; speech in the rebel Senate denunciatory of the rebel authorities. Gen* Grant forwards Gen. Butler's report, with those of Gen. Weitzel and Gun. Ames, with an endorsement from, which the following is an extract: ,■ • It was never contemplated, that n Butler would accompany the expedition » but that Maj. Gen. Weitfcel was especial ly named as the commander of it. Mr hopes of success rested entirely on ability to capture Fort Fisher, and I half even a hope of getting Wilmington be fore the enemy could get troops to op pose us. I knew that the enemy hacL taken neariy the entire garrison of Wil mington tnd its dependencies to oppose Sherman. lam inclined to ascribe the delay which has cost us so dearly to act experiment. I refer to the explosion oY gunpowder in the opeft air. My dis - patches to Gen. Butler will show Lb report to be in error where he states that, he returned, after Laying effected j&Janc ing in obedience to my instructions. On the contrary, these instructions con templated no withdrawal, or a failure, after a landing was made. Kansas., Leavenworth, Friday, Jam. 13.—Gen. Jim. Lane was, to-day, elect ed United States .Senator for six yesjv bv a vote of 82 to 17. From Europe. —The Cunard steam - ship China, with dates to the Ist inst.. arrived in New York on the ULh. The situation of Sherman in front of Savan nah was the subject of most anxious ex pectation, as also the St. Albans robber)’ trials. The rebel loan had declined <■ per cent, under the pressure of the news received. A great meeting had fieou. held at Dublin, on the subject of tenant rights and tic Irish Protestant estab lishment. There was no disturbance The British export trade shows an in crease, of 16 per cent, for eleven of the months of 1864: against the same period of 18C3. From France there is a report that 120,000 men of the Imperal army are to be put in the reserve, force. The French papers generally severely criti cise the Pope’s Bull. It is said to be ex ceedingly offensive to the French Gov * eminent. MISCELLANEOUS. % Boston, Friday, Jan. 13. The extensive dye-house in Water town, owned by Adolph Lewando, with, his dwelling adjoining, was destroyed by fire last night. Lost, $>30,000, which ie insured .SIO,OOO. Dt ath op Bishop Brownell.— Bishop Brownell, of Connecticut, pre siding Bishop of the Protestant Episco pal Church in America, died at his resi dence in Hartford, Connecticut, on the morning of ibe 13th, in the 36th year ci his age. Gen. George B. McClellan and las family are now on a visit to his relatives in Philadelphia, previous to their de parture for Europe. Missouri Free. —-The following cor respondence tells its own story: JefFee son City, Mo , Jan. 11,1865. Governor of New" York; Free Missouri greets yon. F. C. Fletcher, Governor. Executive- Department. Albany, N. Y., Jan. 12, 1865. Gov. Fletcher, Jefferson. Mo.;, God bless free Missouri! RE. Fenton Congress. — ln the Senate, on tbel i’tit a petition was presented in behalf of the J PRICE 1 [Five Cents.