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Hauannalt § uiy §teraW.
BY S. W. MASON AND CO.
'3SJLVANNAH, WEDNESDAY, FEB. 23, 13«.
‘Washington's Birth-day, under tub
Flag Yesterday, lor the first tine
£* Tour years, the time honored anniver
sary ofif Washington’s Birth-day, was gen
erally observed. Every ione patriotically
«n»d loyally inclined felt it incumbent
mpon. himself to make the day as joyfa as
sr*ss3ble. Business w r as suspended, and
the streets were thronged with veil
Pressed and happy people. From varbus
%<aildings ; among which were the Cus
tom House, Pulaski House, and the
various Headquarters, the national cdors
swere displayed, and from the shipping
■isrartoas colored flags, were given to the
freeze- Tiie He venue Cutter Nemaha,
'CSfcpfc. McGowan, and the Coast Survey
•schooner Caswell, Capt. Dennis, together
J wkh a number of ships, were decked
‘ gaily in eolois. A National salute
'•'"Wes fired at meridian,
iDuring the evening festivities ruled the
Iwhr, and all retired, with a feeling of
satisfaction that the day could be so well
vehserved under the old flag, as it was
. only i/hUT years ago that President Liu
c a&’n and Vice President Hamlin were
: taeg. iu effigy, in one of the public
itupn&tgjoi the city. Time has certainly
w«ncked» ahKGgiJS in this city, and in no
3nsspec\. srtfhv change been more grat
ifying than in die fanner of observing
Uu .annhursary of The birth day of the
father of his* Country.
'Wa are indebted to Purser Fred. W.
m Ty of the steamer Arago, for late files
«L.Northern* papers. We shall give ex
' ifrom them -morrow.
A Wm© to fnn Cm zens.— We invite
ltl»e attention of the f pufflic to an order,
column,* from th ® Street Com
■ en»«rioi9er. Vv T e tißderstancfl that Cnpt.
ISfcmros has a sufficient force to remove
cohort time the accumulation 3 of ma*
i / maate i &c n which now infest ©ur alleys,
that garbage carts will be put upon
street commencing from Bay st r eet,
*** as ese isKaps are removed. The
. f^daen^,inc^t^£xfr»- ri ji their part of tee
. Stearns will do hi?.
interested in these movements to
Ptm fwoverthe sanitary condition ot the city,
•iwristward off epidemics and disease, and
®rge upon eveiy one the necessi
% cf closely observing the regulations
\3®»earibed.
«PKn)kL CORRESPONDENCE OF
the savannah herald.
Charleston, S. C., Feb. 20, 18G3.
/its you are already well aware,
is again in possession of the
sjajgUraal government. Like a ripe apple
ill dropped into our hands with all its ar
j&BKiient, munitions, and a quantity ol
of va|jbus kinds. The evacua
was determined on at'a council of j
liold at Gen. Hardee s headquarters,
wiicli Gens. Beauregard, Hill, the
sUj»sr, and a delegation from the city
,; .fSfltfjteorities were present. There was a
liwEaly of opinion expressed, many
%£&£ exceedingly opposed to the project
«ja •evacuation. But all realized the
-.'etdtoesslty of doing something very quick
iljk ss Sherman's advance on Columbia
. no good to them; and Gen. Pot
s*r's operations at Bull's Bay,. in Christ
CfevEreSi Parish, which threatened to cut
mW Shear last line of retreat; and they
.• &*ailj> r 7 unanimously, concluded that the
enjper thing was tk) evacuate as early as
i .ijwsssibJe. On Fridtay night the move
'• Detect began, the troops on Sullivan's
Islaiid marching through Christ Church
Parish and just escaping our advance.
The garrison of James Island, Fort
Sumter, and John’s Island, and the city,
took cars at the North-Eastern Railroad
depot, and retreated to Cheraw, S. C.
Certain signs observed and information
derived by Gen. Schimmiifennig satisfied
him that such a movement wa3 to take
place, and he made his preparations to
occupy the deserted works aad take pos
session of the^city.
At eight o’clock, no one being visible
on Sumter, a boat, id charge of Major
Hennessey, of the 52d Pennsylvania Vol
unteers, crossed to the Fort and found it
evacuated. The stars and stripes were
instantly flung to- the breeze, from the
highest point of the parapet, and honored
by three times three of hearty cheers.
Niue guns were found in the work, and
the fort itself was stronger than when we
fired the first gun against it.
Lieut. Ilafckett, of the 3d R. I. Artil
lery, after an exciting race with a faa vy
boat, succeeded in reaching Fort Moul
trie first, and raised the flag: over its
massive parapets. The Fort and all the
strong Works on Sullivan’s Island .were
found to be entirely evacuated. All the
guns were spiked, and a portion of the
ammunition destroyed, but there still re
mains a large quantity in the capacious
magazines of the batteries on the island.
THE FLAG PLACED IN THE CITT.
On the occupation of Sumter, Lt. Col. A.
G. Bennett, 21st U. S. C. TANARUS., command
ing Morris Island, in company with Ma
jor lleune§sey, Capt. Haviland, and
Lieutenant Burr and nine men, proceed
ed in a small boat to the city, planting
the flag on the middle ground battery and
Castle Pinckney, en route. The scene at
this time was grand and terrible. The
rebel rams Palmetto State, Charleston,
and Chicora, and several gun-boats on
the stocks were in a mass of flames. The
store ship John Ravenel was also en
veloped id flames, and on the wharf sev
eral hundred bales of cotton and some
supplies were burning furiously. From
various points in the city huge columns
of black smoke mingled with flames arose,
showing that the work of destruction was
going on with fearful rapidity. On land
ing at Atlantic wharf. Col. Bennett sent
a demand to the Mayor for the surrender
of the city, and it was at once complied
with. A committee of Aldermen,
Williams and Giliand, waited on the
Colonel, and requested on behalf of the
city authorities a guard to be placed in
the city, to enable the firemen to perform
their duties, as they were then secreted
and could not appear on the streets, be
cause the rebel cavalry were engaged in
picking them up and driving them out
of town, for the purpose of putting them
in the ranks. Coi. Bennett promised the
desired assistance at once, but as his
force did not come up for some time, be
did not at once give it. He could not
leave the wharf and go up into the city
with his little force of nine men, as the
rebel cavalry were only one or two
streets back from the wharf, and a rebel
brigade was still in town, although get
ting on board the cars as rapidly as pos
sible. .
When fifty additional men had arrived
from Morris Island, Cel. Bennett advanc
ed up Meeting street, and took posses
sion of the Citadel, Custom House, and
other public buildings, arriving just in
time to save the Citadel from destruction
by fire. A load of fat pine had been de
posited in the building to fire it, but our
advance was so unexpected no time was
given the rebels to touch the torch to it.
If it had burned up, the explosion of a
large quantity of powder in it would
have been likely to have demolished the
j entire town. Fortunately the catas
trophe was arrssted
AN OVAfON TO OUR tP.OOPS. J
While marbling up Meeting street, the
popular enthisiasm and excitement baf
fled all de9crptiou. A victorious arjny
returning to ;ts home, laden with spoils,
and decked /with all the splendid tro
phies of a successful campaign, could
not have been received with more honor
.or manifestations of joy and pleasure,
than the l/ttle band of negroes and their
officers, as they moved rapidly up the
main street, with the “stars and stripes, ”
borne ‘full high in front,” and waving
in the bijeeze. The street was thronged
by the population, who had turned out
in their best to witness the novel spec
tacle. Whites and blacks . were wild
with joy. Cheers were given for the
flag, the Union, and President Lincoln.
Men hurrahed and tossed up their hats ;
women waved handkerchiefs, threw
kisses to the officers, and danced with
very delight. Men and women, white
and back, rushed into the middle of the
streets, gpispiug the hands of the officers,
fondled the horses, and expressed in
words their happiness at the arrival of
our troops, and the re-appearance of the
.old flag, in the streets of the ruined city.
The scene was the most extraordinary
ever witnessed, especially when we take
into consideration the fact that Charles
ton is par excellence the hot bed of rebel
lion, and that such a thing as a Union
sentiment existing thereto any extent,
was not dreamed of by the greatest en
thusiast. It was thus doubly gratifying
to our troops, and they marched on with
a more upright and prouder mein.
THE FIRES EXTINGUISHED.
As soon as a suitable force had arrived,
Cok Bennett sent out detachments to the
various points wherre the fire was raging,
and the firemen soon appeared with their
apparatus, and devoted themselves to the
extinguishment of the flames. The
smaller fires were soon subdued, but
those which had already destroyed a
large number of buildings were not finally
got under until late at night.
TERRIBLE EXPLOSION AND LOSS OP LIFE.
In the morning the rebel troops set fire
to a quantity of cotton stored in the yard
of the Northeastern Depot, and it was
soon wrapped in flames. The conflagra
tion drew a large crowd from all parts,
of men, women and children. As soon
as the soldiers had left, a number of
small boys, w r hile ransacking the depot,
came across a quantity of powder and
loose cartridges. For a little amusement,
they began to bring handfuls of this dan
gerous article from the depotto the burn
ing cotton, and found a great deal of rare
sport in watching the explosion of the
powder as they cast it into the flames.
The effect being so novel, a large number
of boys speedily joined in the sport, and
in a few moments a continuous line of
boy 9 was formed from the powder to the
burning cotton. The powder running
from the hands of the boys, gradually
formed a train to the magazine, and a
spark quickly ignitecLit* The effect was
horrible in the extreme. The magazine
exploded, and destroyed the depot, and
communicated fire to every portion. The
ruins soon wrapped in flames. By the ex
plosion a Large number of people were
killed, and others seriously wounded.
Quite a number were buried in the burn
ing ruins, and their cries and appeals for
help where none could be given, were
truly agonizing and heart-rending.
The flames soon enveloped all confin
ed in the fiery, furnace, and death at last
relieved them 1 from their sufferings. About
one hundred and fifty are supposed to
have perished/ and nearly a hundred
more were seriously burned or wounded
by the explosion. The fire before it was
subdued, consumed four blocks of build
ings, on Chapel, Alexander, Washington
and Charlotte, streets. Another fire on
Meeting street consumed five building*.
Altogether perhaps one hundred build
ings were destroyed in the city. Other
property such as cotton, rice and tobac -
co was destroyed.
PROPERTY CAPTURED.
Perhaps 10,000 bales of cotton still re
main in the city; several hundred thou
sand pounds of rice, a large quantity of
tobacco, and offier staple products, were
found and fell into our hands. Seven lo
comotives in fair condition, and a large
number of cars fell into our hands, and
in the harbor we captured the blockade
runner Syren, which hacl run in the
night of the evacuation. It was in flames
when our men took it.
DESTRUCTION OF RKBEI, GUN-BOATS.
The rebel-iron-ciad fleet went out of ex
istence in a grand pyroteclmical display,
on Saturday forenoon. -It had been an
expensive luxury to the Rebels, but of
Kittle service,’ and like a large number
of iron clads on which they had cen
tered therir fondest hopes, they made but
Httie noise except in their dying mo
ments.
The Palmetto State first exploded and
the Chicora went up at about nine
o’clock. The grand exhibition appropri
ately closed with a tremendous explo
sion from the Charleston— the city pass
ing out of rebel hands at the same time.
The store ship John Ravenel blew up at
about noon, and the rebel fleet termi
nated its brief existence.
Lt. Col. Bennett, of the 21st U- S. C.
T . is in command of the city, and is
organizing affairs very rapidly. S.
Another Present for Mrs. Gen.
Grant. — A number of citizens of Phila
delphia, a few weeks since, ordered a
splendid grand piano for Mrs. Genera
Grant. The instrument is magnificently
finished with an elaborately ornamented
rosewood case. It will be presented to
Mrs. Grant in a few days. The cost of
the piano Was $1,200.
What is the most pleasant music in
the bail room? That made by the
belles.
House wanted, #'■
With four or sis rooms, within three
squares of the market, and between Whitaker
and Jefferson street*. Apply at Dr. Walsh’s
Drug store, comer Barnard' and Broughton sts.
feb2S 8 ■ ■ .
TTEADQUARTERS U. S. FORCES.
JUL District’ of Savannah. Ga-
Savannah, February 22, 1865-
General Order, \
No. 2. f
Surgeon W. Y. Provost, Acting Medical Direc
tor, 2d Div. 19th A. C., is hereby appointed Med
ical Director of the District of Sav&nuah.
By command of
Brevet Major Gea, GROVER-
Edward G. Dike, A. A. A, G. fd»22
Notice.
Office of Street Commissioner,
• No. 126 Sooth Broad Street. _
Savanna!, Ga., February 22d, 1563.
In accordance with authority conferred apo o
me. bv General Ord6r No. 16, from Headquarter
U. S. Porces. Sa vatu ah, Ga., dated Feb.
1365. this city is hereby divided into three Dis
tricts, for the purpose of removing garbage tnere
from. j •' „ ,
The First District comprises all that portion ot
the city lying Nodh of President and Harrison
Streets. Carts will remove the garbage from tnis
District on Monday and Thursday oreaohweeK.
The Second District comprises all that portion
of the city lying between the First District ana
Harris street. Carts will remove the g a J ba f£
from this District on Tuesday and Friday of eacu
The Third D/strict compriscs all that portion
of the city lying South of Harris .street, oar
will remove the garbage from this DiSi.nct
Wednesday aad Saturday of each week.
Hereafter a? rubbish and garbage which ma>
accumulate must be put into convenient vcw>eus
and previous to S o’clock in the morning of e®w»
day, as abovf designated fbr the respective Dj
tvicts; such'vessels must be placed upon
sidewalks of tile streets or alleys, and
to remain Here until emptied by my employ®*"
after whicMhey will be removed by their own •
All othei/persons are forbidden to destroy or •
any way interfere with the vessels so placed UPU
the sidewalks, and they must not lie exposed
the pubiiqvifcw. except as above specified.
1 l ALBERT STEARNS,
Capt. and Street Commission^
