December 16th.—Clear and pleasant; subsequently cloudy and chilly.
All quiet below, save the occasional booming of our guns from the iron-clads.
The capture of Fort McAlister, Savannah, has caused a painful sensation. It is believed we have as many men on the Georgia coast as the enemy; but they are not the men of property—men of 1861-62; and those without property (many of them) are reluctant to fight for the benefit of the wealthy class, remaining at home.
The following dispatch from Gen. Bragg was received this morning:
“Charleston, December 15th, 1864.—My services not being longer needed in this department, I shall leave this evening for Wilmington, and resume my command.
“Sherman has opened communication with his new base, by the Ogeechee. The means to meet him do not exceed one-half the estimate in yours of the 7th instant. Braxton Bragg.”
So ends Gen. Bragg’s campaign against Sherman!
I have not heard about the President’s health to-day. But no papers have come in from his office.
Lieut.-Col. Ruffin, Commissary Department, certifies (or Col. Northrop for him) that he is “not fit for duty in the field.”
