SHERMAN'S CHRISTMAS PRESENT

SHERMAN'S CHRISTMAS PRESENT. Official Dispatches from Generals Sherman and Foster. WHAT SHERMAN FOUND. 150 Cannon, 200 Cars and Locomotives, 3 Steamers, 800 Prisoners, and 30,000 Bales of Cotton. Twenty Thousand People in the City Quiet and Well Disposed. ESCAPE OF HARDEE'S ARMY The Rebel Iron Clads Blown Up and the Navy-Yard Burned AN ALMOST BLOODLESS VICTORY. News from the Wilmington Expedition

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War Department, Washington, Dec. 25--8 P.M.

[Official]

To Maj.-Gen, Dix, New York:

A dispatch has been received this evening by the President from Gen. Sherman. It is dated at Savannah, on Thursday, the 22d inst., and announces his occupation of the city of Savannah and the capture of one hundred and fifty guns, plenty of ammunition, and about 25,000 bales of cotton. No other particulars are given.

An official dispatch from Gen. Foster to Gen. Grant, dated on the 22nd instant, at 7 P.M., states that the city of Savannah was occupied by Gen. Sherman on the morning of the 21st, and that on the preceding afternoon and night, Hardee escaped with the main body of his infantry and light artillery, blowing up the iron-clads and the Navy-yard. He enumerates as captured 800 prisoners, 150 guns, 13 locomotives, in good order, 190 cars, a large lot of ammunition and materials of war, three steamers and 33,000 bales of cotton. No mention is made of the present position of Hardee's force, which had been estimated at about 15,000.

The dispatches of Gen. Sherman and Gen. Foster are as follows:

Savannah, Ga., Dec. 22.

To His Excellency, President Lincoln:

I beg to present you as a Christmas gift, the city of Savannah, with one hundred and fifty heavy guns and plenty of ammunition, and also about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton.

(Signed.) W. T. Sherman, Major-General

Steamer Golden Gate,

Savannah River, 7 P.M., Thursday, Dec. 22.

To Lieutenant-General Grant and Major-General H. W. Halleck:

I have the honor to report that I have just returned from General Sherman's headquarters in Savannah.

I send Major Gray of my staff as bearer of dispatches from General Sherman to you, and also a message to the President.

The city of Savannah was occupied on the morning of the 21st. Gen. Hardee, anticipating the contemplated assault, escaped with the main body of his infantry and light artillery, on the morning of the 20th, by crossing the river to Union Causeway, opposite the city. The rebel iron- clads were blown up, and the Navy-yard was burned. All the rest of the city is intact, and contains twenty thousand citizens, quiet and well-disposed.

The captures includes eight hundred prisoners, one hundred and fifty guns, thirteen locomotives in good order, one hundred and ninety cars, a large supply of ammunition and materials of war, three steamers and thirty-three thousand bales of cotton safely stowed in warehouses.

All these valuable fruits of an almost bloodless victory have been, like Atlanta, fairly won.

I opened communication with the city with my steamers to-day, taking up what torpedoes we could see, and passing safely over others. Arrangements are made to clear the channel of all obstructions. Yours, & c.,

(Signed.) J. G. Foster, Major-General.

The Richmond papers of yesterday state that on the 23d twenty-six vessels of the Wilmington expedition had reappeared.

The dispatch of Gen. Bragg, as published in the Richmond papers, is as follows:

"Wilmington, Friday, Dec. 23.

V Twenty-six vessels of the Federal fleet reappeared this morning. There has been no change since last dispatch."

This is the latest intelligence received from that expedition.

Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War

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