Ypsilanti sentinel. [volume] (Ypsilanti, Washtenaw Co., Mich.) 1843-1900, 1847-07-14

the '4ron Storm" that hurtles round, they toll
fearless on-you see tire Heights of neighborins
Charleston covered with wives and sweet.
hearts" old men and maidens gazing with in.
tense excitement on che tumult below-yor
hear in the distance strains of martial music
as they echo upon the air, while, with waving
plume and firm and solid step, the sun reflected
back from their bright steel bayonets and scar
let uniforms, their banners floating lazlly in the
summers breeze four thousand ofEngtand's bra.
vestlnfantry fern at the foot of that sacred hill
Shoulder to shoulder-whle redoubled tbupde,
bursts from the winged monsters of the deer
that lie below, they march with heavy tread
that shakes the earth, up toward that silent re-
doubt and haltlRgs pour in their regdfsss solEes.
But silence, deep, unbroken, reign; behind that
little mound-;he flag droops heavily against
the stafi-anu all is still. Suddenly low
murmur runs along the line, and ''Iook TO the ir
BELTS" " look to their belts is followed by a
livid sheet of fire that bursts from the re,leHst
and hurls its leaden storm upon the bosom of
the foe; those brave men close up the frightful
gaps and press forward over their dying CON-
rades. but courage, resolution is useless to face
that deadly hsil and they turn IN wild confusion
and flee down the k;lh, while she loud huzza
that goes up from that little band, is the death
hIicIi VI ouu OppitSSlOu.
Again and yet again are those stricken foes
ralired, and led to face ,the deadly rifle" while
burning Charleston rolling up volumes Of ssMuke
that mingles with the smoke of battle and adds
grandeur and sublimity TO the scene. Again is
that stern array hurried from the face of that
redoubt, as the wave from the rock. But now
their ammunition is exhausted and without bay-
onets, they retire with dubbed rifles before the
on hat H.
hundred corpses stretched in death, mingled
with shattered muskrts, torn banners, maneled
limbs and bedabbled uniforms, like a crock of
flowers crushed to earth tina. attest with awful
certainty the deadly aim of the American rifle
and the fearful might Of freemen in defence of
liberty and honor.
Nor was 1t near the "cradle of American lib
erty'that patrotismwas one lsp!ayeJ & glory
won. Beneath an ''ardent southern sum-" prod
igies of vaior and self denial even exhibited
battles lost and won. The memorable defeuce
of Fort Moultrie stands out in bold relief, a
worthy example of the heroic spirit of our south
ern brethren. At the risk OF your anticipa
every sentence ESQ familiar has the history of
our revolution become) an outline of that hero
c fight will be given, believing as do that in
stances of individual heroism and desperate de-
fence, brings much closer home to our feelings
OF sympathy and veneratlon, the trials and suf-
ferings OF those ''iron men," than all the petty
prlvattons and dependencies of long cam
paign, You will recollect that, for the de-
fence Of State and City, against threatened
attacked, of large British fleet, few paImet-
to logs were floated down to SuIlivan's Island,
that commanded the harbor of Charleston and
square pen'' with bastons at each angle, an
outer and inner wall, the intervening space of
Is #. filled with sand, was hastily thrown up.
Well might Lee, accustomed to the substantial
structures of European defence, stigmatise il
as "slaughter pen" and advise lie evacuation.
Upon those low ramparts were thifty-one can
noa throwing five hundred and thirteen pounds,
while behind lies four hundred and thirty five
militia. shat only kneO Aow to fight On the
morning of the 2Sth of June, fleet of nine YES
sells carrying $50 guns and one bomb vessel
hove in sight. Now all was excitement and
anxiety, the eminences and wharves of Char
lesion were clouded with excited citizens
Twas lovely morning, zephyr like breeze
gently rpped the nirrored surface of the bay,
lengthening the tall shadows of the tapering
masts. Moultrie impa' lent for the contest
when 'withn point blank shot" opened his fire
from the fort, but on they swept into the bar
Dor, dropping anchor and stripping for the con.
test, that mighty fleet opened with broadside
that rocked that little structure as though it
were heaved by an earthquake, but the "good
palmetto" closed over the balls and the fight
went bravely on.
For eleven hours, under burning un,those
thirty guns belchcd forth their iron fire, the
bomb vessel was riddled like a sieve, the frgates
were pierced with shot holes, their decks
dripping with blood and their cockpits filled
with dead and dying, but still the battle ragged.
And now the burning sun that all the live long
dav. had wheeled his frey disk in the mid hea-
ven, sank to the western horizon. His linger-
ing beams as they penetrated the battle cloud
lifted for moment the smoke that hung heavy
over the bay. And there leaning against the
logs, stood Moultrie cody smoking cigar, in
CAV converse with his officers and men, who
with boots thrown uhe way and hats and era
watts another, with handkerchiefs bo,Ad around
their heads, faces begflhed with powder and
dust, were training those heavy guns "with
the deadly precision of pra 'ticed artillerists.
A shot comes booming across the water,
glances along parapet, carrying from the low
wall coat into neighboring tree. While
''see that coat" '1sce that coat bursts In a
merry laugh from that fearless group of heroes.
A chance shot parts the spring cable of the
fiigate and she swings rothd stern
towards the slaughter pen," and ''look to flag
ship" "look to the commodore is passed along
the line. Every gun now bears Upon that no
BILE vessel, broadside after broadside is hurled
into her devoted bosom, sweeping her qua tter
decks and filling her cockpit with dead and
wounded. Trembling dixie a smitten OK from
her keeson to her crosstrees" the crashing iron
rakiDg her from stern to stern, almost bends her
yard arm to the water. The sun has now sank
behind the western hills, "the beautious queen
of night has shot out her barge into the wide
ETHEREAL sea-" and still those sons of liberty
keep toiling on and though "gray twilight COW
cred the scene, Mou trie and his men could
distinctly hear the dull heavy sound" of their
balls as they told with fearful certainty against
the "@ooden walls" Of Old England. Every
man behind those rough logs was IA hero. Ser
geant Jasper leaped from the ramparts and walk
ing upon the sand the entire face of the work,
amid the railing cannonade of over 100 guns,
cody fastened the flag, that chance shot had
parted from its halyards, Upon sponge staff
and mounting the battlements, the Stars and
Stripps anal Whved nor tho gallant hand