The Middlebury galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1848-1850, 1848-07-25
MISCELLANY.
From Grahams Magazine.
OF FORT MOULTRIE..
BY CHARLES j. PETERSON.


reached Charleston, South Carolina rose in
commoton. The provincial Congress, which
had adjourned, Immediately re assembled
Two regiments Of foot and one of horse were
ordered to be raised; measures were taken to
procure powder; and every preparation made
for the war which was now seen to be inevita-
BILE. A danger of vital character speedily
threatened the colony This was its invasion
by the British a project which had long been
entertained by the royal generals. To pro-
vide in time for defeating it, Congress had dis
patched General Lee to the South. II was
not until the beginning of the summer of 1776,
however, that the enemy's armament set sail
from New York, consisting of a large fleet of
| transports with a competent land force, COM
manded by Sir Henry Clinton, and attended
by sqadron of nine men-of-war, led by Sir
Peter Parker. On the arrival of this expedi-
| ton off the coast, all was terror and confusion
among the South Carolinians. Energetic
measures were, however, adopted to repel the
attack.
To defend their capital the inhabitants con-
structed on Sullivan's Island, near the en-
trance of their harbor, and about four miles
from the city, rude fort of palmetto logs, the
command of which was given TO Col. Moultrie.
Never, perhaps, was more inartificial defence
relied on in so great an emergency. The
form of the fort was square, with bastion at
each angle it was built of logs based on each
other in parallel rows, at distance of sixteen
feet. Other logs were bound together at fire.
| Quent intervals with timber dove-tailed and
bolted into them. The spaces between were
| filled up with sand. The merlons were faced
with palmetto logs. All the industry of the
| Carolnians, however, was insufficient to COM
pcte the fort in time; and when the British
| fleet entered the harbor, the defences were lit
tie more than single front facing the water.
| The whole force of Col. Moultrie was four
hundred and thirty-five, rank and file; his ar
mament consisted of nine French twenty-sixes,
| fourteen English eghteens, nine twelve seven
| nine Founders. Finding the fort could be
| easily enfladed, Gen. Lee advised abandoning
| it :; but the governor refused, telling Moultrie
to keep his postuntil he himself ordered the re-
treat. Moultrie, on his part, required no urg-
| ing to adopt this more heroic course. A spec
tator happening to say, that in half an hour the
enemy would knock the fort to pieces, Then
replied Moultrie, undauntedly, "wo will lie
behind the ruins, and prevent their men from
landing" Lee with many fears left the Is
land, and repairing to his camp on the main
land, prepared TO cover the retreat of the gar
rison, which he considered inevitable.
There was, perhaps, more of bravado than
of sound military policy in attacking this fort
at all, since the English feet might easily have
run the gauntlc. of it, as was done a few years
later. But Fort Moultrie was destined to be
to the navy what Bunker Hill had been to the
army. 1t was in consequence Of excess of
scorn for his enemy, that Sir Peter Parker,
disdaining TO leave such place in his rear,
resolved on its total demolition. He had no
doubt but that, in an hour at the utmost, he
could make the Impractical Carolinians glad
to sue TO- peace on any terms. Accordingly
on the 2Sth of June, 1875, he entered the har-
Dor, in all the parade of his proud ships, nine
in number, and drawing up abreast the fort,
let 20 his anchors with springs upon his cables,
and began furious cannonade. Meanwhile
terror reigned in Charleston. As the sound
of the first gun went booming over the waters
toward the town, the trembling inhabitants
who had been crowding the wharves and lining
the housetops since early morning. turned
pale with ominous forebodings. Nor werethe
feelings of the defenders of the fort less anx-
: ious. Looking off, over the low island inter-
vening between them and the city, they could
see the cleaning walls of their distant homes !;
and their imaginatons conjured up the pic
ture of those dear habitations given TO the
flames, as another Charlestown had been, a
twelve-month before, andthe still dearer wives
that inhabited them, cast houseless upon the
world. As they turned from this spectacle,
and watched the naughty approach of the enc
my, at every molten betraying confidence OF
success, their eyes kindled with indignant feel
ings, and they silently swore to make good the
words of their leader, by perishing, if need
were, under the ruins of the fort.
One by one the British mcn-ofwar gallant
" approached the stations assigned them, Sir
Peter Parker, in the Bristol, leading the van.
The Experiment, another fifty gun ship, came
close AFTER and both dropped their anchors in
\ succession directly abreast the fort. The 9TH
S er frigates followed, and ranged themselves rs
1 supports. The remaining vessels were still
Il working up to their stations, when the first
gun was fired, and instantly the battle begun.
= The quantity ofpowder on the island being
! small, five thousand pounds in all, there was
n an absolute necessity that there should be no
}. waste. Accordingly, the field officers pointed
: the pieces in person, and the words ''look to
the commodore-look to the two-deckers y
passed along the lines Theconfict soon grew
: terrific. The balls whistled above the heads
, of the defenders, and bombs fell thick and fast
II within the fort; yet, in the excitement of the
; moment, the men seemed totally unconcious
q OF danger. Occasionally shot from one OF
/ their cannon, striking the hull of the flagship
: would send the splinters flying into the air
and then loud huzza would burst from those
/ who worked the guns; but except in instance.
:, like this, the patriots fought in stern and sol
! emn silence Once. when it was seen that
. the three men-of-war working up to join the
- conflict, had become entangled among the
g :, shoals, and would not probably be enabled tc
" join in the fight, general and prolonged cheer
went down the line, and taken up second
and third time, rose, like an exhibiting strain
n over all the uproar of the strife.
/ The incessant cannonade soon darkened the
J. prospect, the smoke lying packed along the
J; surface of the water while thousand fiery
= tongues. as from some hundred-headed mon
s ster, shot out necessarily, and licking the all
{. a moment, were gone forever. Occasionally
h this thick cloudy veil concealed all but the
d spars of the enemy from sight, and then the
II tall masts seemed rising, by some potent spell
r out of nothing occasionally the terrific explo
| J nHo~f Orlrta m