The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-12-28

PLAN OF The HARaOE
SHOWING THE
yesterday morning intense excitement was crea
tea here and no doubt throughout the country, BY
tue announcement By telegraph, that the United
ota'eS troops under Major Anderson, had during
wednesday night evacuated Fort Moultrie. and Ia
Ken possession effort Sumter, a more powerful and
| Commanding position. The above cut will enable
| our readers to understand the position of the
several defences of the harbor Gen. Scott is re-
ported to have said that Fort Sumter is the strong
est fortifcation of its size in the world Before the
| coming of Maj. Anderson, there was not a single
soldier in Fort SUMTER the place being in the hands
OF about one hundred mechanics and laborers, en-
gagged in completing the works, the Fort being a
new one, not yet entirely finished
The garrison at Fort Sumter, now consists of two
companies of Artillery, under command of Major
Robert Anderson, of Kentucky, who some three
weeks since succeeded Col. Gardiner.
The other officers are Captain Abner Doubleday.
Capt I. Seymour, Lieut.. T. Talbot, Lieut.. j. G..
Davis, Lieut.. n. j. Hall, all of the First Regiment
Artillery.
Capt J. G. Foster and Lieut.. c. W. Snyder, of
the Engineer Corps.
Assistant Surgeon S. W. Crawford, of the Med
ical Staff
lhese companies number, officers and priyates
including the band, sixtyeight men. the companies
not being full. The one hundred men engaged on
the works will probably leave it and return to their
homes.
The movement of Major Anderson puts at rest
the various rumors to the instructions that were
SAID to be sent to him. to surrender the forts NJ the
command of the Governor of South Carolina.
The fall details of the latest news from Charles
ton will De found elsewhere in this paper
FORT SUMTER.
The fort in which the Government troons b,va
now concentrated, is seven miles from the Charles
ton Battery. 1t is thus described by the Charles
ton Mercury:
Fort Sumter is built upon an artificial island
at the entrance Of our harbor. The foundation
being OF st0ue it must be of the STRONGEST notrra
That portion of the fort above the water line ia of
brlck and concrete of the most solid character
Its plan is truncated pentagon with one side mar
aHel to the adjoining shore, thus presenting o,
angle to the channel. OF the truncated anoles the
eastern, western and northern are simply formed
INTO Pan-conpeea, whilst the other two are formed
OF two small faces, making angle of about fifteen
degrees with the sides of the pentaron At each
intersection OF the small faces is a say-port The
nelght OF the parapet above the water-pe is sixtv
iee'. on the eastern and western sides are the
Ill. k0
on the Southern side are the officers quarters
which are finished in very handsome STYLE
- IL Is mounted with the heaviest guns of the
ohl'eo states service, arranged in three tiers the
TWO lower Delng Classmates and the upper Barbatte
guns The Casemate guns are those which are
hred from an embrasure in the Scarp Walls and
are protected from the enemy's shells bv arcbpd
oonp-proof covering overhead; the Barbette, those
Wnich IRE over the parapet, which exposes the can
nonniers to the fire of the enemy althouob :, M,
instance, the height of the ramparts is So oreat
that there IS comparatively no danger from the
shot OF an enemy's feet. The armament consists
OF lao pieces, placed in the following order: The
heaviest guns such as the 80 and 64 pounders on
the hrst uer u and 32pounders On the second tier
Coiumbiads (o and lO-inch) and heavy sea coast
m0rtars On the top of the ramparts
The heaviest pieces are turned toward the barbor
the lighter toward the land side which side il f,r
ther protected by musketry, for which loopbolps
are cut in the Scarp Wall. The number Of each
KIND OF gun Is about thirty 64-pounders, the same
number Of S2-pounders, forty 4-pounders. ten of
each calibFe of Columbiad, ten Pinch and ten
lO-inch morters, capable of throwing about fonr
thousand 4,O00) pounds of shot and four thousand
three hundred (4,SOO) pounds of shell at each dis
charge.
On the terra-parade plain are situated two furna-
ces for heating shot. The magazines are situated
on the inner sides of the sally ports and contain at
present, AZ, 600 pounds ofpowder, and proportion
ate quantity of shot and she'll The landing tn the
Fort is on the southern, land side and is formed
by wharf projecting toward the shore and also
extending the length of that face
This fort would be nearly impregnable if finished
ana properly manned. 1t is at present so far com
peted that, with a little temporary work. il couId
be made so strong as to defy any attack by fleet
of large vessels. Its weakest point ia on tie sotb
side of which the masonry is not only weaIer
tnan tnat OF the other sides, but 1t is protected
Dy any hank fire, which would sweep the wharf
once landed, an entrance may at the present state
OF the construction, be easily made for the blinds
OF the lower embrasures, though six inch in thick
ness, may yet be easily blown away and even if
this was impossible, scaling ladders can roach
those OF the second tier which are not protected in
this manner. "
This concludes the brief sketch of a fort which is
most perfect specimen of civil and military engi
neerIng. The whole work has been conducted in
manner that reflects the highest credit upon the
engineers and is worthy to occupy the pIhminent
position that 1t holds In conclusion, we take oc-
caslon to aude to one point of especial beauty
the construction of the arches-of which there are
nearly every variety-the Full Centre /" the "Seq-
ment," the "Groned," the "Askew," and the |
hampant,-and to add that the walls at their
base are II feet thick and the top 81 feet thick
Another description of the forts in the harbor of
Charleston says:
Ihe two works which are designed to command |
the entrance OF the harbor Forts Moultrie and |
sumter. 1he latter is the larger of the two, with
three tiers of guns, surrounded entirely by water
700 shoa for heavy ships to approach and vet suf-
hcent to prevent the of batteries nearer than
ooO or goo yards, where the shore line approaches
H'NSS moderate
would be entirely Impregnable to anv means ~ tba
disposal of the State.
FORT MoULTRIE
IS an enclosed water battery, having front on
the south, or water side, of about 200 feet and
depth of about 240 feet 1t is built with salient
and re-entering angles on all sides, and is admira
bly, adapted for defence either from the attack of
stormlng party, Or by regular approaches The
outer and inner walls are of brick capped with
stone, and filled in with EARTH makipc solid wall
10 or l6 feet in thickness. The work now in pro
gress consists in cleaning the sand from the walls
OF the fort ditching it around the entire circum-
ference, and erecting glacis; closing up the most
ern gates in the east and west walls and insfaad
cutting saly-ports, which lead into strong ont
works on the southeast and southwest angles in
whlcn lz-pounder howitzer guns will be placed,
enabling the garrison to sweep the ditch on three
sides with grape and canister. The northwest an
gle OF the fort las also been strengthened bv has
tionette, to sustain the weight of heavy pun
Wnlcn VIII command the main street ef the Island
The main entrance has also been better secured
and trap-door, two feet square, cut in the door
or lngress and egress At this time the height
Of the WALL from the bottom of the ditch to the
Top OF the parapet, is 20 feet. The ditch is from
= = to 10 feet wide at the base, and Is feet Deep
The nature of the soil would not seem to admit of
ms depth being increased, quicksand having been
reached in many places. The work on the South
de m is nearly finished. The counter-scarp is SUBJ
tantlally Dullt OF plank and spread with turf The
ylacs is also finished. 1t is composed of sand, and
covered with layers of loan and turf all of which
s Kept firmly in place by the addition of sections
'f plank nailed to uprights sunk in the sand and
,rossng each other at right angles making squares
1f about ten feet each, -
Inc purpose of the glacis which is an inclined
pane Is to expose an attacking party to the fire of
me guns, which are placed as to sweep it from
me crest OF the counterscrap to the edge of the
oeacn: on the north side all the wooden gun cases
nave been placed close together on the ramparts
apparently for the purpose of securing it against
IN escaiade, but possibly as screen for battery
y heavy guns. good many men are engaged in
clearing the ramparts of turf and earth, for the