The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1860-07-18

Carolina and body of rovaIisrs to
"teftiiy aud distract, So that the assault
al Charleston would have struck an AS.
tonishing terror aud flight" He re.
ported South Carollna TO be IN ~ n,u,in.
ous state that delighted hrm :" tile men
would certainly rise OH their ,fficers the
battery on SulIivan's Island would no,
discharge two rounds" This opinion WAS
spread through the fleet, and leca,ne the
heiIef Of ev"ry sailor on hUa,d. With.
or without Clln,on's ail, the co,umudore
was persuaded that with his trained sea
men and marines, he could take aud keep
possession OF the fort, iii Clinton sli,.uld
send "s many troops AS he might think
proper, and who might euter the fort in
the same way"
Captain Lamperer walking with Moul,
trie Oh The platform, and looking ut the
British sn'ps ut.~ar, all Of which had al
ready come over the bar. addressed hun !:
We'll, Colonel, What do you think ui 1t
now Awe shall beat them,' SAID MuuI
trle. "lhe men ol-war." rriuiaed the
captain, will knock your fort down IN
half sn'hour." "'Ihen," SAID Muultrrp, 1--WE
will lie behind the ruins aud prevent
their nen from banding"
On the morning Of The twenty eig,h a
gentle sea breeze prognosricated the at
tack. Lee, from Charleston. for the u,u,h
Or eleventh. time. charged Moul,rie To lin
'Nh the bridge for his retreat, promised
him reinfOrcemcuts, which were never
sent, and striI mcdilated removing him
from his command while Muultrp,
whose faculties, under the outward show
of lmperlurnble and even indoeut calm,
were strained To their utmost tension,
rode TO visit his advanced guard on the
east. HIRE the commander, William
Thomson, Of Orangvhurg, of hush descent.
native OF I-mnsy Ivauia, out from lis
childhood citIz,n OF South Carolina, n
man OF rare worth III private hte, brave
and intelligent IA An officer, had, nj the
extrem point. posted ttly Of rhe militia
behind sand hills and myrtle bushes. a
lew hundred Yards III the rear lie guarded
breast"orks that had teen thrown ur,
with three hundred rfemen Of his own
regiment from O'angehurg and It's re,gh
h"rhood, with two hundred uf Cark's
North Carolina regiment, two hundred
more OF the men OF South Carolina under
iioHy, aud the raccUon company of rifle
men. On his left he was protected bv n
m"rass: on his right 10y one eighteen
pounder and brass six FOUNDER, which
overlooked the spot whs.e Cliuton would
wish To land.
Seeing the enemy's boats already in
motion on the beach at Lony l>ond, aud
The men OF war iousIng their tuIsAils,
Moulirie hurried back to his fort at iuII
speed lie ordered the long roll to beat.
and "tiir'is and meu To their posts. HIS
Whole nnnhrr, including himself and of.
hceI-, WAS four hundred and thirty five Of
whom twenty Two were of the fourth Irr
'ntht ot artillery, th" res; oi hl, own reg
iment men wlo Were bound TO each
other, To their officers, aud TO him, lv
personal affection and confidence Mex
To hIm III command WAS Isaac Muile The
major OF his regiment WAS the frarlrsS
and fault.ess francis Marion. The tort
WAS square with ba>tIun at each an
gle; hul!t Of palmetto logs. dove tailed
and boiled together, aud laid in parallel
rows sixteen feet asunder; Lelwcen these
rows the space vas filed with sand Ga
the eastern and northern sides the pal.
melto wall WAS only seven ieeI high, but
It WAS surmounred 10y thick plank, so as
10 he tenabIe against scaling party
traverse OF sand extended from east 70
west. The southern and western curtains
were finished with their platforms, on
which the cannon were mounted. The
stan' ara which WAS ad,anced TO the
southeast hasrIon, displayed flag of blue
wIh whlte crescent, on which was EN-
hlazOned LIBERTY. The whole number
OF cannon in the fort, the bnstons, and
tie two cavaliers, wa4 but Ihirty one, OF
which no more than twenty one could y,
The same time ne brought into use OF
ammunition there were tut twenty erhi
rounds for twenty SIX cannon. At Had
ellis Point across tho bay Armstrong
had about fifteen hundred men. The first
regular South ""~ lima regiment, under
Christopher Gadsden, occupied Forr John
son, which stood on the mrst norlheilv
part Of James Island, about three miles
from Charleston, and within point.blank
shot Of the channel Charleston WAS
guarded by more than TWO thousand
men.
Half an hour after nine in the morn
ing, the commodore gave signal TO Cln.
ton that lie shonld go on the attack. An
hour later the shipslof war wero under
weigh. Gadsden. CottsSorth Pincknev,
and the rest at Fort Johnston watched
all their movements in Cbarleslon the
wbarfs and WATERSHEDS along the hay
were crowded with troops under arms
and lockers on. The men Of Carolina
must foil their adversary, or their city
may perish their houses be sacked and
burned, and the savages on The frontier
start from lurking places. No grevous
expressions weighed down the Industry
Of South Carolrna {; she came forth to the
struggle from generous sympathy and
now the battle is to be fought for her
chief city. and :be province.