Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1861-06-04
Mr.. susseIl's opinion Of 1he s1 n - :
Ii .q Affair.

IL
Mr.. Russell's letter to the London 7sm..
ter; 'Ss' Suni
Inc walls of the fort are dented on all sides
snot marks, but In no instance was auv an
Ploacn made 70 breach, and the greatest dam. .
ese, one OF the angles on the south face, did
not extend more than two feet into the mason-
ry. which is Of very fine brick. The usranet is
OF course, damaged, but the casemate embras.
ures are uninjured. On landing at the wharf.
we perceived that the granite copings had suf.
tered more than the brickwork, and that the
stone had split up and splintered whereIi, vas
s@uck. Inc ingenuity Of the defenders was
evident even here. They. had no,mortsl with
adapted as blinds to the windows Of the nnn,oN
tected south side, but Msjor Anderson. or bIs
subordinate, Capt. Foster, had closed the elabs
IN WIN lead, which he procured from some
Water-piplng, and had rendered them proof
against escaiade, which he was prepared
also 10 resent by extensive mines laid under
sne wharf and landing-plac to be fred bv
friction tubes and lines laid inside the work.
he had also prepared q number of shells for
tne same purpose, to act as hand -greuades.
with friction tubes and lanyards, when hurled
down from the parapet on his assailants. The
ent' 20 the fort was blocked up by masses
OF masonry which had been thrown down from
tne walls OF the burnt barracks and oficers'
quarters along the south side. A number of
men we're engaged in digging up the mines at
the wharf, and others were busted In com,
pleting the ruin of the tottering walls, which
were still 80 hot that 1t was necessary TO keen
hose OF water playing on part of the brick
WORK 10 an uninitiated eye 1t would seem az
II the Tort was unenable, but in reality In spite
OF the destruction done to IL, a stout garrison:
properly supplied, would have been in no dam
ger from anything except the explosion of the
magazine, of which the copper door was
Jammed by the heat at the time of the eurren.
der.
Exclusive Of the burning Of the quarters and
the intense heat, there was no reason for prop.
erly handled and sufficient force to surrender
the place. tits needless to say Major Anderson
had neither one nor the other. He was in ALI
respects most miserably equipped. His guns
were without screws, or tangents, 90 that his
elevations we're managed by rude wedges of
deal, and bis scales marked In chalk on the
breech OF the guns. and his distances and bear
ings scratched In the same way on the side of
the em6rasures. He had not single fuse for
bis shells. and he tried in vain to improvide
them by filling pieces of bored-out pine with
caked gunpowder. His Cartridges were out.
and he was compelled 10 detail some of his men
TO make them out of shirts, stockings, and Jack
tts.A
de had not q single mortar, and he was con-
PEELED to the desperate experiment of planting
long guns In the ground at an angle OF As de-
grees, for which he could find no shell, as be
had no fuses which could be fred with safety
he had no sheers to mount his guns, and chance
alone enabled him to do 80 by drifting some
lLrge logs down with the tide against Sumter.
Finally, he had but one engine to put out fire
in quarters. walked carefully over the parade,
and could detect the marks Of only seven shells
in the ground; but Major Whiting told me the
orders were to burst the shells over the parapet,
so as to Illustrate any attempt to work the bar
bette guns. Two Of these were Injured BY shot,
and one was overturned, apparently BY it's own
recoii; but there was no injury done inside any
OF the easements to the guns or works.
The shell splinters had all disappeared, car
ried of, am told, as "Topbies." Had Major
Anderson been properly provided. 30 that be
could have at once sent his men TO the gune
opened fire from those in barbette, thro wn hell
and bot shot, kept relays to all his casemates,
and put out fires as they aroee from red-hot shot
or shell, he must, | have no earthly doubt, have
driven the troops off Morris Island, burnt out
Fort Moultrie, and silenced the enemy's fire -
HIS loss might have been considerable; that OF
he Confederates must have been very great
AZ 1t was, not a life was lost BY actual FIRE on
either side A week hence and il will be i'm
possible for feet to do anything except cover
he descent of an army here, and they must lie
III, at the least, four miles from the nearest
Ivailable beach.