The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1861-05-09
Slaughter of Rebels in Fort Moultrie.--
Statement by Soldier who was There.
From the New York Tribune, April

slaughter OF ReDelS In Fort M0ultrlc.-.
Statement by a Soldier who was There.
From the New York Tribune, April 80.
A soldier who was drafted into the
service of the rebels in Charleston, and
who served at the guns of Fort Moul-
trie, at the seige of Fort Sumter, has
made to us the following statement.
His reliability is vouched for, and we
have every reason to believe that his
statement is every way worthy OF be-
| lief.
Our informant states that he served
under Capt. Havens, and went into
Fort Moultrie the day after Major An
derson left for Fort Sumter. He re-
mained three or four days after the
fight. He belonged to the artillery, and
served at the guns most of the time
during the seige. The guns of Port
Moultrie opened about halfpast four in
the morning, but Major Anderson did
not fire gun for nearly two hours af.
ter. When he did open, his fire was
rapid and destructive. The balls from
Fort Sumter struck the portfolios of
Moultrie, and at nearly every discharge
somebody was killed. Their places
were supplied by others. There were
in Moultrie more than one thousand
men, and between three and four hun
dred were kept at the guns constantly.
Not more than that number could pro-
tect themselves in the easements of
sand5ags, which, while they afforded
excellent protection, were much torn
up and knocked down. Itwas between
nine and ten o'clock on the first day
that the greatest loss of life occurred.
The barbette guns of Fort Sumter
were silenced early in the day, and the
round shot from these were most de-
struetive to Fort Moultrie and caused
the greatest loss of life. They were
fired with great accuracy, and at times
the scene in the Fort was terrible.
During the seige betaoeen three and four
hundred acere killed, and a large nam
Der aoere acomsded. The killed were
collected together in mass, and at
night placed in boxes brought down
from Charleston and taken away to
Potter's Field and inferred during the
night. Some of the men were horribly
mangled, and others were scarcely dead
when thrown into the boxes. Blood
flowed in streams from these reeepta-
eles, and the sight was horrible. The
surgeon at the Fort sent for help, and
others came down from Charleston.
The wounded were removed to the
Hospital, where such as have not since
died, now remain.
In order that the truth should not
be known in Charleston, the soldiers
were charged to say that nobody was
hurt, and were threatened with certain
death if they disclosed the facts. There
were good many killed in the dwell
lings outside the Fort. The Moultrie
house was very much damaged, and a
large number of buildings in the neigh
borhood of the Fort demolished. The
officers quarters in the fort were rid.
died, and it is the opinion of our infor-
mant that had there been three hundred
men in Sumter, Fort Moultrie would
have been destroyed, and the Rebels
driven out or killed almost to man.
He left Moultrie three days after the
engagement, and went to Charleston.
The people there would not believe
that nobody had been killed, and made
constant inquiry for their friends, who,
they were assured, were still on Sulli-
vans Island. Hundreds of families
are yet to learn the truth, which is
kept from them by the greatest vigi-
lance.
Our informant was duly discharged
from the service, and, with five others,
embarked on board the bark Smithoni-
an, Capt. Davis, which reached New
York on Friday morning last.
One of the Charleston volunteers
who was on Morris Island during the
late bombardment of Fort Sumter,
came here yesterday by the d. Is.
Pitts. He says that at least one hum
dred and fifty men were killed and
wounded at the batteries on Morris
Island, by the canister of Major An
derson. He had occasion to be at Fort
Johnson also before he left Charleston,
and there he learned that on Sullivan's
Island thirty-nine men had been killed
that a mortar had been blown from
Fort johnson by shot from Sumter.
He had to go to Charleston in boat
with some passengers, and when there
embraced the opportunity and slowed
himself away in the schooner, and in
that way got off. He says that the
dead were all taken and boxed and car
ried away in the night and buried in
Potter's field, where the negroes are
buried. He says that thousands of
negroes only want some of their lead
ers to give them the word, and great
will be the slaughter.
THE HEIGHT OF IMPUDENCE.-Par-