Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1861-01-19
OOMMUNO NOGATT00MS.
FOR THE KEOwEE COURIER
Sketches of Life in South Carolina
NJ MBER SIX. .

The distance between Charleston and Sulli-
vans Island being only about seven miles, the
voyage between them is, generally y-only too
short-a very pleasant trip of half an hour in
steamer, or if in a sailing boat, from one
hour to two or three hours rs wind and tide
are favorable, or otherwise.
But we will here give some account of the
two Forts, Fort Moultric and Fort Sumter,
which are now objects of so much interest to
the Inhabitants of Charleston, aud indeed to
all true Caroinians Fort Moultric is on the
Island; Fort Sumter, in the harbor, so nearly
opposite that the passage of all vessels is COM
pictely commanded by the two. We remcm,
bcr the time when standing on the beach and
looking towards the harbor, nothing could be
seen where Fort Sumter now stands, but
dark, Shadowy line, which we were told was
sand bank and even this was only visible at
Tcry low tide. Then operations were com
mcnced upon the sand bank-piles were driv-
en- in; stones, of enormous weight, sunk, &c,
&c.-and gradually this dark line became
more distinct and after a long time, and a
great deal of labor having been expended the
foundation of Fort Sumter raised itself from
the water After that the work proceeded
more quickly, or we should say rather less
"om(y Even then we viewed these opera
tions with jealous eye; experience in Multi
icatlon and States rights times had taught
the State that the Government Forts might
very probably be turned against her, instead
OF for her protection. And now we arc almost
daily expecting to hear of this very thing
that the strength of this new Fort will be
turned against us-to reduce Carolinians to
slavery, not to protect them against the for
eign foc-to drink their blood and convert their
III, Il
Surrounded on all sides by water and built
with modern science and skill, properly forti-
fed and manned this Fort is almost imprcgna-
bic, and God grant that the first history re-
corded of it may not be the attempt to cocrce
and subiugatc free born men and brothers
Fort Moultrie, on the Island itself is built of
palmetto logs, the wood of which is quite soft,
and balls entering it would bury themselves
without njuring the parts near them Every
Southcrncr knows of the celebrated victory
gained by this Fort, Moultric, over the Brit
ish Fleet under Sir Peter Parker. On the
2Sth of June, 1776, this Fort on Sulivan's
Island was attacked by eight vessels of war,
namely: two fifty gun-shps, Bristol and Ex-
pertinent; four frigatcs, the Active, Actcon,
Soicbny, and Syrcn, each of twenty eight guns,
the SphynX, of twenty guns, the Friendship
armed vessel of twenty-five guns, Ranger
Sloop and Thunder Bomb each of eight guns
The Fort was garrisoned by three hundred
and forty-four regulars, and few volunteers
of the militia, commanded by Col. Moultric
They made defence that would have done hon
or to any men, even the most experienced in
the " art of war" 1t was a com pimcnt to the
commanding officer, Col. Moultric, that the
Fort received his name. 1t was on this occa-
sion that Sergeant Jasper, of the Grcnadicrs,
distinguished himself by rescuing the flag of
South Carolina when in the beginning of the
action it was shot down. just as soon as it
fell he jumped on the beach tool, mp the flag
and fastened it to a sponge staff; with this in
his hand, he remountcd the fort, and though
the ships were directing their broadsdcs with
out cessation at the very spot at which he was
standing, he calmly and deliberately fixed it
in its place The British did their best to
shoot this one man down, although they could
not but have admired such heroic conduct.
This was not the only time that Jasper rescued
his flag" from the enemy. On the third
day after this victory the wife of Col Bernard
Elliott presented flag, worked by herself, to
the I'd Regiment, which had defended Fort
Moultrie with such bravery. She ended her
address by saying, "I make not the least
doubt under the protection of Heaven, that
you will stand by the colors as long as they
wave ia the air of liberty" He promised
in reply, "that they should be honorably sup
ported, and never should be tarnishcd by tho
I'd Regiment. This promise was faithfully
kept by Jasper on occasion of an attack three
years afterwards. made by the combined
French and American forces, under ID Estang
LaurcDs and Mcintosh, on the British lines a
Savannah. Three Lieutenants were shot dowr
while planting their colors; the last of them
Lieutenant Hume, was shot down in the very
act. The brave Jasper, seeing Hume fall
rescued again the flag and planted it, but il
doing so, received himself wound which end
ed in death but retreat was ordered ant
ho carried the flag with him This flag wa
taken at the fall of Charleston, Cor Charles
town, as it used TO be called in those days,
and it is said that it may now be seen in th'
Tower of London. just before the battle o
Fort Moutrie, the militia summoned by Pres
ident Rutledge, repaired to Charleston il
great numbers, from the country around Th'
regular regiments of the adjacent Northern
States arrived to aid their Southern brethren
at this crisis General Armstrong and Gen
eral Howe arrived, and ali we're put undc
Major General Lee the Americans, including