Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1861-04-15


formed Of the numbers and the importance
of the fOrti6eations aud works about
Charleston, we have made the following ab-
straet concerning them.
FORT SUMTER.
Fort Sumter is a truncated pentagon, or
I Eve sided fortf6cation. The walls are sixty
| feet in height, and are from eight to twelve
feet in thickness en- four sides, but on the
| fifth side, are but four feet thick. They sre
built Of solid brick and concrete masonry.
The fort is situated on the west side of the
ship channel with its base, which is the
weaker side, towards the land, and nearly
parallel to Fort johnson and the battery on
Cummings Point. TheWalls On this side
were originally looPholed for musketry, but
Major Anderson has had the embrasures
stopped with stone and secured with lead.
The work was designed for an armament
Of lao guns arranged in three tiers, one over
the other. The upper tier are sH bar6ette,
not being protected overhead. The two
other tiers are under bomb proof easements;
the lower one being constructed 70 contain
forty-twO FOUNDER Paixhan guns; the second
for eight and ten inch columbiads for solid
or hollow shot; the third for tWenty-four
Founders and mortars. Eleven PSixhan
guns are said to have been mounted by An ;
derson on the first tier. The regular war
garrison Of the fort is 900 men, but the folee
at the time Of attack was but los, including
labOrers, musicians, &c.
FeRT MoULTRIE,
Is an inelosed water battery, having a
front Of nearly three hundred feet on the
South, and distence about q mile and half
from Sumter None Of its guns are under
cover, but are shielded BY bags and barrels
of sand and palisades Of Palmetto logs
There are two walls Of brick capped with
stone, the space between which is filed with
earth, thus making wall some sixteen feet
in thickness. The armament consisted Of
eleven heavy guns and several mOrtars, but
has probably been considerably increased Of
late.
oTHEE BATTEEIEs on suILIvAN's ISLAND.
There are also on sullivan's Island. One
masked battery oftwo 42s and three 32s.
One battery Of two 10-ineh mortars.
One battery Of three 42s and two mortsrs.
One other fiTs gun battery.
| a3One forty-two gun battery which CON-
| mands the east side Of the island.
FORT JOHNSON.
Fort johnson stands on the site Of old
Fort johnson Of Revolutionary times. It
Is one and q fourth miles from Sumter and
has four heavy guns. It is simply huge
sand battery.
CASTLE PNcKNEY.
Castle Pinekney is q small work placed at
the southern extremity Of s'shutes Folly Is
land, /" and 10 principally important from the
! fact that Il cOmm6nds the whole eastern
| line Of the city. It's armament consists of
about Is pieces; a and 80 Founders, six CO.
/ lumbiads and several mortsrs.
THE FLOATING lATTERT.
Concerning the Floating Battery Of which
30 much has been said the n. 7. Herald has
I the following:
Il is constructed Of palmetto logs, sheath
ed with plate iron, and is supposed tC Seim-
pregnable against shot. Il is embrazurec
1 for and mounts iour guns Of heavy calibre.
| Il requires sixty men 70 operate it. The frat
I impression on seeing this machine is that of
/ immense solidity. The outer or gun aide is
covered with six plates Of iron-two Of them
! of the T railroad pattern, placed horizontal
I ", and the other four bOlted one over the
other, in the strongest manner, and running
vertically. The wall Of the gun side is full
four feet thick, constructed Of that peculiar
palmetto wood 50 full Of fbrous material that
sixty-four pounder cannot pierce When
moored It is kept in place by four heavy
wedges, driven ds8n BY heavy species Of
ran, which viii hold It fast, and prevent
any sWaying around BY the tide.
During ths recent engagement this bafie-
y wa noored OF Sullivan's Island in lbs
direoti0n Of Fort Sumter.