Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1861-04-14
rnE pEEESsEs or onAnlasros.
FROM ne Now York Herald
FORT HUMrEn.

From ne New YORK Bsraid
FoRT sUMrER.
Fort Sumter is a modern truaested p~enssgo-
nal fort. built upon an artificial Island II the
mouth Of Charleston hsrbor, three and three
eighth miles from the city OF Charleston. The
island has for its base a sand sRd mud bank,
with a superHtTueture, II W. may 80 term II. OF
the refuse chips from several northern granite
q%uarries. These rocks are firmly embedded In
the sand, and uPon them the present fortihca-
tion il reared. The island itself cost hRlf a
million OF dollars, and was ten years In con-
etruction. The fertilization cost smother half
A million dollars, and at the time OF it's oceu-
pancv By Maj"r Anderson was 80 nearly com
Melted AZ TO admit The introduction OF iss arm
sment. The walls are Of solid brick and con-
crete masonry. built close 70 the edge Of the
water. and without a BERN. They are sixty
feet high, and from eight 10 Nelys feetin
thickness, and are pierced Tor three Tiers Of
guns on the north, eass, and west exterior sides.
Us weakest point is on The South side, Of which
the masonry Is rot only weaker than that OF
the other sides, but Il is rot protected by anY
flank ERE, which would sweep the wharf.
Once landed, an entrance may, at the present
state Of the construction, be easily made for
the blinds Of the lower embrasures, though six
inches in thickness, may yet be easily blown
swav, and even IL this was impossible, scaling
ladders can reach those Of the second tier,
which are not protected In this manner. The
work is designed for an armament OF one hum
dred and forty pieces Of ordnance OF all cali
bres. Two tiers Of the guns are under bomb
proof classmates, and the third or upper tier
open, or in military parlanee, en- bGTbsiie the
lower tier for forty-two FOUNDER paixhan guns ;
the second tier for eight and ten-ineh colum-
biads, for throwing solid or hollow shot, and
the upper tier for mortars and twenty-four
pound guns. The full armsment Of the fort,
however. had not arrived there when Major
Anderson took possession; but since It's oceu-
pancv by the present garrison, no work has
been spared to place It in an efficient state OF
defense, by mounting all the available guns
and placing them ia salient points. As W
before remarked, the full ornament Of tbe fort
is not in position, as only seventY-iivs OF the
one hundred and forty guns required for it are
now mounted. Eleven Paixhan grns are
among that number, nine OF them commanding
Fort Moultre, which is within easy range,
ard the other two pointing toward Castle
Pineknsy, which is well oct Of range. Some
Of the columbiads, the most effective weapon
for siege or defensive operations, are not
mounted. Four Of The thirty-tRo FOUNDER bar.
bette guns are on pivot carriages, which gives
them the entire range Of the horizon, and 9TH
ers have a horizontal sweep Of FIRE Of 1870 de-
grees. In addition to these weightier prepara-
tons for defense, the walls are pierced every
whers for muskets, Of which there are endless
numbers ready and loaded. The magazine
contains seven hundred barrels Of gunpowder
and an ample supply af shot, powder and
shells for one years siege, and a large amount
Of miscellaneous artillery stores. The garri-
son is amply supplied With water from artif-
clal wells, which are supplied by the frequent
showers Of rain. In a defensive or strstsgeti-
cal point Of view, Fort Sumter radiatss FIRE
through all the channels from the sea sp-
proseh to Charleston, and has 4 full sweep Of
range in its rear or city side. The fort is sui
hcientIy out Of range from a land artillery at
tack, so that all apprehsnsions for preaching
It from that source may be put at rest, unless
by guns of superior csliher. The maximum
range of the guns from Sumter is three miles;
but for accurate firing, sufficient to hnll a ves-
sci, the distance would require to be reduced to
one-half OF that figure. The war garrison Of
the fort is six hundred men, but only seventy
nine Of that number are within its walls, with
the laborers-1O9, all told.
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