The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-04-16
THE WAR.
by Telegraph
DESCRIPTION OF THE ATTACK ON FORT
SUMTER.

SUMTER.
CHARLESTON, April A.-The morning of Satu
day dawned beautiful and clear. The air VI
balmy and refreshing, and the streets were soc
again filled with citizens, male and female. wbi
and black, young and old, thronging the batter,
wharves and steeples. A few random shots wei
bred from the Confederate batteries, Sumter onl
occasionally replying. 1t then became apparer
that the fortress on which all eyes were rivetec
was on fire. A dense mass of smoke was seen or,
aually to rise above the ramparts Some suppose
IL was merely signal from Anderson, to draw i
the fleet to his aid, which were in the o1ino onie
ridlng at anchor Four vessels could DE clearly di:
tInguished ranged in line directly over the bar an
apparently, biockading the port completely. Thei
ong oiack hulls and smoke-stacks proved them to b
Federal steamers. Every one anxiously awaite,
| tne issue; and the suspense was very exciting VIII
they come in and engage the batteries was the que
| ry OF every onef Poltroons, if they do not, wa
the response OF every person. The batteries full,
expected the engagement to become general, AM
| by the aid of glasses it was thought that a move
ment was made to this end, by two of the wal
ships. AL ON shore soon thought to see the sane
| nylng from the Morris Island batteries
= About 10 o'clock, all attention was riveted or
Sumter Beyond doubt fire was raging in the
Tort; The flames soon burst through the roofs O.
the houses within the walls and the densest smoke
"AN h"hnVo issutu III volumes. AT this time AO1pr-
| son scarcely fired shot. The continua. BURSTING
| OF shells and showers of grape over the guns on
! the ramparts drove the soldiers under cover
From the iron battery on Cummings Point a con
Vl1uUus hre was Kept up. Its rifed cannon play ed
SAD havoc on that portion of Sumter facing il.
The firing from the Floating Battery and from Fort
Moultrle was very regular.
Standing on Charleston battery and looking ses-
Waru you nave on the right the mortar battery and
Fort ohnson, nearest the city and two miles and
nall oil. mile and half from Fort johnson
is cummings point battery mounting three ten
lnch Coiumbiads, three sixty-four Founders three
mortars m a and one ritied cannon. Cummings point
Is only fifteen hundred yards from Sumter and II
can be readily imagined what havoc A regular fire
created The men working the guns were per
fectly protected by the sand redoubt which was
scarcely injured by the weak fire which Major An
derson kept upon it. The battery was commanded
DV MAJOR Stevens with the Citadel cadets under his
direction. ms
Each she'll from this battery found its destination
wlthin SUMTER and during the entire lombard
ment scarcely missile of this character missed
It's mark On the other side of the harbor, direct
~ opposite Sumter, on of its strongest sides.
lay Fort Moultrie, which, during the past three
months, had been strengthened by every appliance
"hich military art could suggest Its merlens,
moat, glacls embrasures, ETC.. perfectly protected
the weak walls of the old fort, and made the oun
ners secure while at work from this point
throughout the engagement vast numbers of hot
shot and heavy balls were discharged. Behind the
r
the floating battery was stationed, with two sixty
tour and two thirtytwo FOUNDERS and its impene-
trape SIDES OF iron and palmetto logs rendered the
men so secure that they INDUCED, during the con-
test, In pastimes with cards, etc.
Mount Pleasant battery, five hundred wards from,
the floating battery, mounts two mortars within
excellent range of Sumter, and from here the shells
were thrown with the greatest precision.
thus you now have all the positions of the works
bearing directly on Sumter. Through FRIDAY morn
ing, all these batteries were actively enpaped =
lhree times Anderson's barracks were set on fire,
and twice his men extinguished the flames but to
40 this 1t was necessary to employ all the force in
drawing water. More effectively to do this il was
necessary that some men should 90 outside the
walls and hand buckets through the port holes.
being meanwhile exposed to the terrific fire of the
batteries.
This expedient for obtaining water was not re-
sorted to until the third time the quarters we're on
hre, and the fire and flames had increased to such
an alarming pitch. Meantime Major Anderson's s
guns were silent and his enemies active By noon
tne names burst from every quarter and from many
OF the port holes and it soon became evident that
the destruction of the fortress was complete,
From the Charleston Mercury of Sa,uday1
BOMBARDMENT OF FORT SUMTER
SPLENDID PYROTECHNIC EXHIBITION
FORT MOULTRIE I1IPREGNABLE-
THE FLOATING BATTERY AND STE
VEINS BATTERY 4 SUCCESS-.NOBODY
HURT'' ON OUR SIDE, Etc, Etc.
AS may have been anticipated from our notice of
tne mllltary movements in our city yesterday, the
Domnardment OF Fort Sum ter, so long and anxious
ly expected has at length become a fact accom-
pEshed. The restless activity of the night before
was gradually worn down, the citizens who had
thronged the battery through the night anxious
and weary, had sought their homes. the Mounted
Guard which had kept watch and ward over the
city, with the first grey streak of mOrninp were
preparing to retire, when two guns in quick sue
cession from Fort johnson announced the opening
of the drama.
Upon that signal, the circle of batteries with
which the grim fortress of Fort Sumter is belea-
guered opened fire. The outline of this great vol.
canic crater was illuminated with line of twink
ling nights; the clustering shells illuminated the
sky above 1t; the balls cattered thick as hail upon
Its sides; our citizens, aroused to forgetfulness
OF their fatigue through many weary hours, rushed
again to the points of observation; and So at the
break of day, amidst the bursting of bombs, and
the roaring of ordnance, and before thousands n E
spectators, whose homes and liberties and lives
were at stake, was enacted this first great scene
In the opening drama of what, it is presumed,
Will he most momentous military act. 1t
may be drama of but a single act The mad.
ness which inspires it may depart with this single
paroxysm. 1t is certain that the people of the
North have ranking at their hearts no sense OF
wrong to be avenged, and exhibiting to those who
expect power to reconstruct the shattered Union
Its utter lnadequacy to accomplish single step ir
that direction, the Administration of the old gov
ernment may abandon at once and forever its yair
and visionary hope of forcible control over the
| Confederate States. But it may not be so; they
may persist still longer in assertions of their power
and if so, they will arouse an independent spirit II
the South, which will exact a merciless and fearfu
| retrbution.
But to return to our report. The act which WI
| have undertaken to record was so unique as mipht
be supposed there few incidents to mark it,
| Below we have presenteddhe reports as they sue
cessively arrived from the different batteries anC
which, when placed on bulletin board wer,
received with the most eager interest by the mas
of anxious friends who at every instant of the da,
came crowding to our office.
There were several circumstances, however, de
veloped by the days experience which i: is i'm por
tant to notice.
1t affords infinite pleasure to record that For
Moultrie has fully sustained the prestige of its glo
rious name. 1t fired very nearly gun for gun will
| Fort Sumter.
We counted the guns from eleven to twelv
| O'Clock, and found them to be AZ to 46, while tn
advantage was unquestionably upon the side O
Fort Moultrie. In that fort not gun was dismount
ed, not wound received, not the slightest perma
nent injury sustained by any of its defences Will
every ball from Fort Moultrie left its mark mo
Fort Sumter. Many of its shells were dr opped int
that fort, and Lieut.. John Mitchell, the worthy sol
OF that patriot sire, who has so noby vindicate
the cause of the South, has the honor of dismount
ing two of its parapet guns by a single shot fror
one of the Columbiads, which at the time he ha
the office of directing.
The famous iron batteries-the one at Cumming
Point-named for Mr.. c. II. Stevens, the inventor
and the celebrated Floating Battery, constructe
under the direction of Captain Hamilton, have fu
ly vindicated the correctness of their conception
Shot after shot fell upon them and glanced harm
less away, while from their favorable position hei
shots fell with effect upon Fort Sumter, and tn
southeast pancOpee, under the fire of the Stevens
battery, at nghtfal, if not actually preached, wa
badly damaged. At this battery the honor of firin
the first gun was accorded to the venerable Ed
mund Ruflin, of Virginia, who marched to the rer
devious at the sound of the alarm on Monda
night, and who, when asked by some person wh
did not know him, to what company he belonged
replied, "to that in which there is vacancy"
1t we're in vain to attempt an exhibition of tn
enthusiasm and fearless intrepidity of our citizen
in every department of this eventful day. Boat
passed from post to post without the slightest hes
taton under the guns of Fort Sumter, and wit
high and low, old and young, rich and poor in IN
form or without the common wish and constant effo
was to reach the posts of action and amid bombar
ment resisted with the most consummate skill ar
perseverance, and with the most efficient appliance
of military art and science it is most remarkab
circumstance, and one which exhibits the infn
goodness of overruling Providence that, 80 fl
as we have been able to learn from the most car
full inquiry, not the slightest injury has been su
sained by the defenders OF their country.
1t may be added, incident that contribute
little interest to the action of the day, that fro
early in the forenoon three vessels of-war, two
them supposed to be the Harriet Lane and Pawne
lay just beyond the bar, inactive spectators of Il
contest. Whether they will attempt to enter du
ing the night and encounter the batteries on eth
side that line the shore, is yet to be determined
so we will present the record of a bloody issue
our next.
,, , Fort Sumter did not return the fire of our bs
teries for over two hours, and ceased firing
, seven o'clock, 2. NJ, though our men continued
the hour of our going to press.
Annexed are the reports above referred t
. which appeared ON our Bulletin.
= FLOATING BATTERY, April II, A. M.-Capta
q R. S. Parker reports from Sullivan's Island to
y plaasant that avarp thinn in nnnd nrder at En