New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-04-18
NUMBER 80.
FULL PARTICULARS.

FROM the Charleston Courier of Saturday las
we extract the following particulars of the frst
days bombardmant Of Fort Sumter:
AT about clock, on the afternoon Of Thurs
day, General Beauregard made demand on Major
anderson Tor the immediate surrender of Fort
Snmter. through his Aids, Col. James Chesnut Jr
Coi' Chlscln and Capt. Lee. Major Anderson re-
plled that such would be inconsistent with
tue duty he was required by his Government to
perform. The answer was communicated bv the
General Chief to President Davis
inns VISIT, and the refusal Of the Commandant of
: Fort sumter to accede to the demand made BY
General Beaurcgard, passed from tongue to tongue
anu soon the whole city was in possession of the
s1aftlihg intelligence. Rumor, as she is wont to
do shaped the facts to suit her purposes enlarged
lhelf dimensions, and gave them complexion
which they had not worn when fresh from the nure
and artless hands of truth.
a hal an hour after the return of the orderlies it
was confidently believed that the batteries would
open nre at clock, and in expectation of seeing
'le oeGlhnns OF the conflict, hundreds congregated
upon the Battery and the wharves looking out on
the bay There they stood, straning their ewes
over over the dark expanse OF water, waiting to see The
Hash and ear the boom of the first gun The clock
told the hour of II and still they eazcd and listened
but the eyelds grew weary, and at the noon of the
night the larger portion of the disappointed spec
tators were plodding their way hopeward
At about O'Clock, Gen. Beauregard received
| reply from President Davis, to the telegram in re-
atlon to the surrender of Sumter by which he was
instructed to inform Maj. Anderson that if he would
|
OF provisions was exhausted, there would be no ap-
peal to arms. This proposition was borne to Mai
Anderson by Aids who had delivered the first mes.
sage, and he refused to accept the condition The
Generalln-Chief forthwith gave the order that the
batteries be opened athalf-past O'Clock on Friday
morning. Maj Anderson's reply was decisive Of
the momentous question, and Gen. Beauregard de-
| termlned to apply the last argument.
At the gray of the morning of Friday the roar of
cannon broke upon the ear. The expected sound
was answered by thousands. The houses ware in
a few minutes empted of the excited occupants
and the living stream poured through all the streets
leading to the wharves and Battery. On reaching
our beautiful promenade, we found it lined with
ranks OF eager spectators, and all the wharves
commanding view Of the battle were crowded
thlckly with human forms. On no gala occasion
nave we ever seen nearly SO large number of
ladies' on our Battery as graced the breezy walk on
tnIs eventiul morning There they stood with pal
pltating he2Tts and paid faces, watching the white
smoke as it rose in wreaths upon the soft twilight
air. and breathing out fervent prayers for their
| gallant kinstoik at the guns. 0 what a conflict
| ragged in those heaving bosoms, between love for
husbands and sons, and love for our common
mother, whose insulted honor and imperiled safety
had called her faithful children to the ensanguined
| field
at thirty minutes past 4 O'Clock the conflict
was opened by the discharge of a shell from the
| Howitzer Battery James Island, under the
command of Capt. George S. James, who followed
| fields of Mexico.
The sending of this harmful messenger to Major
Anderson was followed by deafening explosion,
which was caused by the blowing up of tuding
that stood in front OF the battery
| While the white smoke melting away into
the air, another shell, which Lieut.. W. Hampton
Gibbes has the honor of having fired, pursued its
noiseless way toward the hostile fertilization.
| The honored mssive described its beautiful curve
through the balmy air, and falling within the hos
tile fortress, scattered its deadly contents in all
| directions Fort Moutrie then took up the tale of
| DEATH and in moment the guns from the redoubt
| able Gun Battery on Cummings Point, from Capt
| McCready's Battery, from Capt. Jas. Hamlton's
Floating Battery, the Entilade Battery, and other
forticatons spit forth their wrath at the grim for
| tress rising SO defantly out of the sea.
Major Anderson received the shot and shell in
| silence. And some excited lookers-on ignorant of
the character of the foe, were fluent with conjec-
lures and predictions, that revived the hope fast
dying out of their hopeful and tender hearts But
the short-lived hope was utterly extnguished when
the deepening twilight revealed the Stars and
| Stripes floating proudly in the breeze. The bat
teries continued at regular intervals to bech iron
vengeance and still no answer was returned by
| the foe. About an hour after the booming began
| two balls rushed kissing through the air and
glanced harmless from the succeed bricks of Fort
| Moultrie. The embrasures of the hostile fortress
| gave forth no sound again ill between and
O'Clock, when, as if wrathtul from enforced delay
from casematc and parapet the United States
officer poured storm of iron hail upon Fort Moul-
trie, Stevens Iron Battery and the Floating Bat
terry. The broadside was returned with spirit by
the gallant gunners at these important posts
The firing now began in good earnest The
curling white smoke hung above the angry pieces
OF friend and foe, and the jarring boom rolled at
regular intervals on the anxious ear The atmos-
phere was charged with the smell of vainous
saltpetre, and as if in sympathy with the melan-
choly scene, the sky was covered with heavy
Clouds and everything wore sombre aspect
A boat bearing dispatches to General Beaure-
gard from Morris Island, reached the city about
O'clock reported that all the batteries were
working admirably; that no one was injured, and
that the men were wild with enthusiasm
A short jrnn pftnptb b1t haJn
the schooner Petrl, from Hog Island Channel re-
ported that the shot from Stevens Iron Battery had
told upon the walls of Fort Sumter. And also that
Fort Nloultrie had sustained no damage.
About % o'clock Capt. r. S. Parker reported
from Sulvan's Island to Mount Pleasant that
everything was in fine condition at Fort Moultrie
and that the soldiers had escaped unhurt.
The same dispatch stated that the enlbrasures of
the Floating Battery were undamaged by the
shock of the shot, and though that formidable
structure had been struck eleven times the balls
had not started single bolt Anderson had con-
centrated his fire upon the Floating Battery and
the Dahlghren Battery, under command of Lieut.
Hamilton. number of shells had dropped into
Fort Sumter, and one gun en- barbette had been
dsmounted.
The following cheering tidings were brought to
the city by Col. Edmund Yates acting Lieutenant
to Dozier, of the Confederate States Navy from |
Fort johnson. Stevens Battery and the Floating
Battery doing important service. Stevens |
Battery has made considerable progress in breach
ing the south and southwest walls of Fort Sumter.
The northwest wall IS suffering from the well |
aimed fire of the FLOATING battery, whose shot |
have dismounted several of the guns on the para |
pet, and made it impossible to use the remaining |
ones. The howzer battery, connected with the |
impregnable gun battery at Cummings Point is |
managed with cOnsummate skill and terrible effect |
II o'cloCk.-A messenger from Norris Island |
brings the glorious news that the shot glance from
the iron-covered battery at Cummings Point, like
MAJ bles thrown by child on the back of a turtle
The upper portion of the southwest wall of Fort
Sumter shows plainly the effect of the terrible can
nouade from the formidable product of Mr.. c. H.
Stevens patriotism and irgtnuity.
A half an hour later the gladsOme tdiDgs came
that Stevens Battery was fast damaging the south
west wall of Sumter.
Henry BUST is doing gallant service with the Pal
metto Guards, delightng all hearts by assuring us
in the city that everything going on well at
the Iron Battery, which was still proof agant sixty
eight Founders, and the men in good spirits.
boat reached the city from the Floating Bat |
terry about half-past II O'Clock, and reported that
a shot from Fort Sumter penetrated the top or |
shed of the structure, and three shots struck the
sand bags in the rear of the battery.
Another messenger, who arrived short time
after the above was bulletined confirms the cheer
full news.
II oclock.-We have Just learned by an arrival
from Cumming Point that the batteries there are
doing good service-Stevens' Battery very success
full. Not single casualty has happened. The
troops are in the best spirits. Two of the guns at
Fort Sumter appear to be disabled Considerable |
dana has bpen done n of he uf1lrprS'