, 1861-04-19

Effects Of H5a3or AUdefsonss Fire.
1hirtE Men Altlesi ~ Fort Mo1lIrfe
Fart IT 1he Floating Battery Knock-
ed Away, ETC. 81 ~ ~
Tbs folioaln5 IL an extract from ptiyate
letter received by a gentleman IL New York:
CHARLESTON, april Il. 1861.
It is g painful duly to chronicle the first ef-
fusion Of poed which fnaugnrates revolution
tat history will bl1eh to recnrd. At twenty
making the demand aud being refused It's sur
render, the batteries at Norris and SaIliva1's
Islands opened upon Fort Sumter, q: d have
heea constantly dg!rg ever elEce. It was not
uEtil eft eleven O'Clock that Anderson re,
tarned their fire; but when he did open, 1t
viction to every one that they had one to deal
with who understood hi. business and had the
will to rry 1t ca.
It il indees: glocmy day; all business Ia
suspended, sDd nothing but the heavy boom
ing Of the artillery, which is shaking the city
| to lis very foundations, dlsturbs Tho silence
aud gloom which haugs like q psl over us.
Every eligible spot that can be obtained Is &C.
| cupied, aud every eye strained by the eager
| multitude Of uler, women and children to
witness the conflict, though but little can bo
/ seen, as the smoke obsturcs tie TO- rtifca-
tIons bat VIC cau-see the bursting Of the
| bombs and the striking OF the balls. The
principal batteries now in service aro the iron
| battery OH So:ligan's Island, the floating bat
I terry and Fort Mou1trie. The shell discharges
hare been from mortar5, which We could tell
from the bursting ofthe shells. Most Of the
| firing has been rery poor, many Of the shells
| bursting au.rtcr amt haltA mile away, while
t Anderson has made majority Of his tell with
fearful execution. ..
1t is impossible to ascertain Eith any cor
! rectuess the amount Gf damage that he has
done, as all tie accounts which have come up
| ~; an fhau 4
from their oHn camp; but I accidentally
overheard condlentisl talk, In which one
who had come up from the batteries admitted
that thirty had been killed at Fort Moultrfe,
besides ! grest many wounded. Tbs news
from Morris Island is that none n=c hurt; hut
how unreasonable to onb Who has witnessed
the iacessant firing il this statement. Auder-
eou did nObly. For ten consecutive hours he
haa kept ND constant IRE, at az average Of
two discharges e minute. Now tell me that
4 ha has done no damage. It has been Gcknowl-
edged thas one end OF the floating battery has
It Is now over twelve hours since the action
commenced, and the discharges from the
South Carolina batteries Lave averaged five
per minute; and uotWifhE taEdiDg tuis vast
amount of shot and she'll which. has been d.
rected against Fort Sumter, as far as can ba
seen BIZ the glass, no damage has been done
beyond the 9nocking away Of the ehimEeys
aud the roof OF the wooden railway.
Il has been reported that the United States
fleet has arrived oif the harbor.. II so, why
don't they coms to the relief Of Anderson
II they do not, shall think they have coun.
try unworthy of the mau- All! it is a, sad
| sight to see the flashing oil the guns, and heal
the booming Of heavy artillery, directed
against the devoted garrison. Il my oountrJ
can stand this insulE, she is unworthy her na,
tioual name, and lost to her national honor
If eloquence, energy or perseverance, could Dc
It, with my present feelings, I could 90 homs
and raise regiment to wipe out the disgrace
Are your WidaAwakes dead Never LET 1t bt
| said th1t tney are.
n-Tne fire Ia Increasing with trench
dous power by AudeEaon, who has Just st1encet