Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1861-04-24
= THE FALL. OF FORT. SUMTER.

Ia. THE FALL OF FORT, SUMTER -i b,
To report in full and adequately the events Of
Saturday, would require volume and better opPor'
tunities than we can now command ne can only
group together for the present the iacts OF most
prominent interest.
In continuation of our report Of Saturday morn.
ing we state that the firing was kept up slowly
through the night and after our report was closed
The effect and success Of the shooting on Friday
were even better than we then supposed, for we
now know that the wood work of Fort Sumter was
on fire three times, but was extinguished.
Saturday will be ever memorable in the annals Of
our State and country as the date OF an unpar-
alleled victory.
Marked BY no bloodshed, it u.s. nevertheless,
most astonishing feat Of arms In description of
its Details we shall endeavor to lay the facts before
our readers as concisely as possible. -
The effect Friday night, as most persons in the
city know, was truly grand and terrific. The firing
reached its most awful climax at about ten o'clock.
The heavens were obscured by rain clouds, and the
horizon was as dark as Erebus. The guns were
worked with vigo-, and their booming was heard
with astonishing dstinctness because the wind was
blowing in shore: At each discharge lnrid sheet
of fame was belched forth, and then another and
another was seen before the report reached the ears
The spectacle was grand Sometimes shell would
burst in mid-air directly the doomed fortress
and at all times the missiles of this character could
be distinguished in their course by the trail OF tire
left momentarily behind them.
All night nearly the streets of the city were
thronged with people. The housetops, the Battery,
the wharves, shipping and every available space for
witnessing the splendid scene, was thronged with
people, notwithstanding the peting storm, which dur.
ing most of the night raging The fire from all
the forts Sumter included and from the batteries OF
the Confederate States, was kept up with undated
vigor till early dawn. Then the rapidty of the dis
charges gradually diminished. When the sun rose,
all the clouds which had obscured the night were
dissipated. The day was abeaut!ful one. The ar
balmy and refreshing. The streets were soon filled
with citizens, male and female, white and black,
young and old. From the Battery to the wharves
and the steeples-hither and thither they went,
eagerly seeking the best positions to use their glasses
and telescopes.
Until about eight o'clock but few random shots
were fired from our batteries, Sumter only OCCASION
ally replying Then it became apparent that the
fortress which all eyes rivetted was on fire.
A dense smoke seen gradually to rise above its
ramparts. The fort certainly on fire. This ap-
pcared evident though some supposed it was merely
signal of Anderson to draw in the fleet to his aid
In the ofing quietly riding at anchor, were clearly
distinguished four vessels ranged in line directly
over the bar and apparently blockading the port
of two of the vessels proved them to be Federal
steamers. Every one anxiously awaited the issue.
The suspense was very exciting. Will they come
in and engage the batteries was the query on every
ones lips. Certainly. every person expected fully
expected the engagement to become general. By
the aid Of glasses it was thought that a movement
was made to this end by two Of the war ships. and
we thought soon to see the sand flying in all direc-
tons from the Morris Island batteries.
-
Sumtcr-now beyond doubt there was fire in the
Fort 1t was raging. The flames soon burst through
the roofs of the houses within its walls The dens
est black smoke and the bright flames poured forth
in volumes. All this time Major Anderson scarcely
fired a shot. His barbet guns that is, the guns on
the ramparts, were untenable. The bursting shells
and grape.shot scattered like hail over them and
drove the soldiers under cover. Not dared show
his head but at the risk of having it taken off, !
From the Iron Battery at Cummings Point
continuous fire was kept up and, as was afterwards
known, it played sad havoc with that portion of
Sumter facing it The firing from the Floating
Battery and from Moultrie was also very regular.
As we stand on the Charleston Battery looking
seward you have Mortar Battery and Fort john
son nearest the city, perhaps two miles and half
off, A mile and half from johnson is the Iron
Battery of Cummings, mounting ten guns, viz;
three ten-nch columbiads, three sixty-four pound
ers, three mortars, and one rifled cannon The men
working its guns were perfectly protected. Their
sand redoubt was scarcely injured by the weak fire
Major Anderson kept upon it. The battery was
commanded by Major Stevens, Of the Citadel Cadets
Under his direction each shell found its destination
within the walls Of Sumter, and during the entire
bombardment scarcely one missile of this character
went wide of its mark.
On the other side of the harbor, directly opposite
Sumter, is one of the strongest sides Of Moultrie-
During the past three months it has been strength
ened by every appliance military art could suggest
Its murions, glacis embrazures &C., perfectly protect
the weak walls Of the old Fort, and made the gun
ners perfectly secure while at work. From this
point throughout the engagement vast numbers Of
hot shot and heavy balls were discharged with pre-
cision. fully attested by the walls of Sumter.
Behind point Of Sullivan's Island nearest
Charleston the Floating Battery was stationed, with
its two sixty -four and two forty-two pounders and
its impenetrable sides Of iron and Palmetto logs
Every shot told from this point and the men were
so secure in their impenetrable position that they
whiled away their hours Of relief in the vorte past
time Of the soldier at euchre or bluff The Mortar
Battery, on Mount Pleasant, is five hundred yards
from the Floating Battery. It mounts but two
morars, but they are in excellent range of Sumter
and most Of the shells were thrown with great pre-.
cision.
Throughout Saturday morning they were all &C
tivity. Three times they set Anderson's barracks
on fire and twice he extinguished the flames, but to
do this it was necessary for him to employ all his
force in drawing water and throwing it on the fire.
The more eecually to do this it was necessary for
some Of the men to 60 outside the walls and hand
buckets through the port holes exposed to the ter
rife fires of the batteries and forts. This expedicnt
for obtaining water, not, however, resorted to
until the third time the quarters were on fire and
the flames had increased in fury to alarming pitch
in the meantime his guns were silent, and our men
active. These soldiers were not allowed to be ex-
posed more than few minutes, but were ordered
in when the shot from Cardinals batteries became
too thick. ,-s+ ,,-.,-r 49,. ,,-.--.-,.-,.. ~.
Towards noon flames burst from every quarter,
and poured from many of the port holes. The de-
struction of the fortress was inevitable; men could
not breathe smoke and fame. Still hot shot and
shells were. poured into it. and tho soldiers were
driven for refuge into the casemates. These are
spacious bomb-proof arches with walls fifteen feet
thick, and afford adequate protection. '. '5.'9.,a
| The wind was blowing from the West driving the