Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-04-18
From the Mercury Of Monday, 18TH
Bombardment of Fort Sumter!!
suRRESDER OF MAI. ANDERsO

We closed the report OF the grand military
diorama in progress on our Bay amid The
ciouds and gloom and threatening perils of
FRIDAY night. The firing, abated in The early
evening as though for-the concentration OF
its special energies. commenced again at ten
| O'Clock, and amid gusts of rain. and clouds
/ that swept the heavens, the red hot shot and
| lighted shells, again streamed from the girt
\ of batteries around, and concentrated in
| fearful imports over Fort Sumter. OF the
| effects little was visible, of course, and anx-
] ious citizens, who from battery, spire and
| housetop. had bided the peltings of the
| storm, mute spectators of the splendid scene,
| could only wait the opening of the coming
| day for confirmation of the hopes and fears
with which the changes in the scene success
sively inspired them
| AS dawn approached, the firing again
abated, and when the rising sun threw its
| flood of light over the sparkling waters from
a cloudless sky, it was but by random shots
| from outlying batteries, with scarce an
answer from Fort Sumter, that spectators
| were assured the contest still continued, and
| that human feeling was not in harmony with
| the grace and glory of the scene. 1t was but
a little while, however, before the energy of
action was restored, and as the work of des-
truction still went on, 1t was feared that still
another day of expectation and uncertainty
| was before US. But at o'clock the cry
arose from the wharves, and rolled in one
continuous wave over the city "FORT SUM
| TER Is ON FIRE." The watchers of the mig bit
before, who had retired for few moments,
| were aroused, occupations were instantly
suspended. and old and young, either mount
ed to their points of observation, on rolled
in crowds upon the Battery, to look upon the
last and most imposing act in this great
| drama
| The Barracks to the south had been three
times set on fire during the bombardment the
| day before, but each time the flames were i'm
| mediately extinguished. Subsequently, how
| ever, a red-hot shot from Fort Moultrie, or
| elsewhere, found lodgment, when the fact
| was not apparent, and the fire, smouldering
| for a time, at length broke forth, and flames
and smoke rose in volumes from the crater of
| Fort Sumter. The wind was blowing from
the west driving the smoke across the fort
and into the embrasures, where the gunners
| were at work, aud pouring its volumes
| through the port holes; the firing of Fort
| Sumter appeared to renewed with vigor.-
The Fire of the Fort, long, fierce aud rapid,
| however, was gradually abated, and although
at distant intervals gun was fired, the ne
cessity OF preserving their magazines and of
avoiding the flames, left the tenants little lei
sure for resistance. But the firing from with
out was continued with redoubled vigor.-
Every battery poured in its ceaseless round of
shot and she'll. The enthusiasm of success
inspired their courage and gave precision to
their action; and thus, as in the opening, SO
in the closing scene, the beaming sunlight
in view of thousands crowded upon the
wharyes and house tops, and amid the boom
ing of ordnance, and in view of the five i'm
mense ships sent by the enemy with rein
forcements, lying idly just out of gun shot on
the Bar, this first fortress of despotic power
fell PROSTATE to the cause of Southern indie
pendence.
At about 9 O'Clock the flames appeared TO
be abating, and it was apprehended that no
irreparable injury had been sustained; but
near 10 O'Clock column of white smoke rose
high above the battlements. followed by an
explosion which was felt upon the wharves,
and gave the assurance that if the magazines
were not exploded, at least their temporary
ammunition were exposed to the element still
raging. Soon after the barracks to the east
and west were in flames, the smoke rose in
redoubled volume from the whole circle OF
the fort, and rolling from the embrasures, it
seemed scarcely possible that life could be
sustained. Soon after another column of
smoke arose as fearful as the first. The guns
had long been completely silenced, and the
only option left to the tenants of the fortress
seemed to be whether they would perish or
surrender.
At a quarter to one O'Clock, the staff, from
which the flag still waved, was shot away,
dUu 1T WAS long III uOuUL hutbutE, IL LutIC
was the ability to re-erect it. But at the expi-
ration of about twenty minutes. it again ap-
peared upon the eastern rampant, and an
nounced that resistance was not ended. In
the meantime, however, small boat started
from the city wharf, bearing Colonel Lee,
Pryor and Miles, Aids to Gen. Beauregard,
with offers of assistance, if perchance the
garrison should be unable to escape the
flames. As they approached the tort the flag
,ka Erfr fr.lp h.att
les was undated, they started to return, and
had progressed, perhaps. the larger portion
of the way when a shout arose from the
whole circle of spectators on the island, an
nouced that the white flag of truce was
waving from the ramparts. A small boat
had already been seen to shoot out from
Cummings Point, in the direction of the
fort, in which stood an officer with a white
flag upon the point of his sword. This Off
Ger proved to be Col. Wigfall, Aid to the
Commanding General, who, entering through
a port hole, demanded the surrender. Major
Anderson replied, that "they were still fling
on him." ''Then take your flag down." said
Col. Wigfall ''they will continue to fire
upon You so long as that is up" And further
intercourse, resulting in q surrender OF the
fort, upon ter ms definitely arranged by Major
Jones, the Chief of Gen. Beauregard's staff,
was held, which will be more distinctly set
forth in other portions OF the paper The
boat with other Aids from Charleston. had
returned, and receiving Col. Wigfali, they
| all came over to the city; and thus inaugu-
| rated the closing act in the military drama.
In the afternoon Major Jones, Coils. Ches-
nut and Manning, with other officers and the
Chief of the Fire Department and the Pal
metto Fire Company, went down to. Fort
| Sumter, and the details were concluded. We
| have not now the time to make a detailed
4 - -
| state at present that the walls are uniDjured.
| Upon one of the faces Ito the Best) exposed
to the water battery, it bad received eighty
| shots; the other, equally exposed to this bat
| terry and to Fort MOultrie, had received
| more. Many of the doors to the embrasures
had been driven in, but the permanent iDju-
~ was slight; the balls penetrated but about
| 8 or 10 inches, removing about half bushel
| of material. The cOrnice of the parapet in
many places was knocked of, but all the
parapet guns dismounted had been restored
| to their positions. and their carriages seemed
| then but little injured by the flames. The wall
| was most dishgured by the balling from
Cummings Point, but then there was little
progress to a breach. Some of the easement
guRs were dismOunted, and the devastation
| within the fort was great; the gunners were
covered with fragments of shells. The bar
racks were swept entirely away, and there
was nothing left but loose mass of brick
and mortar.
THE SCENE At FORT SUMTER.
An officer who visited the fort soon after
tie terms of evacuation were made, states
that the scene there presented is beyond con-
ceptiOn. Without, the walls have the ap-
pearance, at distance, of having been COW
cred with an immense number of brick poul-
tees spattered in every direction. This is
the SCATTERING effect of the shot. Within the
entire fort wore an aspect as if the hand of
the destroying angel had swept ruthlessly by
and lett not a solitary object to relieve the
general desolation. The bIackened walls of
the officers and soldiers quarters were yet
smoking, ashes and embers met the eye at
eyeIY fuIn while the shot and shell which