Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1861-01-19
4 lrrIo . Fort NIsuItrIe and Caailo Pinck-

New York tug and ierry-boat thrown in,l
plies between the city Of Charleston and the
island OF Sullivan twice day, going and
coming that number Of times. With unex-
pected and cOmmendable punctuality, it start
ed yesterday morning not later than ten
minutes after its advertised hour Of depart
ure, presenting a very busy and bustling spec
tacle at that time.
There were a good many young fellows
aboard in military uniforms, complete and |
partial, most OF them slim and spare in figure, |
some tall, generally with straight black hair, |
worn longer than becomes soldier. They
had on blue coats, gray coats, ordinary trock |
coats, felt hats military caps with golden
nalmetto trees embroidered in front or the
initial letters designating their corps, and
were armed indiscrimiuately with muskeis
and swords-sOme sporting Colt or Adams,
or Lindsay revolver placed rather conspicu-
ously in a belt in front. Their talk was pa
triotic and decidedly belligerenI.
TIE lower deck Of the vessel displayed a
score of wheel-barrows,t ,trusses Of hay crates oi
turnips, cabbages, potatoes, bedding, keg OF
gunpowder, cannon balls, large hog with
its feet tied together,a horse or two, wagon,
and many "bOys " in charge of the proper
ty. With this miscellaneous cargo, animate
and inanimate, we left the long wharf at the
foot of Market street. and steamed toward
the island OF Shutes Folly-a mile distance
reaching Castle Pinokney in about twenty
minutes.
Castle Piuckney is little fort and not
much to look at, appropriately pink in Color
at present doing its best TO assume mill
| tary appearance, with piles Of sand-bags be-
tween the cannon on its ramparts, and, OF
course, the Palmetto flag fying-a white tree
OF red ground Our arrival produced scene
| of much animation A company Of military
| young gentlemen advanced at brisk Louave
| trot. and formed in a line on the little pier,
their discipline not being so strict as TO forbid
/ their interchanging cries Of recognition and.
/ even of hadinage with friends on board the
| steamer. Certain Of these intending 10 dis
] embark, and the state of the tide not allow
ing the steamer to approach the pieE ooa-
/ put off from the tort ior their accommOda
! ton. In the meantime our passengers pelted
the military young gentlemen with newspa-
! pers, many Of which fell short of their desti-
nation, bedecking the salt water with Mercu-
ries and Couriers. I noticed one gentleman
who achieved a triumphant success by the
aid of a turnip; wrapping around that yege-
table his newspaper, it alighted appropriately
in the stomach of the intended and doubtless
gratifed recipient. -.
Very soon We were again steaming over
the brown waters of the bay towards Sulli-
vans Island, and approaching it had good
visw of Fort Sumter, with the stars and
stripes floating deiantly in the bright breezy
morning of comment and obju-
ration on the part of military fsllow-passen-
gers. Most Of them predicted that it would
not be allowed to "insult South Oarolina" by
its presence there for another week but there
were some who looking thoughtfully at the
solid masonry of the strong oetagonal fortress
with its double row of portfolios, (most o.
them closed, but none the lest suggestive fol
that its long columbisds pointed menacing-
| ly atsits opposite neighbor, Fort Moultrie-anC
knowing something Of the courage and Icy
! atty of its ommander--confessed that, j
attacked, it would assuredly cost the Pal
netto State a dear price in the blood of hel
braVest men. Some ofthe plans suggested fol
it's assault, if enumerated, would expose me t
the. charRe of falsihcation or -burlesQue: EnI
IL Pleasantly we steamed onwards, the s9n
growing hotter over head until it was posi-
lively sultry, foolish person in our bow
harmlessly diseharging his revolver at sucL
stray looms as skinned over the surface o.
theWater. Three quarters of an hour brought
US to Sullivan's Island, where, disembarking
we commenced perspiring walk OF less thar
half mile to Fort Moultrie.
SulliEan's Island is all sand, place of sum-
mer resort for bathing and pleasure-loving
Charlestonians, many Of whom have villas
upon it. These, at this season of the year,
are all closed, Moullrieville, as it is called,
looking as silent and deserted place under
the hot noon-lide as could well be imagined,
except for the struggling stream of pedestri-
ans setting, like myself and party, in the di.
rection of the fort. The houses are almost
exclusively Of wood, of irregular construction
and shabby aspect; the gardens horrent with
the spiky "Spanish dagger" as I believe it is
called and occasional palmettos, more or less
genuine. We saw a picturesque cluster OF
the real article, four in number, by the road
side. '-
1t is a very tropical-looking tree, its
straight, sharp leaves radiating from the ends
of its branches, which grow only together in
a cluster on the summit. When young its
trunk invOluntarily suggests species Of in
sane pineapple run to seed; when old it is
exceedingly hard, and asserted, like " the
herb PantagrueliOn," to be capable Of resist
ing both fire and sword. One of the most
4 popular banners displayed during the seces-
sion movement in South Carolina repre-
sented " Abe of the West axe in hand en-
deavoring, in vain, to split palmetto log.
Fort Moultrie is, as the newspapers will tell
i you, an enclosed water battery, having a
front on the south, or water side, of depth
of about three hundred feet built with salient
and re-entering angles o. all sides, and is
admirably adapted for defence, either from
the attack OF a storming panty or by regular
approaches" That is to say, provided it is
not exposed to the fire of hostile garrison in
Fort Sumter Passing along its narrow and
not very deep moat, we joined the throng of
spectators at the entrance.
Here a couple of soldiers on guard with
crossed muskets and bayonets, blocked the
way, and an officer q believe a Lieutenant)
responded to many applications for admission,
according few. A sick man was carried out
a quantity of newly washed linen, a negress
in pyramidial turban Of bright colors, half
a dozen recruits, a bottle of whisky and
cheese were passed in. Unable ourselves to
obtain The privilege Of entrance, we strolled
around the fort looking seaward. A more
fortunate acquaintance whom l encountered
in the return to the city gave me some few
particulars as to the look of the interior
The cannon disabled by Major Anderson
still lie in picturesque confusion, all smoke
stained and discOlored below the rampar.s
though their spikes have been removed. They
we're twelve in number, pointed directly to-
wards Fort Sumter, hence the gallant Ken
tuckian's object is apparent-the Illustration
of any attempt to stop him during his re-
moval. Why they have not been replaced
on gun-carriages my informant was unable
to conjecture; possibly for lack Of the same
All the other guns are loaded and levelled