, 1862-03-04


Strewn thick with the dying and deadI
Then hu nb1y remember the Power that has ercn
Left thee, rs a moument here,
On whose forehead the WatehHord Is, " Trusting
in Heayen,r'
To light upward the brave Volunteer!
BRcokL7x, February sth, 1862.
Military Operations On the SaVannnIl--
A Herculean Task Effected.
We recently gave some reference to the
operations ky Gen Sherman's force, on the
Savannah River, accompanying the same with
diagra1n Of that part of the coast Of South
Carolina. The difficulties encountered by our
soldiers are will be best understood by tho
following interesting sketch Of the achieve
ment OF Gen. Fic1e in the erection Of Fed
era1 battery on Venus Point, cutting of
Savannah from Port Pulaski, which is thus
left isolated and useless to the rebels:
It was determined by Gen. Sherman to effect
4 blockade Of the Savannah, by = means which
had not been contemplated as possible, when
Fort Pulaski was erected; he ordered Gen.
Dy1nite instructions to tbi; effect were Issued
On Sunday, February 7th, and Gen. Viele at
once set about the task. The troops were
charged with the labor Of getting tic guns
from Danfuskie Island to Jones Island, dis
lance Of about fyc miles, and with dragging
them through the mud and mire Of Jones Is
land, up to Venus Point; Lieut.. Porter Of the
Ordnance, Lieut.. j. q. Wilson, Of the Topo-
graphical Engineers, and Mai. Beard, of the
4sth N. T., directed tile details Of that task.
General Gilmore, with detachment Of volun-
teer engineers, under Captain Sears, and as
sisted by Lieutenant O'Rorke, performed the
absolute engineer duty. On Sunday night the
six guns placed on flats were toWed part of the
distance Through the various creeks aud
sounds, but wind and rain interfercd, aud after
plying around i'll the darkness for few hours,
the party was obliged to return to Danfuskie,
but unable 10 reach its starting place, got
half mile further off from Wallis Cut and
Jones Island. The propiDquity to the enc
my, whose boats we're passing daily up
aud down the river, rendered it necessary
to constl uct tbis battery at night: 60 the next
day passcd without any further operations !;
meanwhile the question arose as to the point
on Jones Island which should be selected for
tho landing OF the guns. It had at first been
proposed 10 convey them around into the Sd
yannal, Immediately iu front Of Venus Point,
hu'fthis was deemed too hazardous, and Gen.
Fic1c finally determined on 4 point on the Mua
river, distant about mile from that where the
battery was to be -estabIisAed- On Monday
night the platforms for the battery we're laid,
| the surveys for tile work having Of course been
previously accomplished by the engineer OIL
the asd Toad also TSf pa maGkea out ~ cap
A%AHA9 %-Ao ~ AsNAhI. vi 4AE5Astt
| night tic. guns were again, got under
| way and this time the attempt
to tow them Wis successful. Under
the supervision Of the officers already snen-
| tioncd, they were conveyed through the mar.
row and shallow streams, Walrs Cut, Bull
! river, Cooper river, Wright river and Mud
| river, to the designated point on Jones Island,
| where wharf had been constructed Of sand
bags; few planks We're laid across it, and
now the real labor Of the enterprise begun.
| In
! is mss Of mud Of the most yielding nature,
| so that man cannot stand on it withoutsink'
ing at least to his knees, and frequently to his
middle. This is not an exaggerated state
ae1t There is not in the path, mile
loDg' from the sand bag wharf to tue !,, bat
mud too, is of the most Shiny description, 81
that the men we're constantly slipping, as vel
as sinking. The only way to make anything
like path was to trample down q few reed:
which might bear up ones weight for mo
nlent or two Immense puddlcs Of water stool
Ill around in The high grass into which tht
troops Eoused themselves constantly. 0yel
this country number Of heavy siege gun!
were to b. dragged for mile; ground whcr'
ono man could not stand was to be occupied
By regiment, and to hold mp great iron guns
weighing six thousand pounds. TIC officer
carried planks, to he laid in two parable
lines fora distance of 100 feet, and along thes1
the gun carriages were dragged; and but 20 mel
! at each gun. On the first night of this work
tue guns we're got ashore and dragged some tw'
hundred feet from the landing. On the secon'
night, the 1abors were resumed. It took from
ten clock until two to carry the first tw
guns to the battery; these were under charg
Of Lieutenant Wilson; the other two with tn
ammunition were under charge Of fLtcut. Porte
and Nlaj. Beard. These officers had also tue 81
percisicn Of the 1aboTs at and near the landing
so that their guns were not in position qnIt
go Eoon. But on the second night the enttr
work was in reality accomplished. Th
|. | magazine had been previously put u
by the engineers, and the guns wer
run at once upon their platforms, .whe
: erecting the works themselves, though not S
. immense as that of dragging heavy artiller
j | through a swamp at midnight, were yet II
+ n1arkablc. AS fast as the mud was lung u
! it slipped away, and there seemed dangt
!, tfat the platforms would entirely disappea
Z The men, too, were unused to such prodI:
Gus labor. They were tired and sleepy, aH
when relieved for q while, would fling then
selves down m the marsh, exposed to tt
deadly malaria
They were soaking wet. ard some Of tho
seized upon the sand bags, thrust their fc
into them, lied them up, and thus formed
sort Of gaitcr, which served as little prute
tion against tho cmnip1esent and penetrate
moisture. Others made beds Of the sand bag;
: | and others were stretched on the planks whi<
= 1sy unoccupied for moment afeera lowitze
or heavier gun, had been dragged along, Sti
the work went On. The officers cbeered Il
men by voice, and example, and direction
: and before morning the National forces h
, erected battery on the Savannah riyer. T
achievement was one Of the most difficult a,
dangerous Of the war. It wss done at nigl
liable to interruption from the enemy, who
gunboats might at any time have como dos
and shelled out the little party before our OF
= | vessels, in the background, could have gott
Fs up to participate. It YVES accomplished nj
atdacity, celerity, and secrecy, the th,
great requisites Of war1fkc proceedings. ::