Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1862-01-17
Incidents OF the Bombardment OF Fort
pfcIrana

The following extract is from letter writ
ten by an officer on board tho United States
steamer Richmond, after The bombardment
! of Fort Pickens: sf. g-.a
went by invitation of Lieut.-----,of the
Engineers, to visit the fort. We took a
circuit first of the covered way, then of the
parapet and ramparts. All around the
Fort, inside and out, were marks of the enc
my's shot and shell. On the glacis, here
and there, were deep groves, ending in a
large hole, where the shot had pumped in
to it, and where there had been she'll which
had burst. The hole was great excavation
into which you could have driven an OK
cart. Where the projectiles have struck
the standing walls they have chipped of
patches of the brickwork, lit is brick and
not stone fori) perhaps eight or ten inches
deep, and where they have struck The cor
ners large portions have been removed; but
in no case has any part of the fortiication
received an injury tending in the least to
weaken it, and this after two days heavy
firing. The only man who was killed out
right, during the action, was an artilleryman,
who was passing into the casemates with
some bread from the bake-bouse. A shell
exploded at the other side of the area, and
ono piece, flying a distance of two or three
hundred feet, passed through his body, un-
der his arms. He walked few steps and
dropped dead. There we're many almost
miraculous escapes. A shell was heard
coming toward gun on the parapet aud
the men lodged under their bombproofs.-
The shell bit fairly on tho top of the bomb
proof, went through and dropped into {
pail of waiter beside the officer where i
exploded. When the mon came out agaiI
to resume their work, all they saw of thei
officer was his heels sticking out ofa pile
of rubbish. After digging him out they
stood amazed to see that he was not even
hurt. He rose up, shook the sand from bis
hair and clothes, and cody said, "Come
come, what are you standing there gaping
att Load that gun there" At it they
went again, as il nothing had happened
Another officer, who had charge of bait
cry of mortars, had no less than seventeen
shells strike within ten yards Of him.
saw the ground plowed up ip every direct
ion, and yet not o man was hurt. Abou
twenty of tho men who had been relieved
from their guns, were sitting smoking anC
watching the firing in a corner, protected
from shot by the walls, when half of a huge
shell struck aud buried itself in the middle
of tho group without disturbing them il
the least. "Whats thati' asked one,-
"The devil knows aud won't tell" indiffer
emily responded another, aud went on snok
ing. A l0,inch coluinbiad came rolling
toward group, the fuse whizzing aud smok
ing. "Wonder if that"ll hit usr' "Gues
not, we're too near itP' Crack went th,
she'll flying in every direction, but fortun
ately escaping them all. The rebel powde
was poor, as also their shot and she'll, ex
cept that portion which they succeeded il
stealing before tho rebellion broke OUT
Their practice, however, was said to be goot
how could it have been otherwisel Un
Gle Sam taught them at bis unparallele'
school at West Point; but with httl
thought that the teaching would be thu
employed. l.. .--