Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-08-03
Operations Against CharIeston-Reb-
OF BATTERY Wagner.

ell 4ccOunts-rerriffc Bom
OF battery wagner.
The following is from the Charleston Mercury
ofJuly %:
Saturday last was a day which will be forever
memorable in the history of Charleston. The
heavy rains had moderated the excessive heat of
the preceding fortnight. the morning sky was
cloudless aud the light breeze scarcely ruffled the
placid waters of the harbor.
BoMBARDMENT OF BATTERY WAGNER.
About eight O'Clock the desultory cannonade
with which the experience of a week had made
our community familiar was again heard. For
nearly three hours the enemy's FIRE was main
tanned with the usual deliberatiCn; bur about III
o'clock IL was noticed that the reports On me in
far more rapid succession, DX noon il became
well understood that the Zoe wa resolved to sub
ject our position TO an or~de~-huch more severe
than any which, up to that time, It had en-
countered. p e As
At that hour, AS we learn by accounts IRON
Morris Island, The eonverging FIRE of the enemy
against the battery had become truly fearful.
Five Monitors, the frigate lrousides, seven
wooden gunboats, with the land batteries which
the Yankees had thrown up on the lower part of
the island, kept up a constant rain of shot and
she'll into our works. No less than sixty five
heavy guns aud eight ~rn1rtars are known 10 have
DeeD III lldN aHdilirb US. n ~ 6lDt 50 Tdltu
was the fire that the reports averaged twenty
seven per minute. One of the Monitors lay north
east of Battery Wagner and two to the south
east, while the others. with the lr0nsides. kept n
position nearly opposite the sea face of the bat
terry. The wooden gunboats unanswered at seme
distance outside the line Of the turreted monsters,
relying chiefly upon their long ranged riied siege
guns There were tvo Yankee batteries on Nor
ris Island-Oue. consisting of two guns anG a
= mn AT
eight hundred yards of our battery; the other was
beyond Grsham's House, and had an armament
of eight rifled shell guns.
1t is estimated that during the day no less
than nine thousand shells were fired at the
battery.
THE COMMANDMENT, AS VIEWED FROM THE CITY,
was a grand, terrible sight. The horizon, from
Fort MouItrie to Vinegar Hill, was crowned with
the shifting masses OF the smoke of the conflict.
Etch moment the enemy's shells. sometimes sin
gly, sometimes in clusters, could be seen burst
ing Just above the site of Battery Wagner; but
when, at intervals, the clouds of white smoke
lifted for a time from the scene. the flag of the
brave garrison could be seen still waving defantly
in the breeze, while with grim regularity and de
liberation our guns kept replying to the foe
For eleven consecutive hours the lombard
ment ragged with more OF less violence About
dusk the fire, which during the afternoon had
been ince-sant probably with the design of de
moralizing our men and ursflting them for the
expected nights work. began to slacken consid-
erably, and at dark ceased almost entirely. The
results, thus far, had been Of a character TO give
us good cause for encouragement and g%ratula
ton. The damage to our battery was insignia
cant and of "A kind easily and speedily reparable
The bombproofs had afforded efficient protection
to a large portion of the garrison, and our casual
ties at seven O'Clock p. NJ were but four killed
and fourteen wounded. OF the enemy's losses
from our FIRE. if any. we have. of course, no
trustworthy account Fort Sumter, which bore
a part in the action, sent several shells into the
Craig Hill batteries, and also into the camp OF
the enemy, about three and a quarter miles dis
tant, it is believed, with good effect.
THE NIGHT ATTACK.
At a Jew minutes before eight O'Clock oul
pickets gave notice that the enemy in heavy force
was moving to the assault. The attack was moi
unexpected, and our men, though much jad-d by
the fatigues and exposure of the day. sprang tC
their places with zeal and alacrity. The enemy
advanced in two columns of about three thou
sand men each, the whole under command o.
Brigadier General Strong. The column which
attacked our right was composed partially o.
negro troops, who were put in the advance. Or
our left the other column advanced with spirit
under a severe fire from the Dahlgren guns anC
coIumbiads from Fort Sumter. As the column
advanced at double quick, the guns of Batter,
Wagner also opened.
When the enemy had reached a point sixtl
yards distant, our infantry, posted behind thu
parapet. poured a CALLING fire into the moving
masses; the Yankees, nevertheless. in considera
bic force. succeeded in gaining the trench, an'
began To Chamber up the sides of the battery. a
this moment Lieutenant Waties, of Blake's bat
tery. who was in charge Of two brass hOwitzer:
(belonging to a detachment of artillery undo
Capt. DePass. of Whites battalion,) opened
raking fire which swept the trench, playing terri
BILE havoc in the ranks of the ASSISTANTS. TIL
howitzers had been assigned to this position which
they occupied SO advantagecusly for US. at tn
instance Of Col. Harris, of the engineers, all tn
horses belonging z TO the section being put hors d.
combat during the day. Twice the enemy wer
driven back ut this part of our works (the left,
ard the trench filed with the enemy's dead at
tests the severity of the conflict there.
On the right. the negro troops were met with
terrible cross fire of musketry. Here was posteC
with other troops the Charleston battalion. anc
these gallant men behaved in a manner worthy
the fame their organization had so dearly won n
Secessionville The second assault was still
more desperate than the first, but it was met anS
repulsed in the same gallant style by the Draw
troops-Georgians, North Carolinians, and SON
of our own city who stood shoulder to shoulde
in the fight.
In the centre of our lines, a small body of thu
enemy succeeded in gaining a Judgment in = sa
lient, the gun of which had beer disabled. Her,
they maintained their position for more than al
hour. A gallant but unsuccessful attempt wa
made to dislodge them. in which Capt RYAN fell
and it was not until a small force of Georgian
had assembled the magazine and thus gained
position to command the salient that the auda
cious Yankees surrendered. At the time thi
occurred, the firing elsewhere bad ceased; ant
the Georgians accomplished their purpose withou
firing a gun. The movement by which this wa
effected was undertaken at the suggestion of Col
Harris.
THE HEAVY LOSSES.
The fight lasted from eight until eleven ?. NJ.
and was of a desperate character throughout
The enemy's losses were very heavy. His kille