, 1863-08-26
Grand totul. .....................37G guns.
FEDERAL ACCOUNT OF TILE SIEGE.
Correspondence Of the New York Wosld.l


FEDERAL ACCOUNT OF THE SIEGE.
Correspondence Of the New York Wosld-]
GENERAL HEADQUARTERS, MoHn1s Island
The bombardment Of Forts Wagner, Sum
ter and GrSgg has been kept up during the
batteries and the gunboats, aud the result Is
such as to insure the ultimate reduction Of all
the outposts ct the citadel which gavc birth
to The rebellion, and upon which tho last aud
esdllsst blow prepared By tbs Republic Il
about to iall.
Againet The approaching and now present
peril the rebels have made preparations as en-
esgctic, and perlaps Us perfect, as cou1d have
been devised. A new aud monster gun has
been mounted on Morris Island, which was
the b,l1 Is really opencd.'' It has not yet
been brought into play with much effect.
Fort Wagner has been strengthened, aud its
walls are now said to be over twenty feet
thick toward the sea. The best guns-lnclu-
ding teW from Sunter-with which the rebel
military service Is provided, are planted III
eide this tremendous battery, and ply their
demoniac trade upon our vessels, and against
our Torks while write. Fort Sumter itsalf
WAS provided With an outer wall, several feet
In thickness, which vas In turn hung with
rouderous sand boga to break the force Of cur
shot. The old wall vas. besides, strength
neeriug skill e: uld suggest. With what aVail
let the Aoney-comb, at which the sailors Of
the Federal feet asc HOT gazing With exu1ta-
tion from distance Of more than aiS hundred
The honbardment Of tie 11th, 18th and
10th inst. was carried on steadily by dry and
violently during the nights. On the 10th our
long-range guns shellsd Fc7t Sumter, doing
damage, not perhaps serious, but prophetic,
On th 9 nth aEd 18th, especially during the
latter dag, the tempest ragged on Battery Wag,
Ier and on Sumter With uuabated fury. Tie
lard batteries, opcaing ct daybreak on the
18th. poured on Battery Wagner continuous
storm, and the 1roueides, attended bya dozan
Monitors and gunbcats, assisted the bonn
ba1dment. For SIX hours m average Of twenty
shel1s per minute descended On and about tbs
rebel works. At IL O'Clock, the enemy inside
Wagner was given breathing spell, and tbs
storm was directed against Fort Sumter.
TEc lrocsidcR, with three Monitors, steaa,ed
feasless1y mp to within thTec-quarters Of
uile ct the fort. and poured III d continuous
and savage fire aGairst the south faca from
their riftd guns.
Attert three hours the fleet Withdrew, having
ecarred the walls with such seams as must
hare mado the rebels inside more dubious Of
the stability Of their dwelling place than ever
before.
Meanwhile Capt. George ". Rogers, who,
talsipg command Of the Catskitl, had, In com.
pany with few gunooats. turned his attcn-
his deck by solid shot from one Of the enc
my's guns, when within short distance Of
the Norris Island shore. PaJmaster Wood
bury, who stood bE his side, was killed at the
same instant. The entire fleet, as soon as
The ncws Of the catastrophe bec1me known,
flags 1T half:masS. The news Of the death CT
Captain Rogers was heard throughout the
| fleet vi: h the deepest sor7ow, and Admiral
Dah1g1en, when informed Of the circumstance,
bowed his head uuder one Of the creates aflic-
tfons that could hare betlleu his command
at such an instant.
Tie land batteries kept up their fire till late
st night. the music Of the zoo pounde1 Par
rot. guns being the deep and sombre ground
work over which the fierce war Of the lighter
| nrtil1ery was emh1oldered- Thu cannonads
was resumed on the morning Of the 18th, and
progressed during the day with great vigor.
| During the afternoon and night Of yesterday,
| its fury was unparalleled Steadily and regu-
larry as the cling Of balls the bomb Of tho
bombardment broke upon our ears through
| every hour. The Parrott guns we're worked,
as even the rebels themselves ackno Tle3ged,
| tellipg1y. The air between Morris Island aud
Fort Sumter, VAS flied with circles Of smoke
| from the shells, and over the fort itself,
| II -hazY ;cloud, made alike By their burst
| ing and the return fire Of the enemy, hung,
O. perpetual pail The effects Of many
shots could be seen with the naked eye. The
little that remained Of the outside wall or
shell erected for The protection Of ths main
tortrees, WIS utterly ruined. The fortress
| Itself was battered in many sections to frag.
1nents, and it is believed th?t tyro Or more ef
| the parapet guns were disabled. The rebels
defend Fort Sumter braTely, but a continu-
! ance Of the bombardment Of last night, and
It has been resumed to-tny with equal y1o.
lencc, mnst eventually reduce 1t to ruins It's
| replies arc feebler as writc-its best guns
are fred at longer Intervals. There is no eyi.
| dence that the inner wall Is pierced entirely
through, except in two OF three places, but Il
| is co thin and rugged that five drys more ol
| continuous firing will make breach o,
breaches eide enough to render further de-
feDse hopeless. Tie actual losses Of tn
enemy In men are 1nknnw1 =,