Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-09-07
The News from Charleston.

AO"liS
Gen. Gilmore had succeeded in running q
parallel against Fort Wagner. The iron.
clads had been withdrawn from their attack
on Fort Moultrie and the batteries on Sulli.
vans Island. Charleston had not been bonn.
Darded for the past ten days. The casualties
among the Union troops average about six
per day, from the various rebel batteries
Everything is progressing favorably for the
Union troops, and all are confident of A final
success of our arms.
An ensign of the fleet, while on night dutv
IN boat, had passed up close to the city, and
did not discover any appearances of obstruc-
tons. The impression was that our fleet
could pass up to the city, by run such as
admiral Farragut made, with far less cost to
the nation, than by the plan of reducing the
forts in rotation.
The operations of Gen. Gilmore are pro-
crossing with great vigor. His approaches
are now so close to Fort Wagner that the
combatants are throwing shell and hand gre
nades at one another. On Wednesday we
drove the enemy from his rifle pits, on the
left advance line, one hundred yards, and
captured IS prisoners, including two officers.
MORRIS ISLAND, Sunday, Aug. %, 1863
1t may be thought by some that the siege
ever, that it progresses surely. Gen. Gil
more has reputation of accomplishing what
he undertakes, and that he has admirablv
sustained that reputation his past acts fully
testify. One circumstance which WEIGHS
greatly in his favor is the fact of the complete
cooperation of every officer and man in his
department. They all acknowledge his su
perior engineering and military skill, and un:s
hesitatingly proceed to carry out his designs.
That such is an immense addition to a com
mander's strength, is too clearly established
for denial.
What appears to puzzle the rebels most is
an earthwork, built under the supervision of
Col. Serrell, OF Gen. Gllmore's staff and In .
Gated down IN the marsh, clear to our left.
lhey persist In wreaking their vengeance on
1t, although only one in about hundred shot
reaches 1t. Whether the shot from it reaches
them or not will best be known by reading of
the terrible CONSERVATION produced amonG the
people OF Charleston, at hearing shell explode
over the roofs and streets of the CITY. Our
nearest battery is four miles from Charleston.
From the island the steeples of the city can
be distinctly seen rising above the trees in the
intermediate space. The few shot fred in
that direction Immediately set the bells TO
ringing, the sound being audible to our men
in the marsh battery
MORRIS ISLAND, Sept 1.-Yesterday morn.
ing, 1t Is reported, one of the rebel iron-clad
rams steamed dawn tho I.-i,~- = A.. ~,
chorage the middle ground battery, or
battery Ripley, as it is called, and coolly
pointed her bow towards blue water She
passed fort Sumter and moved leisurely as far
down us fort Moultrie. where she stopped but
did not anchor. The object of her visit was
doubtless to make Il general reconnaissance
fn cd ia
movements were, of course, closely watched,
and Admiral Dahlgren, thinking that she
might possibly be in search of fight, signalcd
to the Passaic, commander Simpson, to go up
and offer battle The PASSAGES movements
were not unobserved by the rebels, and the
ram began backing and going ahead, to keep in
a position where she could fight or run. The
Passaic steamed steadily up. but before she
could get in long range of the heroic rebel,
the latter had slowly turned around and head
ed up the harbor. 1t was evident the ram did
not choose to accept the gage of battle.
Some days since the enemy made syste-
matte effort to blow up and destroy the gun
boats and transports in Stone Inlet by means
of torpedoes. Fortunately no serious dam
ege was inflicted upon any of the vessels by
these internal machines of destruction; but
the escape was quite narrow enough Tor com
lOTI.. OnS eAplUuCu Il llICle NStern OF
the Pawnee, and blew her launch, which
was towing astern, to fragments. A few mo-
ments later a tremendous explosion occurred
on Bird Key, few rods below the Pawnee,
occas0ned by another torpedo sent down at
thessame time. From facts since developed
it is certain that the rebels sent down on that
night at least ten of these inventions of the
devil, three or four of which exploded, and
four of which were picked up. One dFifted
through the fleet of transports and up the
Folly river,and exploded under the bow of the
mortar schooner c. p. Williams, but occa-
stoned no damage The torpedOes are pre-
cisely the same as those we have found in the
Light House creek, and go off at the slightest
conclusion. The method adopted in sending
them down and securing results is rather in
genious. The boat picked up in the Stone
the day after the explosions occurred were
fitted up for torpedo business. 1t had long
and wide plank fastened across the gunw ales,
upon winch the torpedoes were placed From
certain marks upon the plank it was evident
that ten of the machines had rested upon it.
The torped0es are launched upon an ebb tide
and sent down in pairs, connected by rope
fifty or aiXty feet long. On each of the ma
chimes rudder is attacled-one fashioned
hard port, the other hard a starbmrd. BY
this means the bows of the torpedoes have a
tendency to move on divergent courses, and
the line is Strengthened out. As they float
down the tide the anchor chain of the vessel
which is to be destroyed catches the rope
about in the middle, and the torpedoes are
borue down the current to the length of their
cable, when they swing around and strike the
side of the vessel The conclusion explodes
them, and the natural consequences attending
tee explosion of eighty pounds of powder I'M
der vessel follow. They did NOT work in
the instance referred to, but they may vet do
damage. Precautions have been adopted TO
prevent any serious damage to the vessels
from further visits of these deviiish inventions
of the enemy.
Recent arrivals of deserters and prisoner.
confirm all the reports given you in NV last
letters. Wagner will be held to the last mo.
ment and nothing, it is said, but want of wa.
ter will compel her to surrender. The dead
lie SO thickly around her walls that the waite,
from the shallow wells cannot be drunk If
compelled by thirst, some of the soldiers are
so imprudent as to swallow 1t, the next day
they are in the hospitals, and before the
close of the week many of them in theiI
graves. Brave attempts have been made tc
supply the garrison fro Charleston, but thus
far small quantity only has been furnished
Only at midnight, or under the cover of some
dense fog in the morning, have any vessel:
been known to reach them for the past eight
days. If the monitors would only cut off com
munlcation for one week longer the for
would be in our possession, and with for
Wagner, fort Gregg, and the whole of Mo rri
Island once ours, the stars and stripes in
few hours would wave over fort Sumter.