Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-07-23
THE NAVY Ar CHARLESTON

III tne late attack upon Ire batteries on Motifs Island
| He opens his letter thus:
Again this familiar locality has BIC the scene OF
stirring events and the big-mouthed guns which few
months ago sent the hundes If loyalty union and good
government into the of resson secession and oppres
giving good o the work which hour after
hour they are now Doing The bluffs If Morris Island
which front the main ship channel and have been dotted
with onegun batteries, orbdding the entrance into the
chaDne of any thing but block de and clads
held by loyal Unonovrg trof ps ard the star
and stripes floating above them - within thr-e MILF
| Of Fort Sumter
The writer then pr, &c. DIS stu that on lbs morning
Of the 4h instant when the roncla Montauk Weehaw
ken, and Nahant lying quietly IN Port Royal hsrbfr
orders came the G. mn,anders discontinue the repairs
which rapidly going and to Immediately prepare
for reporting readiness to move by Tuesday evening
Though the vessels thus repairing had their engines apart
turrets and pilot houses being strengthened and every
thing as opposite condition possible from fighting
trim yet two days suced to put them into shape again.
and before the limited time bad expired they in
der to move. The Cstskil and Patapsco still in
Edsto and the Nantucket had moved TO Stone, to be
eady for any emergency The Passac had not returned
from New York. and the New Irunsde still off Charles
on doing good service This the situation of the iron
feet which inst three months previous moved in such
grand march upon The birthplace Of secession The writer
then says:
..oa Wednesday noon the Montauk, Wesbawken, aud
Nahan with their respective conveys, moved from Port
Royal into the open sea, during one of the most magni
Gently grand and terrific squalls and thunder storms which
ever saw. The bowling wild, The storm Of rain, and the
tempestuous dashed and beat upon the little iron chips
with crazy fierceness, while the lightning played all
around Them and yet 10 the roncads it was though
the had been without ripple and the sky without
cloud Steadily moved on, and the dawn OF the fol
lowing morning found outside OF Charleston bar. The
Catsk hsd arrived from Edsto few hours before and
hese four little ships which il melted and into one
would hardly make decent sized frgate were here again.
had stolen and reared in front Of the city Of secession
and rebellion
"Soon after coming to anchor outside the bar
ceved word FROM Gen. Gilmore that he not entirely
ready but he would the attack in twentyfour
hours We remained therefore, at anchorage, making
such final preparation the state of affairs required and
ready to at moments notice. As the day
could easily perceive by the going to and fro Of steam
boats and the occasional signal guns that had surprised
the occupants Of Sumter and the guardians Of Charleston
With our glasses scanned the camps of Gmore's men
on Folly Island, and the ocsy wher IN few hours the
ball to be once more opened
'Ths morning (July 10th) soft aud mild At as
M all hands called, anchor up, and in
few moments were well under way, steamiDg well in
the bar IL too early to perceive the condition
Of affairs Morris Island and not until halfpas four
o'clock could easily distinguish the shore Admiral
Dahlgren who had up from Port Royal the Augusta
Dnsmore took his poeition board the Catski
his blue pennsnt Indicated As crossed the bar the
work of the day began commencing with the guns Of Gen
Gilmore on Folly Island which threw their shell and grape
far over the low lands and bluffs Of Morris Island the
channel beyond into the neghborhood of the four
ron-clads 1t magnificent sight indeed One heavy
unbroken continuous boom, boom, boom, filing the air
with burrtiDg shell and spreading grape and sending
broad heavy veil of blue smoke behind snd the woods
against the dark foliage Of which watched with peculiar
interest the rapidly succeeding flashing Of the guns
1T was now halEpast FIVE O'clock and the firing by the
rebels from Morris Island very irregular. The iron
clads steadily and slowly moved up the channel sending
their globes Of iron the island and into the bluffs
which lined the coast The batteries upon the bus
not used probably from the scarcity Of aud the
4 10 Al H.
little clusters of tents which the batteries and
upon The Shore but they seemed excited and unable to
man the batteries if disposed which they did not
after tho location OF part of cargo in the
midst of them. Soon, however, large bodies Of
men coming from the centre OF the leland up to and into
the batteries which covered the bluffs Immediately our
shell were sent with astonishing precision among them
which caused the evacuation of their stronghods to be as
rapid tue had BEEN Over the tops of the
bluffs through the valleys between them, around Them
and in all directions, the rebels flying in struggling
crowds driven by shells from the seward and from
the land side by the troops Of Gen. Gmores army whose
occupation of the south end OF Morris Island had been
indicated by the dsconnuance of the firing Of the heavy
guns and the rafting Of musketry which filed our
ears No sooner would crowd occupy Of the Bate
ries than 15-incb would Immediately dsodge them,
sending them in confusion TO the next battery which
again they were scattered in similar manner From
bluff to bluff and through the gulleys, the rebels were
continually flying stopping to use the mu'ket' which
'iBut now, the low point Of beach the south
end Of Morris Island appear dozen or twenty bear
the familiar egndl and waving excited
exuation the Stars and Stripes They had scarcely come
into view when the solid black Of men, with
splendid 'front.' and bearing above them our own banners
came over the point and moved line after line, n beaut
full order along the smooth beach In the rebels tried
TO turn the guns upon the bluffs upon the advancing
columns for our shells Immediately scattered sand and
men in all directions The line of bluffs, about half mile
long had now all been evacuated with the exception Of
one solitary battery, from which they succeeded in
throwing four shots upon advancing The conce
trated ERE of the four oncads in two minutes drove the
fhair lsof and Av,c
crowds down the hills aud the low lands towards the
CITY, Instantly our secured the battery and turned
the guns upon the flying rebels In twenty-five minutes
after the appearance Of upon the lower end OF
Morris Island they held all these bluffs and using
the guns.
except upon the northern extremity Between the bofs
and the upper end, distance OF perhaps two and half
miles the island is low and narrow, easily swept by guns
from the channel Along the slope six eight
houses toward which forces rapidly moved. About
easy range Of Fort Sumter is large and finely construct
ed carthwork with NIL the usual accomplishments Of an
extensive fort and mounting probably twenty guns
This fortifcaton, called Fort Wagner, commenced
immediately upon the breaking out Of the rebellion and
formidable affair Further up, upon the extreme point
Of the island and where the old Cummings Peint battery
was another work, and strong called Battery Bee
Sumter covers both Of these.
AFTER the evacuation Of the bluffs we moved slowly
up the channel, Smelling the low land moved Soon
the long range guns Of Wagner opened upon u.s. with an
occasional gun andwsrd towards the troops Shells were
fired from Wagner destroying two Of the houses shore
they serving ss protection to skirmsbcrs
who were rapidly advancing undor their cover The burn
ing houses, filing the sky above with the black smoke,