Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1863-09-04


away. No signals we're given till The whole
feet opened, and then the FIRE was most ter
rife.
Sumter fred one gun five times, but forts
Moultre, Gregg, and Beaurcgnrd, for three
hours rained shell on the monitors, falling TO
do them any harm. No one was injured. -
Sumter is defunct. an immense pile of rub
bish. The only gun left to it was thrown off
the wall yesterday afternoon.
To-day the grand naval and army attack on
forts Wagner and Gregg will be opened. 1t
being now ascertained that Sumter has gone
under, the rebels will be driven from Morris
Island. Gen. Gilmore is determined to have
fgl possession Of il tonight. Gen. Gilmore
on Thursday notified Gen. Beauregard that il
he dld not surrender the forts he would she'll
the city in twenty-four hours, at the same
time requesting him to remove the women
and Children. No attention was paid to his
notice, and on Friday night Gen. Gilmore
threw l5-inch shell into the city Of Charles
ton charged With Greek fire. On Saturday
afternoon, Gen. Besuregard sent down flag
Of truce boat, with an urgent protest, de-
nouncing Greek Ere as a most villainous COM
pound, unworthy Of civilized nations, and de-
manding more time to remove the women and
children from the city.
The English, French and Spanish consuls
denounced the short time given by Geu. Gill
more, and claimed more time to remove the
subjects Of their respective countries. Gen.
Gilmore yesterday replied by renewal Of
the demand TO surrender the forts and public
property. Gen. Beauregard answered by ask
ing Tor a truce Of two hours. Gen. Gilmore
refused to give any more time, or to accept Of
l. Lt,f al
der At IL clock last night the sheling Of
the ci,y witty Greek fire was renewed. 1t is
generally thought that the stars aud stripes
will float over Sumter tonight The Moni-
tors and the Ironsides are preparing to go up
at the hour the steamer sailed. There is
evidently great trouble in Charleston. II is
not believed that there are over 20 men in
the ruins Of Sumter The whole rear wall is
down and shells pass entirely through the
structure.
The sea-wall is .erribly disfgured. All
the guns of Fort Sumter are now mounted
on Sullyans Island. The balls and shells
from the Monitors went crushing through
the walls of Sumters. Had the fog not have
been almost impenetrable, Admiral Dahlgreu
is convinced that he could have destroyed the
whole wall of Sumter with the Monitors in
few hours. The ruins of Sumter are now held
by the guns of Moultrie. There are only
sufficient men in the ruins of Sumter to keep
the rebel rag up, which is shot away every
few hours. This morning the south sea wall
OF Sumter is a ruin down to the front tier
casemates. A few well directed shells from
the Keokuk on its walls Topped them into the
sea.
The end is approaching. Hail Columbia
NEW York, Aug. %.
Morris Island letters to the Herald con-
tain interesting details Of the proceedings in
that vicinity The letter Of the Odd inst,
says speaking Of Sumter-The gorge lately
crowded with line Of heavy ordnance look
ing over Morris Island, is but mass of ruins.
Portions Of the left wall still stand. but il is
considerably shattered and honey-oombed.
The centre and right are battered to fragments
and from the crest of the parapet to the wat
ers edge arc covered with debris. The sally
port is buried by the masses of brick and
mortar falling from the parapet upon the
keayy sand -barricades which the rebels had
but partially finished. The angle is battered
down, and from that point to the edge Of the
soqth-esst face, the wall is full OF huge gap
ing craters, from which immense masses Of
debris have fallen to the water, at its base
All the guns on the gorge are dismounted,
and two have been knocked over on the south
east face. No serious offensive powers are
left TO the rebels in Fort Sumter, and the
passage of the fort by our iron-clads, is en-
tirelv practicable without much damage from
it's fire. If the navy cannot now pass the
work, we may as we'll regard that arm Of the
service as Of little value. The attempt to pass
it by our iron-clads will soon be made.
peserters who escaped from Fort Moultrie
on Thursday night to the Montauk, besides
giving much other information, state that two
blockade-runners succeeded in eluding our
vessels, and ran safely into Charleston last
Sunday night.
The Herald's letter of the gath. contains
the following paragraph, and the Times let
ter contains a similar one "What Admiral
Dahgren's plans are do not profess to know,
but have reason to fear that he is loosing
most valuable time by delay. Every moment
now is worth year in ordinary times, fact
which the rebels recognize as they are
strengthening and enlarging their old batter
les. building new ones and mounting heavy
guns at points where they will be terrible eff
lective.
On Friday, making good his notice to Beau
regard, Gen. Gilmore directed Lieut.. hellman,
commanding Marsh battery to open his heavy
rife guns upon Charleston during the night.
/ Accordingly the piece was trained in that
] direction, and between one and two O'Clock
on Saturday morning fifteen shells,o Birney's
/ in ention, were pitched over the James Island
/ batteries across the Island and the harbor
4 into the towu. Their flight was wonderful.
/ When last seen the monetrous projectiles
were still soaring upwards. The visitors
which our swamp angel sent them created a
most uproarouS panic.
panic was evident from the light Of burn
ing buildings, the ringing tf bells and the
screeching Of locomotive whistles.
A letter Of the 2lst from off Charleston,
says that the -pounder Parrott burst yes
terday after the seventh FIRE. Ii was fred but
seven times, the first shot fell short but the
others went square through the wall and ex-
ploded
Letters from Morris Island to the Boston
Herald concur with the correspondence of the
New York papers in finding fault with the al
legged lneiiiciency of the navy in the opera
lions against Charleston After stating that
Sumter has been practically reduced, and is
no longer in the way OF an advance of the ma
w, the writer says:
4 -. A ~ h.I IIaWN.