Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1863-08-05
The Attack on Fort Wagner


Gilmore has strained every nerve {,
strengthen his position on Morris Island
and so far rs human foresight can disccIl
= MS made his lines of defense impregna
hlc before advancing to the attack
Three fourths OF the island is in our pos
ses ion: five batteries have been erected
in all containing nine 80 pound and fou
20-pound PARROTS. and ten l0-inch NOR
tars on the left. with two 30-pound Par
rots. ten l0-inch mortars, and three ful
batteries of light artillery on the left
{ The extreme right rests on the oceaI
beach; the extreme left on the edge of &
swamp, about five hundred yards from
the small creek separating Morris IslanC
| from James Island. The whole line OF
batteries sweeps in the line of n semi-ci
Gle, and Is at all points about 800 yard.
/ from Fort Wagner. Nearly all the gun.
upon the left are about 1000 yards from
/ Fort Sumter; but being of lighter char
acter than those brought TO bear on that
/ formidable structure, were not brought to
I bear upon her at any time during the ac-
/ ton.
I \ half-past twelve Admiral Dahlgreu
/ signalled that he was ready to lombard
and in a few moments the MontaulI. thi>
/ flagship the lronsides. the Catskill, thf
Nantucket the Weehawken, and the Pa
tapsco moved into line in the order which
| have named them, and commenced
hurting their heaviest shot and shell
around, upon and within the fort, and
with intervals of but very few minutes
continued this terrible fire until one hOul
after the sun had gone down. During al
the afternoon the iron fleet lay about one
mile off from the fort, but Just at tbs
close Of the engagement, and but few
minutes before the first assault was made
by General Strong, the Admiral ran the
AIontaull directly under the guns of Fort
Wagner, and within 2S0yardsfred round
after round from his lj-inch gun, sending
rs every shot struck, vast clouds of mud,
sand, and timber high up into the air,
making one huge sand heap of that por-
;ion OF the fort iacisig the sea, and dis
mounting two of their heaviest guns.
Deserters and prisoners tell us that
Fort Wagner mounts thirteeH rifled guns
of heavy caliber. but during all this furi-
ous bombardment by land and sea she
condescended to reply with but two: ,ope
upon the whole fleet of ironclads and
one upon the entire line of land batter
les. She may possibly have fired one
shot 20 our one hundred, but | think ey-
en- that number Is a large estimate. There
were no casualties on tne Monitors or
Ironsides. and but one man killed and
one slightly wounded within the batteries,
The firing was almost entirely from our
own side. With the most powerful glass,
but very few men could be seen in the
fort. At half past two, shot from one
of our guns on the left cut the halyards
on the flagstaff, and brought the rebel
flag iluttering to the ground. 1t was in
s'antly replaced by the red battle flag.
No arrangements seem 10 have been
made for the assault until it was evident,
in the evening, that no bOmbardment
would compel the battery to surrender
The troops were then hastily formed for
a charge over an open beach for a half q
mile. General Strong was assigned the
command of the lst Brigade. Colonel
Putnam of the 7th New Hampshire, who
although of the regular army, and con-
sidered one of the best officers in the ser
vice, had never led his men into battle
nor been under fire, took command of the
second. and General Stevenson the Sd,
the reserve. The 54th Mas
sachusetts. (colored,) Colonel Shaw, was
the advanced regiment in the lst brigade,
and the ID South Carolina, (cOlored.) Col.
Montgomery, was the last regiment of
the reserve.
These brigades, as l have remarked be-
fore, were formed for this express duty
Many of the regiments had never seen
their brigade commanders before some
of them had neqer been under fire, and
with the exception of three regiments IN
the first brigade, none of them had ever
been engaged in this form of attack. All
had fresh in their memory the severe re-
pulse we had met with on the morning of
the llth. For two years the Department
of the South had been in existence. and
until the storIning of the batteries on the
south end of Morris Island the army
had won no victory fairly acknowledged
by the enemy.
Just as darkness began 10 close in up
OH the scene of the afternoon and the
evening, General Strong rode up to the
front and ordered his brigade, consisting
of the 54th Mass. Col. Shaw (colOred
the 9th Conn, Col. Chattield,
the 18th New York, Col. Barton, the Sd
\. H., Col. Jackson, the 10th Penn, and
the 9th Maine, Col. Emery, to advance
to the assault. At the instant, the line
was seen slowly advancing in the dusk
towards the fort, and before a double
quick had been ordered, tremendous
fire from the barbette guns OH Fort Sum-
ter. from the batteries on Cummings
Point, and from all the guns on Fort Wag-
ner, opened upon it, The guns from
Wagner swept the beach, and those from
and Cummings Point enfiladed it
IN the left In the midst of this shower
If shot and she'll they pushed their way,
reached the fort, portions of the 54th
Mass, the 9th Conn, and the 18th y. Y,
dashed through the bitches, gained the
and engaged III n hand-to-hand
light with the enemy, and for nearly hall
an hour held their ground, and did not
all back until nearly every commissioned
officer was shot down As on the morn
NJ of the assault on the tn inst, these
brave men were exposed to most gal
ant fire of gIape and canister, from how
tiers, ral1ing the bitches from the bas-
ions of the fort, from hand gyegades and
rom almost every other modern imple-
nents of warfare. The rebels fought with
he utmost desperation, and so did the
lrger portion often Strong's brigade,
5 long rs there was an officer to COM
nand.
When the brigade made the assault
len. Strong calamity rode at its head
When it fell back, broken, torn and bleed
ng, Major PIlmpton of the3d New HamP-
hire was the highest commissioned Off |
er to command it. Gen. Strong, Col.
haw. Col. Chatfeld, Col. Barton, Col. |
ireen. Col. jackson, all had fallen.
The Ist Brigade, under the lead of Gen.
trong. failed to take the fort. 1t was
ow the turn of Col. Putnam, command
ng the ID Brigade, composed of the 9TH
/ H., the cd Ohio, Col. Steele, the 9th
,hio, Col. Vorhees, and the Tooth n. Y
'olonel Daniel, to make the attempt
through the same terrible fire he led his
nen to, over and into the fort, and for an
our held one-half of it, fighting every
noment of the time with the utmost des-
eration, and, as with the lst Brigade, 1t
ras not until he himself fell killed, and
early all his officers wounded, and no re-
Increment arriving, that his men fell
IL 81 tIa rabal SbOtlt and cheer of