Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1863-07-28
From ChaI.leStORl.

/ Land and Nava Attack on Fort Wagner
The Work Stormed by Siyht-A BLOOD '
| ing Party-Another Column RenewS The
Attack-Stirring details.
| We published yesterday an account of the
assault on Fort Wagner, on Saturday, The 18th
| inst The New York papers bring us some
| further highly interesting details. We take
! the following from the correspondence OF the
| Tribune:
| THE ATTACK ON FORT wAGSER-A BLOODY
H1GHT-AssAULT AND REPULsE.
MORRIS ISLAND, s. C., July lg-Again Fort
aener has been assaulted and again we have
bs en- repulsed, and with, 1regIetto say, Il niue
| mere form liable loss in killed wsunded and
missing than in the first attempt
The first assault failed, as stated In nv last
| letter, on account Of the tardiness of the 10Th
| Pennsy yivanla and the 9th Maine TO properly
support the successful assault OF the 7th Con-
| necticut, who were left alone on the parapet
and within the bitches of the fort to battle with
the whole rebel garrison.
In the assault Of the 1lth instant but one bri-
gaue, and that very small one, under COM
mand OF Gen. Strong, were engaged: in that of
last evening whole division, consisting of
| three fuli brigades, were drawn out ia line to
take part in the action, but on account of some
misunderstanding of orders but two actually
participated in the fight.
Tkr. e-fourhs of the island is in our possess
sion: five batteries have been erected, in all
containing nine 3u-pound and four aO-pound
PARROTS, and ten l0-inch mortars on the LETT,
with two 2U-pourd Parrots / n lG-inch NOR
tars, and three ful batteri. light artillery on
| the right.
THE ACTION opKHsA
AT twelve and a half O'Clock on the afternoon
Of Saturday Admiral Dahlgrtn signalsd that
he was ready, and il few moments the Nor
iauk, this fiasship,) the Ironsides, the Catskil
the Nantuc ket, the Weeha vixen and the Patap-
SEQ moved into line, and commenced hurting
their heaviest shot and shell around, upon and
" thin the fort, and, with intervals of but a
fra
until one hour after the sun had gone down
During all the afternoon the iron flee. Law about
one mile off fTom the fort, but Just at the close
OF the engagement, and but d few moments be-
fcre the first assault was made by Gen Strong
the Admir- al rah the Montauk directly under
the guns OF Fort Wagner, and within $50 yards,
fired round after round from his l5-inch gun
sending. as every shot struck, vast clouds of
sand. mnd and timber high up In the air. max
ing one huge sand heap OF that portion of the
fort facing the sea, and dsmounting Two of the
heaviest guns.
EFPkCT OF THE FIRING.
EeserttrS and prisoners tell us that Fort
Wagner mounts thirteen rified guns, of heavy
calibre, but during all this fupious hombard-
Rent by land and sea she eondescended to re-
ply with but twc one npon the whole feet of
iron .clads, and one upon the entire line OF land
batteries She may possibly have fired one
shot to our one hundred, but think even that
number is a large estimate. There were no
casualties On the monitors or Ironsides, and
but one Man killed and one slightly wounded
entirely from our own side. With the most
powerful glass but very few men could be seen
in the fort.
FALL OF THE FLAG OF THE FORT
At half. past two a shot from one of our guns
OH the lett cut the halyards on the flag staff
and brought the rebel flag futtering to the
ground. In moment, almost before we had
begun 10 ask ourselves whether they had really
surrendering or not, the old red battle nag,
which the army OF the Potomac has so often
had defianuy shaken in its face, was run mn
about ten feet above the parapet, little cluster
OF Men rallied around it, cheered: waved their
hats and then disappeared, and were not again
seen during the day.
Fort Sumter, the moment the rebel flag came
to the ground, sent a shot over our heads to
assure us thar it had been lowered by accident
and not by design: In this shot she also de-
sired MS TO distinctly understand that before
Fort Wagner surrendered she herself would
have TO be consulted. With the exception of
this little epsode, almost profound silence, SO
Tar as the reb.l garrison themselves could main
tam il, prevailed within the fort A heavy
cloud OF smoke and sand, occasioned by our
constantly exploding shell, hung over the fort
ali the afternoon, and it was only when the
wind dTitted it away that we were able to see
the amount of damage we had done. In few
hours what had been the smooth, regular lines
of the engineer, and the beautiful sodded en-
bankmenfs, became rugged and rrreg gular heaps
OF sand, with great gaps and cnasns in all the
sides OF the fort exposed to our fire.
CESSATION OF THE STRIFE
the big guns on land and sea gradually ceased
Slowly and snllenly the Monitors, with the
exception of the Montauk, moved back 10 the
anchorage. ground of the morning
For eight hours the Monitors and the Iron.
sides have kept up a continuous fire, and Fort
Wagner has not yet surrendered. For eight
hours ffty-four guns from the land batteries
have hurled their shot and shell within her
walls, and still faunts the red battle flag in
our tace.
THE FORT MUST BE sToRMED
hn
quickly, or in a few days we shall have the
whole army in Virginia upon u.s." said an Of
fiCer high in command. I'VE must storm the
fort tonight and carry it at the point Of the
bayonet."
In a few moments signals were made from
the top Of the lookout, and soon generals and
colonels commanding divisions and brigades
Were seen galloplng to the headquarters of the
commanding general. Afew words in consul.
tation, and Generals Seymour, Strong, Steven.
SON, and Colonels Putnam and Montgomery
are seen Fastening back to their respective
commands. Officers shout, bugIes sound the
word of command is given, and soon the SOL
dlers around, upon and under the sand hills of
Morris Island spring from their hiding places
ia III into line, march 10 the beach, are organ. |
lied into new brigades, and in solid column !
stand ready to move to the deadly assault.
THE sToRMING COLUMN
Gen. strong, Whe has so frequently, since |
his arrival in this department, braved death in |
its many forms OF attack, was assigned to the |
command Of the 1st brigade. Col. Putnam, |
OF the 1th New Hampshire took command of |
the I'd, and Gen. Stevenson the Sd, constituting |
the reserve. The 54th Massachusetts (colored) |
regiment, Col. Shaw, was the advance regi. |
ment OF the 1st brigade, and the ID South Car.
olimi. negro Col Montgomery, was the last
regiment OF the reserve. The selection of the
5ith massachusetts, to lead the charge was un-
doubtedly made on account of the good fight
ing qualities it had displayed a few days
before on James Island.
THE COLUMN ADvANcES-A TERRIFIC FIRE
.3s., OFFICERS KILLED
Just as darkness began to close upon the
sceEe of the afternoon and the evening, Gen.
Strong rode to the front and ordered his bri-
gade, consisting of the 54th Massachusetts,
(cclored regiment,) Col. Shaw. the 9th Con-
necticut, Col. Chatfield; the 4sth New York,
Col. Barton; the Sd New Hampshire, Col
Jackson; the 10Th Pennsylvania, and the 9th
Maine, Col. Emory, to advance to the as
sault.
At the instant, the line was seen slowly ad-
vancing In the dusk Toward the fort, and be-
fore q double. quick had been ordered, q tre-
mendons fire from the barbette guns on Fort
Sum ter, from the batteries ON Cummings Point,