The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-09-25
CAPTURE OF MORRIS ISLAND.
Awful Effects Of Our Fire. y.
SIGHTSEEING SIGHTS IN FORT
en- 10 eli5QA WAGNER. 20

a Shameless. powerless and useless mass of ru-
ins. and the city and harbor of Charleston en-
tirely covered by Gen. Gilmores guns. These
glorious results are reached this morning after
one of the most remarkable campaigns IN the
history of the present war.
SATURDAYS COMMANDMENT.
I have already detailed, in former dispatches
the labors performed by our engineers before
Fort Wagner. The bOmbardment of this
stronghold and of Battery Gregg by the heavy
Parrot rifles with which the massive walls Of
Sumter had been tumbled down, began at day.
break on the morning of the 9th instant 1t
was most terrific and destructive in its result.
The principal target of our artillerists was Fort
Wagner. Never before was any work SUBJ
jected to such acannonading. Its distance from
our batteries was so short, and our range so
easily obtained, that not shot was wasted.
From dawn till dusk the roar of cannon filled
the air, and the heavens were hung with the
tapestry of smoke which went up from our en-
tire line of batteries. The rebel garrison was
soon sent into its immense bombproof for re-
fuge The enemy's sharpshooters all day lay
hidden in their holes. One after another the
guns were dismonted, and at ten o'clock in the
morning they ceased to respond at all to our
fire.
passing over the writer's description of the
bombardment, which differed from the other
commandments only in being more furious, we
THE EFFECT OF OUR FIRE.
Meanwhile the bolts and shells rained in
from our batteries. Faster than they could be
counted our missiles went tearing against the
parapet and bOmbproofs, sending up such
clouds of sand and earth as nearly to eclipse
our view of the work. All of its. sharp points
were knocked away. Every outline had been
disturbed. There was no regularity of feature
about it. The bombproof had been nearly I'M
md of md eli
like avalanches, falling at the entranches and
shutting out from the terrified occupants all
light and ventilation. The traverses which
connected this structure with the parapet Of
seward face were torn away, and the arches
beneath them filled up with the debris. Every
one who looked upon the stronghold yesterday.
while our fire was so furiOusly battering it to
ruins, felt that we should hold it without diff
Guilty on the morrow.
GENERAL GILMORE ORDERS AN ASSAULT.
Last evening an assault was ordered The
troops moved from their camps shortly after
ten o'clock, reaching their position in the
trenches an hour later. They had barely ar
rived when deserter from the rebel lines
came, bringing the news that the island was
being evacuated. We had depended upon our
picket boats in Vincent's Greek, under Major
Sanford, to keep us advised of any movement
OF this kind on the part of the enemy but it
appears that the state of the tide would not
allow them to get through until some time
after the withdrawal of the rebel garrison had
commenced.
OUR TROOPS IN THE FORT.
As soon as the story of the deserter could be
told, General Stevenson sent forward small
scouting party to ascertain its truth. They
speedily returned and cOrroborated the news,
and our forces Immediately leaped into the fort
Captains Walker and Pratt, in charge of the
sappers, planting their flag upon the parapet.
A slow match connecting with the magazine
was discovered and eXtinghished, and then
commenced
A RACE BETWEEN OUR TROOPS FOR BATTERY
GREGG.
Captain Brayton. of the Third Rhode Island
artillery, was the first man there. few men
of the Fifty .fourth Massachusetts were close
behind him, and then came two companies of
the Third New Hampshire regiment, under
Capt. Randlett.
THE PRISONERS CAPTURED.
They arrived in season to capture between
forty and fifty stragglers mostly from South
Carolina regiments, while Major Sanford, who.
as soon as tide served, had got his picket boats.
through the marsh, succeeded in Overhauling
couple of boats containing lieutenant and
twenty-five men of the rebel iron clad steamer
Chlcora, who had been assisting the garrison
in their escape.
INSIDE VIEW OF FORT WAGNER.
Iuc sccuc WHICH presents ltSelI 10 Lne eve OF
visitor at Fort Wagner this morning is one of
utter wreck and ruin. The broken parapets,
the dismounted guns, the sand piled up before
the entrances of the bombprOof, the bolts and
fragments of exploded shell with which the
terreplein is paved, and, more than all, the
heaps of rebel slain, some lying in the sun and
Others half buried in the loose sand. show what
fearful ordeal the garrison passed through.
The stencil arising from the decaying dead is
sickening and Overpowering. Many were bu-
ried at night just below the surface of the ter
replein, to be unearthed and torn to pieces by
the missiles which on the following day con
tinued to plough through the work. Here an
ann sticks stihy out of the ground, and there a
shOeless foot is visible. while in another corner
are three bodies, one clad in majors uniform,
laid carefully aside for burial, but left in the
hurry OF departure for us to put away.
WITHIN THE BOMBPRoOF.
Existence must have been terrible while the
bombardment was going On. Even now the
odOr of the apartment is almost intolerable.
The garrison which consisted of about four
teen hundred men, was here huddled like
sheep in fold, without sunshine to illumine
or air to breathe The ceiling, formed of huge
logs, is so low as to scarcely afford standing
room. Dead bodies are scattered here and
there, contributing their effuvia to the horrid
stencil arising from the accumulation of human
filth and nastinesS. could only remain for a
moment in the pace. Officers and soldiers
who enter it flee hurriedy away as from a
plague or pestlence. The only furniture of
the room was table made of rough boards
One or two rough collins were there, whether
empty or not did Lot eng nPyor to ascertain.
row of shelves on eith4 side of the main
entrance confirmed a number of shot and shell
of various calibres. The floor was strewn with
papers, old rags, pieces Of greasy bacon and
othes filth which, in ordinary camps. finds its
way to the sinks Until disinfectants are freely
used and the work thoroughly policed it will
De impossible for our men to remain there.
Already General Terry has ordered them out of
the Tort, aud forty barrels OF chloride Of lime
ire on their way up the beach to be employed
~ making the atmosphere Of the place in
soine degree tolerabe and wholesome.
THE REBEL BURYING GROUND.
Beyond Fort Wagner the ground seems to
nave been used as place of burial for many
VINO 1eli III the defence of the place. There
are number OF graves just in the rear of the
banquets Here also are several dead horses
and mules, swollen with noxious gases and
attracting 10 tie spot myriads ON nyriads of
flies. little further on are several holes dino
in the sand for shelter to the troor& those sts'
toned without the fort living very mnch like
the fidders and sand crabs with which Tho
ground is thrOnged.
THE TELEGRAPH IN OPERATION.
At an early hour this morninr tho talo,.u,