The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-08-01

ly understand that before Fort Wagner
surrendered, she herself would have TO
be consulted. With the exception of
this little episode, almost profound si-
lence, so far as the rebel garrison them
selves could maintain il, prevailed
within the fort A heavy cloud Of
smoke and sand, occasioned by our con-
stantly exploding shell, hung over the
fort all the afternoon, and it was only
when The wind drifted il 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 em-
bankments, became rugged and irregu-
lar heaps of sand with great gars- and
ohasms in all the sides Of the fort ex-
posed TO our fire.
From my point of observation,
wooden lookout fifty feet high, erected
for Gen. Gilmore and staff upon a sand
hill Of about the same hight, and sit
ualed a short distance back of the bat
teries, il seemed as il no human being
could live beneath so terrible fire
whether protected by bombproofs or not,
and in this opinion | was fully sustained
by nearly every person around me-
There seemed to be but one opinion, and
that was that we had silenced nearly
every gun, that the lj-inch shells had
driven the rebels from the bomb proofs,
and thatif there had been a strong in
fantry force in the rear Of the fort, we
had made il impossible for them to re-
main there and had slaughtered them by
i l.. n..A -
developments that proved their opinion
was the correct one, who said this pro-
found silence on the rebel side was sig
nificant, not of defeat and disaster, but
Of ultimate success in repulsing our as
sault; that they were keeping themselves
under cover until they could look into
the eye of our men, and send bullets
through their heads, and would then
swarm by thousands, with every con-
ceivable deadly missile in their hands,
and drive us in confusion and with ter
rible slaughter back to our entfench-
ments
The afternoon passed, and the heavy
roar of the big sguns on land and sea
gradually ceased. Slowly and sullen-
ly the Monitors, with the exception of
the Montauk, moved back to the anchor
age ground of the morning. The mu-
sic of the sublime pillows, forever
hymning their sublime chants, was
again heard along the shore; the sun
weCt down, not in golden glory, but in
clouds of blackness and darkness, and
mutterings of thunder and flashes of
lightning In the slight interval be-
tween the cessation of the cannonade
and the assault at the point of the bay
onet, the artillery Of heaven opened all
along the Western horizon, and in peal
alter peal demonstrated how insignif-
cant is the power of man when COM
pared with that of Him who holds the
eloments in the hollow of his hand.
For eight hours the Monitors and the
Ironsides have kept up a continuous fire,
and Fort Wagner has not yet surrender
cd. For oight hours 1fty-four guns
from the land batteries have hurled
their shot and shell within her walls,
and still she ilaunts the red battle-nag
in our face.
Something must be done, and that
too, quickly, or in ? few days we shall
have the whole army in Virginia upon
US, said an officer high in command.
We must storm the fort tonight and
carry it at the point of the bsyonetP
In q few moments signals are made
from the top of the lookout and soon
generals and colonels commanding di-
visions and brigades were seen gallop-
ing to the headquarters of the command
ing general A few words in consultA-
ton, and Gems. Seymour, Strong, Ste
vensOn and Oolonels Putnam and Mont
gomery are seen has.ening back TO their
respective commands. Officers shout,
bugles sonnd, the word Of command is
| given, and soon the soldiers around,
upon aud under the sand hills of Morris
Island spring from their hiding places,
fall into line, march TO the beach, are
organized into new brigades, and in SOL
id column stand rrady TO move on the
deadly assault.
Not in widely extended battle line,
the cavalry and artillery at supporting
distance, but in solid regimental column,
on the hard ocean beach, for half a mile
before reaching The fort, in plain sight Of
the enemy, did these three brigades move
to their appointed work
Gen. Strong, who has so frequently
since his arrival in this Department
braved death in its many forms of attack,
was assigned TO the C, mmand Of the lst
Brigade. Col Putnam of the 9Th New
Hampshire, who, although of the regular
army, and considered one of the best
officers in the Department., had never led
his men into battle or been under fire
took command of the I'd, and Genera
Stevenson the 3d. constituting the re-
serve. The 9TH Massachusetts, (coloreC
regiment } Col. Shaw, was the advanc'
regiment in the Ist Br.gade, aud the 2C
South Carolina, (negro,) Col. Montgomery
was the last regiment Of the reserve
The selection of the 54th Massachusetts
to lead the charge was undoubtedly mad
on account Of the good fighting qualitie
il had displayed few days before OF
James Island, an account of which yol
have in my letter OF the 18th.
These br!gades, as | have remarked
before, were formed for this express du
". Many Of the regiments had neve
: seen their brigade commanders before
} some Of them had never been under iir'
: and, with the exception Of three regi
ments'in the First Brigade, none Of theI
had ever been engaged ia this form Q
/ attack All had fresh iD their memo
! ries the severe repulse we had met o
I the morning Of the 1lth instant. ia
, two years the Department OF the sont
: had been in existence, aud unul lh
D storming Of the batteries on the soul
( end Of Morris Island, the army la
! won no victory fairly acknowledged b
4 the enemy.
Just as darkness began to close