The Shasta courier., 1863-09-26
From Morris Island.

Following is an extract OF letter received
by gentleman of this town, from his broth
er,- Captain in the Union army now at Nor
ris Island, near Charleston. The letter bears
date August lst:
Cur landing here was a decided success,
not accomplished without difficulties. how
ever. On the morning of the 10th July. at
5 o'clock A. NJ, our batteries on Folly Is
land opened tremendous fire. Our brigade
landed from the boats under the fire. of the
enemy's batteries on the heights. Our rigi-
ment landed in the marsh. A Connecticut
regiment landed to our right and skirmished
up towards the heights. We pushed forward
founderipg through the mud and yelling like
pack of fhyenas. We charged and took their
rifle pits, and of all the damnable yells that
human beings could make we made; the reb-
els could not stand, fell back to the woods,
and commenced murderous fire on us from
every thicket. l received an order being in
command of the left company. to deploy my
men as skirmishers did so and cleared the
left. 1t was lively work. My boys took the
stand of colors of the 2lst South Carolina.
crack regiment, and one they put great reli-
ance in, such men for officers as Mayor of
Charleston's s son, who we took prisoner. The
Connecticut regiment cleared the heights,
and my men had the honor of first engaging
the enemy and routing them in the ravine.
On morning of 1lth we were ordered to fall
in had an idea what was up. e. storm
Wagner. Ours and 10Th Pennsylvania and
battalion of 9TH Connecticut were the
storming columns. We advanced in three
columns, ours left, 10Th Pennsylvania center,
7th battalion right. Marched in silence to
the slope of the glacis. Arrived there and
crack goes the sentinel's rife. In an instant
there is flash along the entire line of the
enemy's works. They were prepared for us.
Down we went fiat on our face at the CON-
mand; the grape and canister and musketry
bullets passed over us. Now came the order
to up and charge. With cheer went at it,
up tie glacis. Another flash and the head
of the column went down. On wewent over
the dead and wounded, to the ditch and down
into the ditch. The water was too deep there
to cross. Many were shot down and drown
ed. We obliqued to the right and got across.
some of us. Then they opened with their in.
fernal ditch rakers, but on we went to the
top of the parapet, to be met by glitterlng
row of bayonets and hand grenades. 1t was
impossible to drive them, and the order to re-
treat was given, and back we went. l was
little scared then, but we were too fatigued
and enraged to care much. Thirty-six hours
of fighting and fasting made one Indifferent
to shot, or at least partially so. The fire was
severe. The oldest veterans say they never
saw the like. The 10Th Pennsylvania lost
206 killed, wounded and missing in fifteen
to twenty minutes. Our loss was not so great
owing to our being on the left and lower
down. The I'd Lieutenant of my company
was captured.
We laid in the trenches until the 18th,
when another assault was made. The Mon.
itors had fred all day at Wagner, no one
knew with what effect, and at I P. M. NOV
ing up. The 34th Massachusetts (colored)
were the stormers. They went at it finely.
but they could not stand the fire, nor get into
the fort. They lost their Colonel, two thirds
Of their officers, and about 300 men. Our
regiment followed them. We had got about
half way up the glacis when we met them
coming back in terrible panic, headlong, at
trail arms. Into us they came in that man.
ner and knocked the head of our column over
The Sd Connecticut went at them with bay
onet, and our officers cut and thrust at them
numerically, but could not stop their mad
flight. We pressed on to the top of the glacis,
down into and across the ditch, up to the top
OF the parapet They stood behind them four
deep and the devil himself could not have
got in there. Hand grenades and all the
missiles of destruction that are known were
sent at us. AT other points of the work they
did get in, but couldn't hold, and were most
of them killed in there. 1t was too much
for men to stand, with no prospect of success,
and we were ordered back. Down again
into the ditch we went, over dead niggers,
and wounded, struggling in their last agony,
and our own poor fellows piled up in heaps.
The I'd brigade came up splendidly. Colo
mel Putnam 9TH New Hampshire, splendid
officer, was killed, and half or more of the
| field officers ofhis command They went up
like ours and were as dsastrously repulsed.
The Sd (Gen Stevenson moved forward to
their support, but were ordered back. The
day was lost. General Strong commanding
our brigade, was wounded by grape shot
in the hip. since died. Our Colonel was
wounded, and every Colonel and two thirds
of the field officers killed and wounded.
got out with two slight wounds; can't tell
how. Our regiment lost Isl in the three days
fight; they were killed in the space of one
hour.
News relative to our movements here is
forbidden, consequently can make no explain
alton, as to our works, but in few days |
think there will be general fight by land
and sea. Our batteries on this island are
about ready to open.