Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1863-09-15

! EVACUATION or NORRIS ISLAND
:, Tic Charleston Mercury" Of MOnd y last,
; gives the III lowing account Of the evacuation
Of Morris Islaud:
! To sum up the events through which we
. have lust passed. Battery Wagner has been
Sahiccted during the last three days and nj ghts
! ~ the lun*t terrific fire that any curthwork
has undergone in all the annals Of warfare
, The immense descending force of the enor-
mons Parrott and mortar shells .f the enemy
had nearly laid the wood work of the bomb
! rrcoLs entirely baro and had displaced the
sand to 50 great degree i!Ia; the saiy-portS
arc almost entirely h!"rked up. The paraI-
lcls of the enemy yesterday afternoon had
been pushed up Ia Mr re,y month Of Bdtfeiy
: U;d5"cr, aul il was no longer possible to dis
tiusuis:l our fire from that Of the enemy
. Daring the entire afternoon the enemy shelled
: the sand hills in the rear Of Battery Wagner
: (wherc our wounded lay very vigorously.
: Under these circumstances, and in view Of
ti:c difficulties oi communication with Cum
mincs' Point, the impossibility Of longer
holding Morris Island became apparent, and
1t was determined that strenuous efforts should
be made at once 10 release the brave garrison
of the island, who seemed to be almost within
the encmy's grasp. This desirable result was
accomplished with the most commenlable
pr1mptifude and success.
IL about six o'clock Yesterday afternoon,
the orders for the evacuation WAS delivered to
Col. kei.r, commanding our forces on the
island. Everything was ut once made ready
for the abandonment of Batteries Wagner
and Gregg Tie dead were buried, and, as
! n;ch,rall, the wounded were carefully re
moved in bargcs to Fort johnson. The guns,
: which, for so many weeks, had held the foe
nj BAY, were double-shUtted, fired and spiked;
tie heavier pieces were dSlnounted and the
! carriages rendered worthless. The pre-
; liminary preparations being thus completed,
: the work Of cmbarkation was nOiselcssly be-
gun, and the brave men Of the garrison, in
forty hirgcs, were soon gliding from lie
! beach they had held SD Stoutiy and so long,
Tho evacuatr, was conducted by COL keitt,
assisted by Major BRYAN, y. \. G.; and the
success with which what has always been con-
! sidcrcd one Of the most difficult fcatS of war;
fare has hccn performed isworthyof the high
est praise. Batteries Gregg and Wagner had
both been carefully mined, with q view TO
! blowing them NJ. 1t WIS about one O'clock
this mnrning wien the last three hnats-con-
. tain;ng Col kcitt ana q number OF his oih-
cers-lrfl the island. The slow match WAS
lighted by Captain Ilngueniu at Wagner, and
: hy Captain Lescsne at Gregg; but owing TO
so!nc defect in the fuses, II" explosion took
place ut either fcrt.
Dmripg the evacuation the enemy was not
lille. 4 constant fire OF shell was kept up
;against Wagner, and his howitzer barges were
bilsilv plying about this side of Morris Island,
to prevent the retreat Of our men. But iOrLu-
: nat"iy the night was murky, and all our
iarycs, with tlI" exception of one, containing
about twelve or iitceii men. passed III safety.
! 4 little before three o'clock this morning the
following was received from Major Elliott, com,
rnanding Fort Sumter:
! Fort SrMrER, September T--2.i0 A. NJ
! All the garrison of Morris Island who came
here have been shipped. Lieutenant Iaskelrs
boat from tho Ch;cora captured by q Yankee
bargc. Two Of the Grew came to Fort Sumter
;,mi report ha, all our troops had left the Island
STEPHEN ELLIOTT,
Major Commanding.
Thus ends the defence of Morris Island. The
issue has been foresecn since the enemy's irs
success Oh the l0ih Of July. The defence of the
Island had hcrn prolonged far beyond what was
deemed possible at first. and the brave gar.
risons who have held it deserve the admiration
OF their countrymicn.
The aggregate Of casualties in the struge e fol
tie island have been, OH our side, about 100
killed. wounded and missing. The enemy.
loss is estimated at aboutsix thousand. The sue
cessful evacuation, after the glorious defence o
fnrty.eight days, is, under all the circumstances
most gratifying military event.