Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1863-09-07
The Siege ofCharIeston.
CONDITION OF FORT WAGNER.
MONITOR ATTACK ON FORT MoULrRIE
FORT SUMTER SILENT
REBEL OFFICERS FEARFUL FOR cHARLEs-
TON

REBEL OFFICERS FEAgrUL FOR CHARLES
BY tie steamers Fulton and Union, at New
York, which called on Tuesday, the 1st Of
SFph mbrr, from Charleston Bar, we ha We two
Gays later Intelligence from the siege o
Char.eston. BY this arrival we have ad.
wees from Charleston tothe 3lst OF August.
Capt Conroy reports that he lay at anchor
On InaiIe, ton Bsr on Monday. August 3ist,
from ~ o'clock noon until sundown. From
noon I'LL a. m there " as no firing On either
as oaty INT nova up II towards snSa6 f..Sd
taking up position abreast Of Fort Moultrie
the new object Of attack. At 3 p. m. an ami.
mated firing commenced from the iron .clads
upon Fort Meultrie, which was replied Ia
from Moultrie and another battery on Sulli-
vans Island, as well as by Battery Grere on
Morris Island. Gen. Gilmore's also opened
In the midst of all this firing Sumter stood
perfectly silent. 1t is understood that she is
completely and enectually silenced, ana her
dilapioated condition confirms the supposition
for her appearance is rather that OF a ragged
and ILL used Pile OF brick than Of substantial
fortress.
The angle facing Gilmore's batteries is bat
parapet is an. irregular zig.xag line. It IL re.
ported that four guns had been got into posi-.
tion on the fort the day before, but had been at
once dismounted BY our firing, The rebel nag
the forti6catiop.
The movement. was the first reconnaissance
OF Moultrie, and the first time that the fleet
have paid their respects to that powerful work.
The attack on Wagner, made BY Gen Gil.
more whilst Moultrie was being shslied, WAS
60 severe that some OF the artillerists were san
guine OF its possession within forty .eight hours
As to the condition Of Wagner, correspondent
writes: =
Wagner will be held to the last moment, and
nothing 1t is said, but want of water will com.
surrender. Ia doah no ink1
around her " alls that the water from the shai.
low wells cannot be drank. If, compelled by
thirst. some OF the soldiers are 50 imprudent as
pitfalls, and before the close Of the week many
of them in their graves. Brave attempts have
b. en- made to supply the garrison from Charles
bet n furnished. Only at midnight, or under
the cover Of some dense fog in the morning,
have any vessels been known to reach them
for the past eight days. II the Monitors would
only cut OF communication for one week lona.
er, the fort would be in our possession, and
with Fort Wagner, Fort Gregg, and the whole
OF Morris Island once ours, the stars ana
stripes in few hours would wave over Fort
Sumter.
A correspondent of the New York World
writes on the 1st inst, as follows:
Tuesday or Wednesday are row the days
fixed for the universal rumor in the camp Tor
the grand attack on the forts and batteries In
the harbor. For the last few days the "Greek
fire has been at discount and Beauregard
or threats. This a. unchristiaA" but terribly
destructive agents not quite plentiful enough
to justify q continuous bombardment Of the
city but It is SAID that Then VI the open
without stint fatAs and n with all the rapditS the
Union gunners are capable Of
Many Of the naval officers express them.
selves anxious to see the Monitors run in past
the forts and Immediately in front of the city,
oppressed the utmost contempt for the alleged
IeoeI obstruction. In fact these little bugbears
nave lost all their terrors boats from the fleet
steas ada ~ O. ths naroor and from obser
torpedoes, ETC., are for the most part a mvth
If there be any foundation for this IL would
certainly be worth the trial to run past Fort
Moultrie and the batteries.
If such an attack were successful 1t would
save many valuable lives, and save the Gov.
eminent some millions worth of ammunition
and "ireek" fire However, Admiral Dahlgren
is about as well posted on the state Of things in
the ha1 Dor as anybody else, and if he thinks the
plan at all feasible, will undoubtedly try it.
You may therefore naturally expect, and look
for, lively times In this vicinity within a day
or two. Monday it is hardly possible that
much will be done, but Tuesday, or Wednes-
day at the latest, promises, from all indications.
to lnaugurate grand combined land and naval
attack upon the ''cradle of Secession
report brought by contrabands say the
rebel officers are terribly fearful lest Charles
ton should be taken. They represent the alarm
OF the TT bel officers, when they heard the Mon
itors guns laundering behind Sumter on Sun
uay mCfnIng, as Detng really pItIable. They
could hear the roar of artillery, but could
rarely see the flashes. and their excited imagf-
nations pictured to them the advancing line OF
Monitors pushing forward by Fort Sumter TO-
ward the city. After the fire had ceased, they
were confident that the iron clads had sue
ceeded in passing, and were silently stealing
up the harbor, directly under the guns, bent
on everlasting destruction to Charleston, and
every thing that stood under q rebel flag. They
generally concluded that Charleston was about
gone up this time, and began to discuss prob
abilities OF the next object of attack which they
determined was avannah; whereat they pro-
posed to get their houses In order as soon as
possible, and leave for their native State,
Georgia. When raylight came, however, and
they saw no Monitors anchored of the city,
they grew bold again, and few of them began
10 doubt neither the Monitors could take
Charleston. A majority of them clung to their
first belief, that it was quite possible, and
more than very probable. All were greatly
relieved when they saw the Monitors leave
their position near Sumter and return to their
old anchorage.