, 1863-08-28

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The WORKS osAoRE1e 1skasD: ::
AstEc works on Morris Is!and-bosh foa
| offensive aad defensive ope.atio1s--atf0rd ma
te1ial for an important portion Of the history
If the siege, I shall endeayor TO describe NTH
u,inuteEesB tleir positions and form OF con
ss1uction. n doing 20, l viii commence
with the pa1alls1s-the tlrst works erected by
! Gen. Gilmore after taking possession Of the
leland. The parallels, considered b5 them
EelTts, a1e three In number, each Of them ex-
| tencifg from the beach on the right to the
marsh On the left. The first is distant f35m
Fort Wagner 200 yards, and from Fort sEma
ter about two miles. The second and prinei!
! al parallel Is 60 Constructed that its left IS
6QS yards from Wagner, and the right $50
Yards. The third and last parallel is LIS yards
! from Wagner. The parallels are not built d.
rtetly At right anstss With The length Of the
island, but in an obEque direction, the highest
| po}rts resting on the marsh. The topography
| Of the island made 1t necessary to give them
| that direction, about one-half Of the surface
being marEhY ground. The zi8e,p pits, which
form the foundation Of the first parallel, werc
thrown up shortly after our troops gained
under the esuperintendeneeo Of the engineer oH-
! GERS Of Gen. Gilmore's staff: Thej we're con-
sttuctcd in single night, and used first ou
the attack on Wagner on tie 18th Of July.
The interstices we're subsequently filed in,
and the first parallel erected It is situated
two miles from Lighthouse Inlet, Is 2225 yards
IN length, and has been the means of enabling
much valuable service to be performed, al.
though during the action, In consequence Of
/ the advance works, it has been Of secondary
importance
|; Tho next step takea was the buildi3g of
caches or trenches which should connect
| the first and second parallels. Tint work
was finished id = brief space Of time, the
weTkmen having been protected by guns
mounted on the arst parallel. Next was con
srrreted the second aud main parallel, used
both for offensive and defensive operations.
1T has length Of :525 yards, and, perhaps, Of
ITSELF may be considered rs simply d9fen-
.siye|ork, as the s!ege guns which a7c used
in the Offensive arc mounted on earthHusks
just at the rear. Beyond the second pan1lel
Ill; Which is the shortest Of them ali, Eelng
Int 100 yards In length. It's distance from
Fort Sumter Is $3.50 yards. Tie third p1ral-
la is tae advance work, and Is used to pro-
ttct the snarpehooters.
: All the works beyond the first parallel were
constructed under the Immediate supervision,
of. Capt. 7. B.. Brooks, OF General Gi1more's
stsT. Tho upper end Of the island was for
ner)y ustt as quarantine ground, and when
digging the trenches between forty aud fifty
dead bodies we're e1hur1ed In erecting the
works tie werkmen were Obliged to perform
rebel 'sharFshooters were constantly on the
alert, and tbs moment 4, man showed the
1eaEt PORTION Of his person above the trenches
ou.ipg- the day, he was sure to be fired it,
The enemy was supplied with tolescopic
rifles, BY means Of which he made some very
e1ce1ltnt shots.
Apart from tne parallels, aad Mt the left of
them, arc earth*oEks which contained guns
Of heavy calibre. Their meau distance from
Sumter il! 100 yards. 1t is very fotmidab1e
work, and Its guns did vast deal of exccu-
ton.
Still further to the left, and on the marsh.
is another earthwork which tees Sumter
It is reached by means Of snail creek.
which Taasts it at the left, and luws iuto
Lighthouse Inlet. It was the lust Of the for
titications constructed, and its sudden appear
ance one mt rning aust have causel consid-
erab1c eurplise in the enemy's camp, he little
suspeetirg- that his foe would venture to
mount guns on that particular spot.
The works above mentioned embrace MI
that were constructed by Gen Gilmore on
Morris Island. In the progress Of their cree.
ton Lumber Of lives were lest and several
men wounded. but the casualties, viewiog tie
amopnt of work performed, were compare
lively few. The troops, comprising General
Terry's division, did the larger p1tt Of the
work. About one week before the bonbartl-
nsent relnfoscements arrived from the North,
and relieved; to great extent, Gen. Terry's
! force.,
TIE ORDNANCE.
The guns are worked for tho most part by
the Sd Rhode Islapd artillery, companies B
and F, Of the Sd New York. and B and E Of
the Ineependent New York artillery regi-
! Enrallols. Tho narai battery is commanded
| By Capt. Parker, Of the Wabash. The guns
nfc worked ty detail Of 100 marines, taken
| from the gu1boats- Fiftv of them Werr on
duty at time.
THE SAvY.
The vessels that have engaged of and on
during the siege are SIX monitors, the Iron
sides, i've gunboats and t"o mortar schooners.
One Of the monitors, the Passaic, has been
nsed BY Admiral Dah1gren portion OF the
time as flagship.
TIE ExeAr'5 vonKs.
The crcr,u,a xzorts hsva heap ofrsodv aa.
eo,;hs, n }a-msr 1o4tar. ~ Ta.t $500, ~,
mn1fofed n;na horhatta Tnns ~, 10 narnnos
fc,ng searnna N the daa snnthxest ~, 1n para1,ss
we.e s+otInra5 = 80 ~ .nne ~ ti,a ,eao,, tJas
..nns werc of fnng range Fort W,rner ~
fhs northern end Of Morris r;1and. IA IN carth. H.
worth. IA is aisn Fort Erep1r m ,hc evtreme
northern noint Of the isi5nt,, They nre dIs
taut from each other 100 Yards. 10th forts
arc provided with bomb proofs. Wagner
cantn,nef tvn .ninch cnlrmbyaJs and two
S.inch: also one larce mortnr md threa rms
If small. ca1ibre. 4re1-t- wna fnrnsshed Nth Nth
tour lenyyyuns. Forts .Johnsnn and s1mn
kjns. on James Island. were cach nroyIded
uith long range guns. The earthworks, cx,
tending some distance, on James island,
mounted live gans. Fort Moultrie, on Bu1lI
vans Island, did not take part In the action,
The above nccount ofthe rebel works was oh.
taiced from two deserters on Thursday, and
elludes to their condition In the early part ol
the siege. The works nearer Charleston arr
not taken into the account,
|
| TILE flhsf pA4 Or TIE hoaf'ANpAESf'
The bombardment commenced at daybrcak
Of heavy calibre, excepting one piece on the
second parallel which has been accidentally
spiked, we're brought into action. a portion
Of the guns were directed to Sumter, while
tee others were pointed to Wagner and Gregg
At 6 Ia o'clock o Monitor rode up the chan
mel and commenced firing at Sumter. In ball
an hour another Monitor and the lronsidcs
we're engaged. At 10 u. N. fye Monitors and
the Ironhides had come up, and we're Joined Al
noon BY tlve guuboats. The mortar schooner<
Of the bombs exploding In our own lines
Il rapid fire was kept up On our part till hte
il the afternoon when the Monitors hauled oil
and shortly inter the gunboats ceased, firing
+ OILY ct long intervals. According to tht
statement Of enc Of the deserters. before al
lu1ed to, the first shot that struck Sumter
rassed through the outer wall and also ar
to s:renethen the work. Throughout the da1
sl,v h1l1g of the heavy guus was excellent
But few shots seemed to Iniss the mark. Thu
| mnrtars did yery little execution. Most nj
The bombs seemed to explode everywhere bn
over the right place. Sumter fred but thre
OF four shots during the whole day. Wagne
hna Gregg stood up reso1utely to the worl