The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-08-08

land batteries have hurled their shot and
shell within her walls, and still she faunts
, the red battle flag in our face.
Something must be done, and that too,
, quickly, or in few days we shall have the
whole army in Virginia upon u.s." said an
officer high in command. I'VE must storm
the fort tonight and carry It at the point
: of the bayonetl'
In few moments signals are made from
the top of the lookout and soon generals
and colonies commanding divisions and
, brigades were seen galloping TO the head-
: few words in consultation and Gems. Sey-
mour, Strong, Stevenson, and Coils. Put
, nam and Montgomery are seen Fastening
back to their respective commands. Oh-
: GERS shout, bugles sound, the word OF COM
, mand is given, ana soon the soidiers
around upon and 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
solid column stand ready to move to the
deadly assault.
cavalry and artillery at supporting dis
tances, but in solid regimental column, on
the hard ocean beach, for half Il mile be-
fore 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 it's many forms of attack, was assigned
to the command of the LIST Brigade. Col.
Putnam Of the 9TH New Hampshire, who,
although of the regular army, and consld-
cred one of the best officers in the Depart
ment, bad never led his men into battle
nor been under fire, took command of the
I'd, and Gen. Stevenson the Sd, constitu-
J ting the reserve. The 54th Massachusetts
i (colored regiment,) Col. Shaw, was the adj
!. vanced regimentin the LIST Brigade, and the
Z I'd South Carolina (negro,) Col. Montgom-
: cry, was the last regiment of the reserve
!. The selection OF the 54th Massachusetts, to
: lead the charge was undoubtedly made on
= account of the good fighting qualities it
had displayed few days before on James
! Island, an account of which you have in
I letter of the 18th.
These brigadees, as have remarked be-
: fore, were formed for this express duty
: Many of the regiments had never seen
their brigade commanders before; some of
them had never been under fire, and, with
the exception of three regiments in the LIST
' Brigade, none of them had ever been en-
{ gagged in this form of attack. All had fresh
u in their memories the severe repulse we
J; had met on the morning of the 18th inst,
: For two years the Department of the
u south had been in existence, and until the
4 Storming of the batteries on the south end
= of Morris Island the army had won no
X victory fairly acknowledged by the enemy.
!, just as darkness began to close in upon
= the scene of the afternoon and evening
II Con. Strong rode to the front and ordered
:, his brigade, consisting of the 54th Mass,
II Col. Shaw (colored regiment,) the 9Th
n Conn.,, Col. Chattield, the 4sth N. Y, Col.
/ Barton, the Sd N. H., Col. Jackson, the
., > 10th Penn, and the 9th Maine, Col. Emery
e. to advance to the assault. At the instant
II the line was seen slowly advancing in the
.e dusk toward the fort, and before double
e quick had been ordered, a tremendous fire
s. from the barbette guns on Fort Sumter,
from the batteries on Cummings Point,
=, and from all the gnns on Fort Wagner,
70 opened upon it. The guns from Wagner
:, swept the beach, and those from Sumter
~ and Cummings Point enfiladed it on the
y left. In the midst of this terrible shower
~ of shot and shell they pushed their way,
- reached theIort, protions of the 54th Mass,
s. 9 the 9th Conn.,, and the 18th N. Y, dashed
u through the bitches, gained the parapet,
20 and engaged in a hand to hand fight
e with the enemy, and for nearly half
- =, an hour held their ground, and did not fall
y Ger was shot down. AS on the morning OF
ie the 18th inst, these brave men were ex-
10 posed to most CALLING fire of grape and
70 canister, from howitzer, raking the bitches
* from the bastions of the fort, from hand
Il u grenades, and from almost every other
>. fought with the utmost desperation, and sc
oe did the larger portion of Gen. Strong's bri.
VI gade, as long as there was an officer tC
ne command it.
he When the brigade made the assault, Gen
Strong gallantly rode at its head. When i
. fell back, broken, torn and bleeding, Ma
" jor Piimpton, of the Sd New Hampshire
llss was the highest commissioned officer Il
su command it. Gen. Strong, Col. Shaw, Col
az Chatfeld, Col. Barton, Col. Green, Col
y. rs Jackson, all had fallen; and the list 1 senC
ne you will tell how many other brave officer
~ fell with them. Stories are flying abou
lu that this regiment and that regiment brok
~ and run; that but for the frightened 54tl
III Massachusetts (negrO) we would have car
q ried the ft :: that the 9th Maine did no
~ reflect mu honor upon the gallant Stat
q she represents, and thousand other rea
" " sons which l care not to enumerate. 1t i
~ absurd to say these men did not fight ant
~ ~ were not exposedt to perhaps the most dead
~ ly fire OF the war, when SO many officer
-. - and so many of the rank and file wer
-: II: killed. 1t must be remembered, too, tina
~ this assault was made in the night-a yer,
~ y dark night-even the light of the stars wa
u obscured by the blackness of a heavy thun
!. der storm, and thssenemy could be distin
~ gulshed from our own men only by tn
NJ lights of bursting shell and the flash of tn
," howitzer and the musket. The 54th Mas
ar !, sachusetts (negro), whom Copperhead Off
u GERS would have called cowardly if the,
~ had stormed and carried off the gates 9
aa hell, went boldly into battle, for the secon
90 time, commanded by their brave Colonel
q. d but came out of it led by no higher Office
-, than the boy, Lieut.. Higginson.
- The list Brigade, under the lead of Gen
~ Strong, failed to take the fort It was nov
IA the turn of Col. Putnam, commanding tn
ao I'd Brigade, composed of the 9TH N. H., tn
y esd Ohio, Col. Steele; the 67th Ohio, Col
as Voorhees,; and the Tooth N. Y, Col. Danely
~ to make the attempt. But alasI the tasl
" was too much for him. Through the sam
~ !. terrible fire he led his men to. over AM
he ~ = f;cbtinc auaru r,on,ant Of tbat -
Ia with the utmost desperation, and, as wit
.a' the LIST Brigade, it was not until he himsel
re- fell killed, and nearly all his officer
,ny wounded, and no reinforcements arriving
10 that his men fell back, and the Rebel shou
s;s and cheer OF victory was heard above tn