Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1863-07-31
STANTON VA, FRIDAY JULY 81 1863.

(From the Charleston Merchry, july 2O.)
! The struggle for Morris Island awful
/ BOmbardment Of battery Wagner-a
| night assault upon our works signal
and Bloody repulse of the Foe.
Saturday last was day which will be for
ever memorable in the history Of Charles
ton. The heavy rains had moderated the
excessive heat Of the preceding fortnight.
the morning shy was cloudless. and the light
breeze scarcely ruA1ed the placid waters of
the harbof.
BoMBARDMENr OF BATTERY WAGNER.
About eight o'clock the desultory canon
ade with whichthe experience Of a week had
! made our commanity familiar was again
heard. For nearly three hours the enemy's
ERE was maiutaified With the usual delibera-
ton; but about eleven o'clock it was noticed
that the reports came in far more rapid rue
cessioD. By noon it became well understood
that the foe was resolved to subject our po-
sition to an ordeal much more severe thar
auy which, up to that time. it had encoun-
( tered At that hour, as we learn BY ac-
counts from Morris Island. the converging
fire of the enemy against the battery had
I become truly fearful. Five Monitors, the
] erigate Ironside, seven wooden gunboats,
with the land batteries which the Yankees
had thrown up ON the lower portion of the
island, kept up constant rain of shot and
shell! into our works No less than sixty
five heavy guns and eight mortars are
known to have been in play against US
Atone time, so rapid was the fire, that the
reports averaged twenty-seven per minute.
One of the monitors lay northeast Of Bat
terry Wagner and two to the southeast,
while the others, with the Ironsides, kept
up position nearly opposite the sea face OF
the battery. The wooden gunboats ma
neuvred at some distance outside the line
Of "turretted monsters" relying chiefly :
on their long range riaed siege guns -
/ There were two Yankee batteries on Nor
ris Island, one. consisting of two guns and
a mortar, was located at Craig's Hill, with
10 about eight hundred yards Of our battery;
the other was beyond Graham House. and
had an armament of eight rifed she'll guns.
| 1t is estimated that during the day, no less
than nine thousand shells were fired at the
battery.
The bombardment, as viewed from emf
hence, in the city, was grand aud terri
bic sight. The horiz,n, from Fort Moul-
trie to Vinegar Hill, was crowned with the
/ shifting masses of the smoke of the conflict
Each moment the enemy's shells, sometimes
singly, somesimesin clusters, could be seen
bursting just above the site of Battery
/ Wayne but when; at intervals, the clouds
Of white smoke lifted for time from the
scene, the flag Of the brave garrison could
be seen still waving de6antly in the breeze,
while with grim regularity and deliberation
our guns kept replying to the foe.
For eleven consecutive hours the bonn
bardment ragged with more or less violence.
About dusk the fire, which during the af.
ternoon had been incessant (probably with
the design Of demoralizing our men and
uniting them for the expo ed nights work
began to slacken considerably, and at dark
ceased almost entirely. The results, thu;
far, had been Of character to give us good
cause for encouragement and graduation =
The damage to our Battery was insigni6-
cant and Of a kind easily and speedily re-
parable The bombproofs had afforded eff
Gent protection to large portion Of the
garrison, and our casualties at Z O'clock. F..
NJ, were but four killed and fourteen
wounded. OF the cnemy's losses from our
fire. if any. We have, of course. no trust
worry account. Fort Sumter, which bore
part in the action, sent several shells into
the Craig Hill Batteries, aud also into the
camp of the enemy, about 81 miles distant,
it is believed, with good effect.
! THE NIGHT ATTACK
I At a few minutes before eight o'clock our
pickots gave notice that the enemy, in heavy
force was moving to the assault. The at
tack was not unexpected, and our men,
though much jaded by the fatigues and ex-
4 posure of the day. sprang to their places
With Zeal and alacrity. The enemy advanc-
ed Id Two columns Of about 3. 600 men each.
the whole under the command Of Brigadier
Gen Strong. The column which attacked
our right was composed partially Of negro
troops, who we're put in the advance. On
our left, the other column advanced With
i spirit, under severe fire from The Dahl
gren guns and colunbiads of Fort Sumter.
/ AS the column adeancnd at the doable-
quick, the guns # Battery Wagner also
opened.
/ When the enemy had reached point
abolt sixty yards distant. our infantry
posted behind the parapet, poured a CALLING
fire into the moving masses the Yankees,
nevertheless, in considerable force. succee-
ded in gaining the trench, and began te
Chamber up the sides of the Battery At
this moment. Lieut. Walties, Of Blake's
Battery, who was in charge Of two brass
howitzcrs (beiohging to a detachment Of
artillery under Capt DePass, of Whites
Battalion) opened raking FIRE which swept
the trench, playing terrific havoc in the
ranks Of the assailants The howitzers had
been assigned to this position which they
occupied SO advantageously for us, at the
instance Of Col Harris. Of the Engineers,
all the horses belonging to the section hav-
Ing been put Aors du combat during the
/ day. Twice the enemy was driven back
at this part Of our works, (the left. } an {
the tre1ch filed with the ene1nys dead
attt SITS the severity Of the conflict there.
4 On the right. the negro troops were me-
with terrible cross fire OF musk etry. -
Here was posted, among other troops, The
Charleston Battalion, and these gallant men
behaved in manner worthy the fame
their organization had so dearly won a
. Secessionyille. The second assault was
II .