The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1863-08-27

hours q matter OF certainty aud that II
this demand were s'not complied with, or no
| reply thereto was received within four hours
afier Il Is delivered into the hands of your
. tmy1 subordinate commander at Fort Wagner
Tor frlHsmission," fire would be opened
| ION HE city of Charleston from batteries
already established within easy and effective
range OF the heart Of the city This eoni-
m'inienfion to my address Was without sig
| nature. and was of conrse returned
About hafrast | this morning one OF yonF
batteries did actually open fire and threw a
nunsser al. heavy rifle shells into the city,
the inhabitants of which, oil course, were
asleep ard unwarned.
About . o'clock this morning the cnmmu-
nieasion alluded tn above wis returned ~
these headquarters, hearing your rs.c.. nize,l
Official signature, ant ii can now he oticed
'ss your deliberate official act.
Among nations not bari,sirous the usa0es
OF wsr prescribe that when Il city is about to
be ATTACHED timely notice shall hr gwen By
the isiacking commander, III order that non
comltafants may have au opportunity for
Withdrawing beyond its limits Generally.
ne fi,iie allowed is from one TO three days
that Ii, time for the Withdrawal in good faith
ci af least the women and children. You,
sir, give only foar hours, kIaoaiag that your
notice, nnder existing circumstances, could
not reach me in less than two hours, ana
THAI not less than the same time would be
required for an answer to be conveyed from
this ely TO battery Wagner; with This know
ledge yea threaten TO open fire ON this city
not TO ob'ige its surrender, bat TO force me
TO evacuatc these works which yon, assisted
by great naval force haye been attacking.
III vain for more than 40 days.
Batteries Wagner and Gregg, and Fort
Sumter, are nearly due North from your bat
'eres on Morris Island, and in distance there
IL
quarter miles; this city, on the other hand,
IS to the Northwest, aud quite five miles dis
iant from the battery opened against it this
morning.
1t would appear, sir, that despairing Of re-
ducing these works, ycu now resort TO the
novel measure of turning your guns against
the old men, the women and children, ami
the hospitals OF a sleeping city, an act Of iu
eycaSable barbarity from your own COZ teSsed
point OF sight, inasmnch as you allege that
the complete demolition of Fort Sumter
within a few hours by yoIr guns seems to
you 'aHatte,. Of certaialty.'
Your omission to attach your signature TO
such grave paper must show the reckless
ness OF the course upon which you have adj
venlured. While the facts that you know
ingly fixed 4 limit for receiving an answer 10
your demand, which made it almost beyond
the possibility of receiving any reply within
that time, and that you actually did opea fire
and throw number OF the must destructive
missiles ever used in war, into the midst OF
II city taken unawafes, and filled with sleep
ing women and children, will give you bad
eminence" IN history-eycn ia the history OF
this war;
am only surprised, sir, at the limits you
have set to your demand If in order to at
tain the abandonment OF Morris !. land and
Fort Sumter yOu feel authorized to ire on
this city, why did you not also include the
works on Sullivan's and James's Island-nay,
even the city OF Charleston, i'll the same de-
mand:
Since you have felt warranted in inaugu-
raiing this method OF reducing batteries iii
Eour immediate front which were found 9th
crwise impregrabie, and q mode Of warfare
which | confidently declare to be atrocious
and unworthy Of any soldier, now solemn
ly warn you that il you fire again on this city
from your Morris Island batteries, withou:
granting somewhat more reasonable time
10 remove noncombatants, / shall feel i'm
PEELED to employ such stringent means OF
retaliation as may be available, during the
continuance Of this attack.
Finally, reply that neither the works on
Morris Island nor Fort Sumter will be eyac-
uated on the demand you have. been pleased
to make. Already, however, l ann taking
measures to remove all nUn-combatants,
who are now fully aware of and alive TO what
cAptct il }oui
Respectfully, sir, your ob't serv't,
{Signed) q I BEAUEECARD,
General Commanding.
The following dispatch was received at
headquarters AT 3 L NJ:
MORRIS ISLAND, 2.55 P. NJ, Aug %.
TO Gene3dl Jordan.
AT II o'clock today Gen. Giilmores COM
munication was received. He gives until
IL p. NJ. tomorrow to remove non-con,ba-
tants.
(SignedD General HAGoop.
On receipt of the communications, how
ever, at headquarters, it was discovered that
Gen. Gilmore dated his dispatch in rep!y9
p. NJ, OF the 22d, Saturday night,) but did
not cause il to be delivered al Wagner until
II meridian, Sunday. The date was not then
noticed, and hence Gen. iiagoad's telegram
that until IL PM. tomorrow was given for
the removal oil nOmeombatanis. The tire
upou the city was, therefore, renewed sun
day night about IL O'Clock. AT the same
time an answer was received To the commu-
nication OF Scnor Moncada, Spanish Consul,
who had also sent note to Gen. Gilmore
requesting forty-cight hours notice for the
removal of fnon-cOinbatants.
At halfpast three Sunday morning the
enemy opened ols Sumter with three hun
dred pouuter PARROTS. Three monitors
opened on the sea face Of Sumter, and kept
up a heavy fire until daylight. Fort Moul-
trie replied to the ire OF the monitors, and
the latter retired ont of range. The IRON
sides continued ID pour its broadsides upon
Wagner until III A. NJ. The land batteries
also seemed to exert themselves more than
usual, and trcd heavily until ilsundowh. Fort
Sumter at tiiaes would rouse up and send
forth another note OF defiance.
While the officers of Sumter were at the
dinner table yesterday a shell burst above
their mess-r0om, parts of the slkll going
through on the dinner table and throwing
down bricks. Col. Alfred Rhett, command
ing the fort, was slightly wounded; Lieut.
Boylston, seriously i'll the breast; Captain
Fleming and Lieut. Fickling, slightly.
feet Captain, supposed To he Capt &. X.
Rogers, pilot and pnrser, were killed lil the
pilot-house oil one Of. the monitors, i'll the
attack on Monday, the i.flfinst which ex-
plains the cause of the vessels retiring at
that time with their ilaes at half mast.
A. l.. Hammond writes TO the Augusta
.Seatiael as follows:
In passing along the street this morning
ms attention was attracted TO the telcgraphic
dispatc c.,es on the board in front OF your Of
ice. 1t was there stated that the enemy
were approaching Wagner by mining. No
school boy of ten years old but knows the
inposs;hiiity Of this. The island is all sand
or the surface, aud water at the depth Oi
from four 10 six feet. Mining is therefore
ouf of the question, unless the W ork is aretrd
by brick or wood. To do this, II a. all prac-
tieable, would require from Blk to twelve
months, and then resui; in failure, because
all approaches would end on open in ths
| from six 10 eight feet Of water Let ihs
| yea.v.l.. an t1u that %rxiPis