, 1863-08-29
We OCCUPY FORTS SUMTER
and WAGNER.
Gen.: Gilmore's Official Report.
THE CITY SHELLED At FIVE
MILES DISTANCE, -.
Beauregard Objects to the Greek


florida, from Charleston, with Intelligence
that the United States forces occupied Fort
Sumter :: . ....>,.
A late number Of the Richmond .Eta,atnsr
ssYs in relation 70 the attack on: Char.aston:
'.But what does sta1tle It; ii the distance from
which tho shells were .thrownl The battery
Is in marah, I'VE milcs from the city. It;
has long been claimed by inventors Of mod.
e1n ordnance that ncw artillery avail for such
purposes ut that distance, but this is the first
practical test Of their pretensions On record
aud must necessarily attract attention.
"Not doubt now remains that Charleston
Is shout to be tried In terrible ordeal Of bonn.
tardment. It is well that place is prepared"
"Goy. Bonham has Just Issued proclama.
tiou informing the citizens that the plan Of
defence admitted that contingency, and recon-
nendlpg the non.combatants to withdraw,
nftcr confirmation thereof furnished by Gil.
more. There is little tear that lis advice
will not be attended to by families who hayc
not deep cellars aud firm nerves."
"Charlcston will be shcllcd, but that will bc
q circumstance Of minor importance to tho
tucccssftl defence Of its forhGcations aud
harbor, II wc can retain them aud foil the
enemy, that glorious victory will amply COM
rcnsato for all the Injury which bombs can
do to empty houscs,"
Especial Dispatch 10 tho Chicago Teibuue.l
Tn1zApxLrr1A, Aug. 70; 1861.
!. On this {Fr1day) night, at Inst no havc 1c-
cclvcd m official dispatch from General Gil
moro that our troops occupy Sumter aud
Wagner.
Tho news has been 20 long expected that It
hagdly awakcus any manifestations Of Joy In
cur city.
Other necounts say that Sumter Is a huge
maes Of ,ulns.
HEADQUARTERS DxrAnrNExr or rux sou4u,,
Monms Island. 8. e., Aug. -, 1868.
To Major aea. Halleck, Washington: -
sm: hive the honor to report tho rrac.
t,cal demolition Of Fort Sumter, as tho result
ofeeyen days. bombardmcnt Of that work, in.
cluding two days of which powerful
northeast storm mo.t seriously diminished
the accuracy and effect Of our tlrc
Fort Sumter is to-day u shapelest, harmless
ma:s OF ruina. Ny Chief of Artillery, Col ].
Ii. Turner, reports Its destruction 50 far com.
plete, that 1t is no longer Of any avail in the
defenccs Of Charleston. He also says that by
d longer fire 1t could be nade more COM
r1etely ruin and mass Of broken masonry,
tutcould scarcely be more powcrless for tho
defence Of tho harbor.
Our preaching batteries were located at 4
distance varying between $3.50 and 4,e4o
yards from the wosk, and now remain as
Efficient IS ercr. deem It unnecessary at
present to continue their fire upon the ruins
Of Sumter. I hare also ut great labor, and
under heavy fire from James 1slan1, estah-
lshed batteries on my left, within effective
range Of the heart Of Charleston, md hare
opened with them, after giving Gen. Beaure-
gard due notice of my intention to do 50.
Ny notification to Gcn- Beauregard, his
reply thereto, with the threat Of retaliation,
and my rejoinder, have been transmitted to
the army headquarters. -,
+; The projectiles from my batteries entered
the city, and Gen. Bcaurcgard himself 'desig-
rates them ~ the most destructive missiles
crer used In war.
Tho report Of my Chief of ARTILLERY, aud an
accurate sketch Of tho min Of Sumter taken
at 1e m. yea.erda5, aix hours before re ceased
firing, arc herewith t1ansmitted.
Very respectfully, your obcdlcnt servant,
Q. A. GILMORE, Brig. Gen. Cong.
New YORK, Ang. "a Morris Island let
ter Of the 24th, to the Herald. says:
Scycn dcserters, who escaped from Fort
Moultric Thursday night, to the Montauk,
lesides giving much other Information, state
that two blockade runners proceeded in elud-
ing our vessels, and running safely into
Charleston last Thursday night. They wcre
discovered by our blockade1s and fired upon,
but the night wns so dark and misty that they
were quickly lost sight Of They wcrc proba.
ably u portion Of Largo fleet duo here from
Nassau with valuable cargocs.
On the 23d, making good his notice to Beau
regard, Gen. Gilmore directed Lieut., Selman,
commanding the Marsh Battery, to open with
his riaed guns upon the city Of Charleston.
During tho night and between l and 3 O'Clock
On Saturday morning, ifteen shells Of Bir'
1ey's invention were pitched over the james
| Island batteries, across the island and harbor,
ard into the torn. Tho effect Of this dem.
onstration against the city WIS quito satisfhc-
tory to ourselves. Perhaps Beaurcgasd had
-conaide1cd Gnmore's threat to shnll Charles.
| ton, 1T distance Of four miles, too prepos&or
Gus to demand attention. Certainly the city
had not been evacuated by Ill the non-com
eatants. The visitors which our swsuI
.irgel sent them created the most uproariou.
panic. The people werc rouscd by their id
vent, and universal confusion followed, aud .
general tkedadale ensued. This WIS ovidcn
from tho light Of burning buildings, the ring
ing Of bells from every stccple, and th.
.crecclling and screaming Of locomotlr,
rhlstles. -.
The samo correspondent s,ys: a few dsy
more Of delay may ruin tho entire campaign
Sumter waa reduced because 1t was In tn
way Of the navy, but Admiral DahlgEtn ha
as yct mado no advance towards comp1etln,
The work which Gen. Gilmore hal 10 glori
| ou.ly begun. The army ID unable to do mort
Gen. Gilmore has performed his part Of til
contract, and It NOW remains for: the mar
to enter upon and pc1form It's part Of II
work. Ono weeks delay may enable tho ret
els to replnce Fort Sumter, By new. battcric
Within the hasbor, which Nlll mako the car
} ture Of Charlcston Us far of as It WAS botos
| ve fired the first gun At It. There Ia dee
feeling Of fear, growing on the shore, that th
fruits Of our glorious Triumph Mill be perrni
| ted to slip from our grasp, By the inczpllc;
, bio proc1astInat1on on tho part Of the mar,
1cannot explain this seeming 1ant OF energ
: on tho part of, the navA authorities. The
! may be able to do It, hut some more rcaso1
must te giyen than those already In c1rcrl
8 ton. Our country Will feel t1 from satis6s
With the result Of tho naval operations In ta
> quarter. -
4 NORM ISLAND, Aug. eA-Therc Ia little
c note concerning the operations Of ycsteraa
j. Though Fort Sumter had been rendered Us
ri less for defense, tho big guns in our batteri
. wcrc deliberately engaged In rounding Cd
"a remaining angles and putting on thu hnlsht
~ / &nnAhAa ~ t$h 1ns+euak3an ..