Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1863-08-05
Tho recent Battles near Charleston.
uD FIGHT ON JAMES ISLAND.
THE sToRMING of FORT WAGNER.

Il
Charleston from which we have space
only for few extracts. 1t seems that
after our first assault ON Fort Wagner the
rebels thought they would try the offensive
and accordingly on the 10th attacked or
troops on James Island near the Stone
river. They came down in considerable
force and drove ia our pickets. They at
tempted flank movement which was
prevented by the gunboat -Pdaonee and |
after an hours fighting the rebels fed In |
great confusion, leaving knapsacks, mus
kets and equipm ents behind in their haste. |
Our loss was only killed and "a wound
ed The cciored regiment from Massa-
chusetts here had its first experience under
fire. OF its behavior the Herald CORES
pondent thus speaks:
The Fifty-fourth Massachusetts fought
very bravely. l do not learn that single
prisoner was taken from their regiment
Not myself believer in the arming of ne
groes, free or contraband, as soldiers,
must do this regiment the credit of fight
ing bravely and well. The rebels attacked
them with the cry of "No quarters" and
they accepted the condition of the fight.
Several fell pierced by many bullets while
lighting siDgly with half a dozen of rebels,
who were trying to capture them. One
black man bayou cited an officer who was
leading a squad OF men, and then gave
thrust which wounded a sergeant, just as
he was falling, with five bullets through
his body. Another, whose arm had been
shot off, brought his mpsket off the field
in the other hand, carrying it till he fell
down and bled to death. The Massachu-
sets negro regiment Is evidently made OF
good stuff, il they are darkeys, and no
better fighting can be asked for than they
did on James Island, when so furiously at
tackled at their picket station
Preliminary to the assault on Fort Wag-
ner, furious fire was kept up during most
of Saturday, the 18th, from our land bat
teries and the iron clads and gunboats An
immense number of shot and shell struck
Fort Wagner, badly tearing up It's earth
works. shooting away its colers, and, for
the time being, silencing its guns. Finally
orders ', ere given for the storming of the
works, of the attempt and the repulse the
Herald'S correspondent gives the following
account:
TIE sToRNIING FORCE.
Gen. Strong had orders to march his |
brigade across the open land to the beach |
near the old house at the right of our |
works and for this movement the Fifty |
fourth Massachusetts, Col. Robert Shaw,
was added temporarily to his command.
His other regiments were the Sixth Cons
necticut, Col. John l.. Chatfield Ninth
Maine, Col. Sabine Emory; the remnant
of the Seventh Connecticut battalion,
Capt. Sylvester S. Gray (not with the
storming party; Forty eighth New York,
Col. William b. Barton Sevanty-siXth
Pennsylvania, commanded by Capt John
Littell, and the Third New Hampshire,
Col j. H. jackson.
Col. II. 5. Putnam was ordered to adj
vence with his brigade to the rear of Gen.
Strong's. His brigade had been on the
beach, under the bluffs, all day, and con-
sisted at the Seventh New Hampshire,
Lieut.. Col. j. -. Abbott IN command
Ohio, Col. a. @. Voris, and
the Sixty-second Ohio, Col. Howell.
Brig. Gen. Stevenson was also ordered
towards the front with his fine brigade as
q reserve.
VIGOROUS ARTILLERY ASSAULT.
As a part of the plan the land batteries
and iron clads now made furious assault
on the fort, firing with the greatest posi-
BILE rapidity, and giving the spot where
their fire concentrated a more and more
internal look. Smoke completely envel
oped it, and the flashing of the bursting
shells came ont like,t tongues of flame
from q burning volcano. The roar from
the guns and mortars was almost deafen-
ing. Under this cover the two brigades /
advanced.
CHARGE OF sTRoNG's BRIGADE,
Strong's brigade marched in column up
past the old building on the right of our
batteries then deployed and advanced in
lire a short distance. then deployed again,
and marched up the beach in close column,
Putnams brigade following at supporting
distance, and hating at point where they
had been ordered to stop. Fort Sumter
saw the movement, and pitched her shells
over among the troops, but hurt none of
them. When StrOng's troops, led by their
gallant general, bad got two-thirds the
distance TO the tort the Cannonading ceas-
ed TO avoid iuiGring our own troops. and
then the rebels in Fort Wagner came out
in full strength. y thousands muskets
flashed almost together, and 4 deadly fire |
into our troops. The guns were brought
TO bear on them, and grape and canister
hailed down upon them. With shout
they advanced, at a word from the Gene.
raj, on q double quick, untalteringly di-
rectly up into that terrible fire. Musketry
ratified Sumter's shells burst all ground
them, bullets whistled. canister hummed,
grape plough d along the ground, the fort
was lis hted up almost constantly with the
fire from howItzers, rifles and muskets-
not in fttul flashes, but with steady,
cleaning sheets of flame. They never
-taggered-never wavered-did not stop
for the many who fell, or listen to the !
means Of the wounded. They reached
the ditch anG crossed 1t, some on planks,
some rushing down in and toilng up,
some seeking better entrance To the lett,
where the ditch was, however, filed with
water. As they were making the crossing
howitzers IN the bastIons kept up rak-
ing hre, Frustrating many bodies, but not
the mass.
Over they went, and clambered up the
parapets. But the grape met them every
where, sweeping the ditch, the curtins
outside, the parspets above, aud the rebel
infantry, seeing all but unseen themselves