Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-08-29
LATEST NEWS.
BY TELEGR APH
70 THE WORCESTER DAILY SPY.
FROM CHARLESTON.
Sumter and Wagner Reported Ours.
GEN. GlLMORE'S OFFICIAL DISPATCH.
Bombardment f Charleston Explosion
of the Big Guns.

from Charleston, with the intelligence that the
Union forces occupied forts Sumter and Wag-
ner on Monday last.
The Tribune correspondence from Morris
island, Of the date of Aug. "a, says it was ex'
pected the navy would make another demon
stratiOn upon the batteries between Sumter
and Charleston, that morning, but the severe
wind storm raging would probably delay the
movement at least one or two, and perhaps
three days. The land batteries now have al
most nothing to do. Fort Sumter is demol-
ished, and the destsuction of that fortress be-
ing the chief object for which they were
erected, but little remains tor them to do.
Wagner, like ripe fruit, will necessarily fall
into our hands in few days, without a furtl
er expenditure of labor or ammunition. The
heavy guns on our right, for the first time
since the bombardment, opened upon Wag-
ner, and, it is thought, accomplished very
much towards the reduction of the fort. A
very important position was gained last night
by the engineers, and it is the opinion of
these brave, interchangeable, and skiful Off
GERS that we shall be in possession of the fort
within very short time
The 'Swamp-Ange" was again in action
last night, and in spite of the protests of Beau
regard and the French and Spanish cOnsuls,
threw twenty-five incendiary shells into
| Charleston. In few moments after the fir
ing commenced the church bells began to ring
and all the usual sounds for an alarm Of fire
were heard. No smoke or flame, however, was
seen this morning and it is thought the shot
were not very effective. That the city can
be destroyed whenever Gen. Gilmore de-
sires to CRAFTY his soldiers by grand illumi
nation, there is not the least doubt, French
and Spanish cOnsuls to the contrary notwith
standing.
| OFFICIAL DISPATCH OF GEN. GILMORE.
HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE
SOUTH, MoRRIs ISLAND, S. c., Aug. "a.
To Nag. Gen. H. W. Halleck, Gsneral-in-
Chief U. S. A., Washington Sir 1 have
the honor to report the practical demolition of
fort Sumter as the result of our seven days
hOmbardment Of that work, including two
days of which powerful northeasterly storm
most seriously diminished the accuracy and
| effect of our fire.
Fort Sumter is to-day shapeless and
harmless mass of ruins. My chief af artillery,
| Col. j. N. Tourner, reports its destruction so
far complete that it is no longer of any avail
in the defence of Charleston. He also says
that by longer fire it could be made more
completely a ruin and mass of broken ma
sonry, but could scarcely be more power
less for the defence of the harbor. My
| preaching batteries were located at distances
between 1880 and 1910 yards from the work,
and now remain as efficient ever. l deem
| it unnecessary at present to continne their fire
upon the ruins of Sumter.
L have also, at much lahcr and under a
| heavy fire from James Island. established bat
teries on my left within effective range of the
heart of Charleston, and have opened with
them, after giving Gen. Beauregard due no.
| tice of my intention to do so. My notification
to Gen. Beauregard, his reply thereto, with
the threat Of retaliation, and my rejection,
| have been transmitted to the army headquar-
'eES .rI'N ii, u.ile. f-o,, my batteries en-
| tered the city, and Gen. Beaufegard himself
| designated them rs the most destructive mis-
siles ever used in war.
| The report of my chief of artillery with an
accurate sketch of the ruins of Sumter, taken
Mt y NJ yesterday, six hours before we ceased
| firing, are herewith transmitted.
Very respectfully,
| Your Obedient servant,
Q. A. GILMORE.
New YORK, Aug. 28.-A letter of the DIST,
from off Charleston, says the 3O0-pounder
Parrot burst yesterday after the seventh fire.
1t was fired but seven times. The first shot
fell short, but the other six went square
through the wall, exploding inside. These
six shells changed the whole face of the ruins,
lowering the mass of debris at least twenty
feet, and throwing open the whole rear OF the
fort.
The Mahaska also exploded hor 10.inch
rifle on Friday afternoon. No one was in
jured.
Both the Whitworth guns of the naval bat
terry are also disabled. The finest one showed
symptoms of bursting, and The second yester-
day, by premature explosion, killed four of |
the gunnerS.
New YORK, Aug. 27.-Morris Island letters |
to the Herald contain interesting details of |
proceedings in that vicinity. The letter of |
the 23d says of Sumter:
''The gorge lately crowned with line of |
heavy ordnance looking over Morris Island
ir but IL mass of ruins. A portion of the left
angle still stands but is considerably shat.
tered and honey combed. The centre and
right are completely battered to fragments
and from the crest of the parapet to the VIA
ters edge are covered with debris. The sally
port is buried by the masses of brick falling
from the parapet upon the heavy sand barri-
cades the rebels had put partially finished the
angle is battered down, and from that point to
the extreme southeast face the wall is full of |
huge gaping cracks, from which immense
masses of debris have fallen into the water at
its base. All the guns at the gorge are dis
mounted, and two have been knocked over on
the southeast face. No serious offensive
powers are left to the rebels in Fort SUMTER
and the passage of the fort by our IRON clads |
is entirely practicable without much danger |
from its fire.
Seven deserters, who escaped from fort |
Moutrie on Thursday night to the Montauk,
besides giving other information, say that two |
blockade runners succeeded in evading our
vessels and ran into Charleston last Sunday |
night. They were discovered by our block
aders and fired upon, but the night was so
dark and misty that they were quickly lost
sight Of They were probably portion Of the
large fleet due here from Nassau with val
liable cargoes. The nights are so dark and
hazy now after the moon sets that it is an
utter impossibility to see one of those lead
colored vessels setting close in the water at
any distance.
| Rebel Steamers Running the Blockade
| Mt Wilmington Daily.
New York, Aug. 27.-The Herald says a
recent letter from an officer of the blOckading
squadron oft Wilmington, N. c., says that
| two or three steamers had run into Whining
ton each day for five days previous. One
1