Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1863-09-26


certainly robs war of some of its presumed
fatality. AS have before remarked, the
escape of so large a majority of the men,
amid such storms of bullets sweeping and
yelling around their ears, has always been
the great mystery of war"
The siege Of s'ori Houiric.
EXPLOSION OF MAGAZINE IN FoRT
MoULTRrE-While the enemy were con-
ccntrating their fire upon the Wechawken,
she was not idle. rs have before remarked.
One of her shells struck and penetrated n
large magazine in Fort Moutria, and gnitcd
the supply of powder within it. The result
was instant and terrific The top of the
! mound covering the magazine was thrown
high in tue 'aiI in a seconds time, and an
immense column of fire and smoke shot up,
mingled with earth and timbers, which for
a few moments envcoped the entire work
in a cloud Of dense, dingy smoke and dust
Then followed the tremendous concussion
which caused Morris Island to tremble as if
from the shock of an earthquake, and the
vessels in the ofling 10 shake from keel to
truck. The shock was terrible, and instant
ly drew all eyes to the point from which
the dealcning conclusion proceeded. Above
Fort MoUtric were seen innumerable clouds
of white smoke, such as only proceed from
the bursting shell. while about it hung
canopy of smoke. mingled with dust that
plainly showed something had occurred
out of the ordinary run. The terrible CON
cussion was followed in an instant with the
reports from bursting shells, which rapidly
insrcased, and in another moment had be
come SO rapid that the detOnations seemed
like the quick beating of snare drum.
For minute or more the air was alive
with the rcvcrberations of exploding shells,
until the reports of at least three hundred
of them had fallen on the ear The RCbe!
batteries ceased firing and the Monitors
were silent. Every one near the scene of
the explosion seemed for the moment to be
impcllcd to silence by the awful manifesto
tion of this terrible power, which, properly
confined, IS rs weak and impotent as the
sand, but, when once developed by the
litegiving spark, is Il demon Of death and
destruction. When the smoke cleared away
one of the magazine to the left of the flag
staff was IA heap of ruins. and the parapct
, and travcrSes about it bore marks of the
/ severity of the explosion. The Monitors
began the cannonading again, and, one by
one, beginning in other batteries than Moul-
trle, the Rebels slowly returned the fire
Finally, after lCng silence, some of the
guns of MoultIic began to reply to our fire,
and the fight soon assumed its former vast
proportions.
THE "IRoNsIpES" GOES INTO ACTION.
She maintained her ground from nine
o'clock in the morning until about two in
the afternoon, at which time she came out
of the action, her ammunition being cx-
hauStcd, rs cooly and quietly us if she had
been firing ut target with her heavy guns
in the Delaware river. But the rapdity
and terrible carrcstncss of her fire have
al
tnuous line Of flashes from her port battery,
from stem to stern, and rice cerSa, and half
of the time she obScurcd from the view all
Of Fort Moultre by the immense clouds of
smoke issuing from her broadside. Her
shells exploded in quick succession in Moul-
trc, tearing up the parapet and dismounting
guns in their course, and hurling their
fragments SO thick and last among the
defenders ofthc fort that on scvera, occasions
the work was entirely silent Not gun
was fired from the sea front, and only one
or two from flank of the work, bearing
on the Wcehawken, while the Ironsides was
paying exclusive attention to Moultrie.
During the latter part of the forenoon
her firing was more rapid than ] have ever
seen from heavy ship guns before and |
have seen the crack American frgates
engaging batteries when | supposed the
rapidity and accuracy of their fire could not
be supposed. The fire was too hot, at any
rate, for the Rebels, and they ut times
deserted their guns and sought shelter in
the bomb-proots. When she had subdued
Moultrics fire she would rattle the shell
into the batteries on either side, until they
were obscurcd 10y the smoke ofthose eXplod-
ing missiles and clouds of flying sand. 1t
would rcquir, but II few moments to make
the small batteries of three or four cuns
each too hot for work, and they, too, would
become silent. Then ON M0ultre again
would her pOnderous hroadside guns be
turned, and again would that work become
silent, to open again when the fire of the
lrOnsides was directed against other bat
teries.
For nearly five hours did this magnificent
ship haminer the Rebels, and draw the
greater part of their fire against her own
impregnable sides. But for her it is not
probable that the Wcchawken could have
been eNtricated from her perlous position
The other Monitors while they fired as
rapidly rs they could, and with splendid
effect, could not keep down the Rebel fire.
At the best they fired painfully slow, and
every one knows il is the rapidity and
continuity of lire that tells against open
works, or, indeed, works of any kind. This
element Ol suc'r>s lhcy ack. one lrlgate
like the Ironsdrs, inasmuch rs its fire is
rapid and well sustained, is worth dozen
of the Monitors Ii this fact was even
questionable one before, the magnificent
and terrible conflict of yesterday must re-
move all doubt ON the subject.
Ratc Southern News.
From the Richmond Enquirer, OF the lath
we make the suhioined extracts:
ANktln all tho h.-t man ,r N,-tl E,,,1;,,
are in the field defending their country
from subjugation and universal plumber,
there are some of the people they have left
behind them at home who express the
opinion that those soldiers have defended
their country Lgnn caanAh and nnnht NOW