The Carolina Spartan. [volume] (Spartanburg, S.C.) 1852-1896, 1863-11-19
Last Days OF Battery wagner.

AuSt DNyS % h1atefy wagner.
Ever since my departure :-cc::;. ::-c:; :h::. G.
nous place, n few hours previous to it's cvac-
ution, it has boon NY purpose to crafty
the anxious desire Of the country for some
more minute and full ictnils of the cIosin,
scenes than have yet been furnished: hat
il is very difficult to overcome the ,eluc.
tance one feels to recall the horrors of such
q period, and to live over again the most
tsrrible memenfs Of his life. This must
account for tho tardiness with which these
imperfect sketches make their appearance.
Battery Wagner is II high crcsc, ntshaped
work, with the bulge Of the crescent facing
South. towards the enemy, and the interi.
or Of tho curve filled vith still higher
mounds of sand and sand bags, covering
the clust Of the bo,nbproois and covered
ways which were 2sed as barracks. naga-
ziues, and hospital, the enclosure being
completed by work in the rear. The
distraction between covered ways and bomb
proofs, is merely that between passages and
rooms. These caverns were built TINS:
stout short pine logs, about two feet in
Thickness, were Set upright, side by side,
touching each other. Across from tan to
top OF these other similar logs, rcc.a.y
hown, were laid, and the whole covere, 10y
eight or ten feet Of sand This makes a
covered way about seven feet high within,
and from six to ten feet wide The walls
OF the bomb proof began with q height of
only four or five feet and the covering tim.
1ers slope up from them. Ifthe room we're
large one, as in the case of the hosl ital,
ut right angles to these standing ro,Etini-
bers, aud just under them, ran u huwe so,r,~a
io@; .; Supported against tue roof 10y pairs of
pillars, planted sever-l feet npurt ON the
ground, and but;ing their heavy heads to.
gether above. Each PAIR OF pillars was
out four ieet from the next pair under
the same square log. and the foot OF euch
standing pillar under one 10y was planted
against the standing pillar under the next
log But right down the c-utrc ran a sort
OF aisle, interrupted by any supports about
twelve feet wide.
This rom, the hospital, was by far the
best ventilated part o, The tort lhe bomb.
proofs, us rule, were foul places To breal he
In, dark, close, crowd d, hot. But to have
opened them freely to the air would have
been to c:a them freely to the shells also
The best praise OF tn" construction -, that
notody was killed in bomb proof, from
first to last, and but few wounded, even i'm
covered ways.
The last garrison of Battery Wagner
(and that is destined, doubtless to be ia
nous phrase) was composed oftwo Georgia
regiments, (numed first because they went
there first. the 18th and 18th, commanded
by Maj. Garoner 49,. oap.. U1aN.o1u &c.
spec,ively-the Eutaw regiment (25th 5.
q. w Lieut. Col. .'rc5sy-a company OF
the LIST infantry, regulars, acting rs artil-
lery, Capt Hugueniu, and two companies
of the Palmetto battalion S. G. artillery
Capts. Johnson and Kurauau1. Col. K-itt
was in command, Major Bran of General
Beauregard s.uf, AZ in; aujutan;, and Cart
L. Lee, engineer, and Lieut. Mazck. ord
nance officer. MaJ. Whurley, 2d 5 &. ar
tillcry, commande the artillery till he was
wounded alter him, Capt. uuguenin
The Eu'aw regiment, to which the wri
ter is attached, was ordered TO Battery
Wagner on Tuesday night, September LIST.
but was prevented fro u arriving there i'm
full numbe's that night by the appearance
OF the monitors in Charierston harbor. mt.
tacking Fort Samter. Ninety men and
several officers had IN ,de the passage from
Fort johnson before that difficulty arose.
The rest were, per force, delayed uLtil
"Wednesday night. Being absent from rh,
regiment leave, and not receiving news
Of their n;~"""''nt until Wednesday noon,
| did no; Yncr,.i in ovcrtuking them until
Thursdr. i, 10 o'cl"ck,
AM. lis ,":is be the place cursorily to
notice Il si... . "'lsaton, not worthy nf II
formal ani sep, AZ contradictiou-,har no
clergy man performed duty in Battery Way
ner. L myself can cnumcrate hour, (and
there were doubtless others unkno n to
me,) Rev. 5. l.. Axson, chaplain 9Th Gcor-
gia, Rev MIR. Green, chaplain ed Geo.
Rev. Mr.. Mcdaniel, acting chaplain 10Th
Georgia, and Rev y f. Dickson, Euraw
regiment, 10Th ). G. V. So much for that
story.
Well! we are there Sharpshooters at
the reposts, guns manned, guards out Fl.
ring Mt first quite moderate on all hands,
The principal comI laints are of insufficient
food and bad water. Many supplies sent
by private kindness, and by the association,
we're stolen on the way. carried down
keg of cold coffee it was both pleasant and
pitiful u see the men crowd up for mere
mouthiui of that refreshing drink The
lack OF sleep, too, became serious matter
Guard dufJ over, the men were often and
necessarily summondcd to labor on repairs
of the works cut down by the shells of the
enemy. And 'hy of the most signal in
stances of courage appeared, not in thefght
ing as might be imagined, he while thus
engaged in what is called fnot uujustly)
fatigue duty" But This ism,ici paring.
Saturday morning earlylfvas awakened
from refreshing nap, taken on box,
with my head on u bench, by a athundering
overhead and IA trembling of tire earth,
ul;al ,,Jl H., H. ,.~..t ~ - Il ...s..,