The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-10-23
The Construction of the Swamp
Angel Battery.

The following private letter, written by
a patriotic officer of the 1st New York
Volunteer Engineers, will give some idea
of the labor required in constructing and
mounting the famous Swamp Angel Bat
terry:
HEADQUks DEPARTMENT OF TIE SOUTH
Engineer Office, Morris Island, S. C., Sept 21}
have been very busy, day and night,
since July s, up to day or two, but we
have little rest now. For thirty days
and nights never slept more than an hour
and half at one time, and seldom more
than an hour and half at one time, and
seldom more than three hours out of the
twenty-four, and for over six weeks did
not take off my boots and clothing except
for the purpose of putting on fresh
Immediately. But all this labor has
been more than rapid, for it was my good
fortune to design and superntend- the
erection of the batteries which fire direct
ly on the city of Charleston, and pointed
the first gun fred. The "Swamp Angel F"
as the soldiers call one of the batteries,
was hard job-it required 1000 days.
work, while Wagner, Gregg, Moultrie,
Sumter, Bee, johnson, Mrs. Jamison, as
we call another fort On James Island, for
want of a name, and over mile in length
of small batteries, all poured their shot
and shell into US the whole time we were
building it, after they saw the epaulement
above the grass. 1t stands on the very
sottest of mud, twenty-five feet deep, SO
soft that man will sink into it out of
sight in few minutes if he attempts to
walk on it. We carried ten thousand
bags filed with sand more than two miles,
and brought over 800 large logs and
pieces Of timber more than ten miles to
make the battery: Two miles and half of
bridges across the marsh had to be built
to get t. and from the batteries
1t vas no easy job to mount the guns,
but it has been done, and only Gen. Gil
more and Major Bait of the engineers
were willing to say they believed the plan
feasible. Beauregard laughed at the idea
of getting upon, much less holding, the
marsh, as we have, for over month The
Commanding General used frequently to
say, when others openly expressed their
doubts, 81 hold Serrell responsible for
that l am happy to say that these bat
teries have materially assisted Gen. Gil
more in the prosecution of his plans. The
whole country, and the world nearly by
this time, is filled with the fame of the
Greek fire batteries. planned and built
them; selected the place for them, and,
suppose, was laughed at for my presump-
ton.
1t is, however, proud satisfaction to
me, and legacy for my children's chill
dren, that / did this, ard mounted the on
ly guns that have ever fired into Charles
ton since her rebellious, naughty, wicked
citizens fred upon the glorious old flag of
our Union; and what is more, do not
hesitate to say that, if so ordered, could,
in two weeks, with the means we now
have on hand, utterly destroy, obliterate,
wipe off the face of the earth, as were Sod
ON and Gomorrah, that sink of iniquity
and hotbed of aristocratic rebels.
Many were the wiseacres who did not
hesitate to decide that the "Swamp An
gel" could never be built, who would now
almost risk their chance of ever Seeing an
angel in reality, if they only had one word
on record to show that they favored the
one in the swamp. E. W. S.