Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1863-09-07
gp01F CHARLESTON
CORRESPONDENTS e the New York papers fur
=. c,1;,,w;oe from before Charleston.

n;,h the fOiltW!Gg !lot'> "'>f'/'' SA1"t1 0>'A'
OWE rvs r,snIt o{' he prosracted observation
,.,-o1 ;f,a. me sou4t SIDE q Fort Sumter
s,~5san ranairad. ~ zIo aid d power
- o1,ss i was sae.s t3at q large number Of
-, ,.,... 15ass had boen cha;rsed Gogs1her, aaa
-, -5a franz walls hs>3 been bt1iIc up. The
i7oofa}srate ssay c3sr5 was Tying over This por-
ion Of the Fort.
There is 81 night constant communication
5ptvssu Sumter and Charleston, Confederate
steamers nly At thesa hours, and the works
have recsntIy beer reinforced by ganEsera
7;gb, pieces, Il, character with the Temporary
,snars hsvo been placed IN posiit;o1, and their
3scbarges 7exe distinctly asa occasionally
heard
Tbs story afIoat that The ConEederates had
removed a.! the keavy guns Ercrs Fort SurAter
and placed GIgesn III other batteries built in new
aid batter positions, Is Norris Island CORES
0onlent Of tspe> = orld ssys) there is serious
aausa to doubt. ''Guns, OK what looked very
much like guoa, have been ren,ounee3 amid
the ruins, and although shey have given az yet
no sign Of lie, get il can hardly be doubted
that they have been replaced IN position Tor
some special purpose, aud will get, when the
sine coa52a, proves their existence by the e1~
4cutioa dona BY their ai,elis. The fort, too,
looks IS Il it had been strengthened; mass
resembling cotton bales is Chick|y planted amid
it5 ruined walls. The corporal guard Of gar
rson still hold their position, and the Gag,
Knocked down so often during the lombard
sacn>, yet waves defantIy in front OF Gilmore
heavy gun8 and tins turrets OF the mentors. >
The Hersld,s correspondents says -Four
Monlrors-~tbe fassaic, patapsco, Nahans and
SI0ntauk-can2e in on Wednesday afternoon
2nd engaged Fort NIoultrie aud the batteries
on Sullivan Island, firing an occasional shot
At Sumter and Wagner. The engagement
opened az about half past three clock, and
tor about two hours was maintained with great
intensity, particularly on the Confederate side.
The firing from Moultrie and Battery Bee was
terrific. Many shots struck the Monitors, bus
did little damage. Fort Wagner was repeated
" struck by the exploding shells, and some
what damaged. She fred but few shots du-
ring the contest at the Monitors Battery
Gregg was exceedingly active. Sumter was
struck several times by rifle shells from the
SaS3alo and Patapsoo; bat besides detachlng
masses Of loose masonry, it did no further
damage 70 the fort. No guns were dismount
ed, il they exist, and no further reduction &C.
compllshed. After two or three hours Eight
ing the Monitors responded to the general sig
nal from the lronsides 20 cease firing, and
Rithdreu.
Nome days since the enemy made SYSTEM
atlG effort TO blow up and destroy the gunboa
ana transports IN Stono Inlet, by means Of ter
pedoes: One torpedo exploded little astern
q fhe PaVnee, and blew her launch, which
was towing astern, TO fragments. A few mo-
ne1tS later tremendous explosion occurred
"a Bird Key, 8 few rods below the Pawnne,
questioned BY another torpedo sent down at
me zane 1ime. One drlfle9 through the