The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-08-07

81 A. . -t
The afternoon passed, and the heavy
roar of the big guns on land and sea grad
ually ceased Slowly and sullently the
Monitors, with the exception of the Mon
tauk, moved back to the anchorage ground
of the morning. The music of the sub
lime pillows, forever hymning their sub
lime chants, was again heard along the
shore; the sun went down, not in golden
glory, but in clouds of blackness and dark
ness, and mutterings of thunder and flashes
OF lightning. In the slight interval be-
tween the cessation of the cannOnade and
the assault at the point of the bayonet, the
the artillery of Heaven opened all along
the western horizon, and in peal after peal
demonstrated how insignificant is the
power of man when compared with that of
him who holds the elements in the hollow
of His hand.
| For eight hours the Monitors and the
Iron-sides have kept up continuous fire,
and Fort Wagner has not yet surrendered
For eight hours fifty-four guns from the
land batteries have hurled their shot and
shell within her walls, and still she faunts
the red battle flag in our face.
Something must be done, and that,
too, quickly, or in few days we shall
have the whole army in Virginia upon us, -
said an officer high in. command. "We
must storm the fort tonight and carry it
at the point of the bayonet!"
In a few moments signals are made
from the top of the lookout, and soon
Generals and Colonies commanding divi.
sions and brigades were seen galloping to
the headquarters of the commanding Gen.
eral. A few words in consultation, and
Generals Seymour, Strong, Stevenson,
and Colonies Putnam and Montgomery,
are seen fastening back to their respective
commands. Officers shout, bugles sound,
the word of command is given, and soon
the soldiers around and upon and under
the sand hills of Morris Island spring from
their hiding places, fall into line, march to
the beach, are organized into new brig
AIDES, and in solid column stand ready to
move to the deadly assault.
Not in widely extended battle line, with
cavalry and artillery at supporting dis
tances, but in solid regimental column, on
the hard ocean beach, for bali mile be-
fore reaching the fort, in plain sight of the
enemy, did these three brigades move to
their appointed work.
Gen. Strong, who has so frequently
since his arrival in this Department,
braved death in it's many forms of attack,
was assigned to the command of the first
brigade. Col. Putnam, of the 7th New
Hampshire, who, although of the regular
army, and considered one of the best Off
GERS in this Department, had never led his
men into battle nor been under fire, took
command of the I'd, and Gen. Stevenson
the Sd, constituting the reserve The 54th
| Massachusetts, (colored regiment), Colonel
Shaw, was the advanced regiment in the
LIST brigade, and the I'd South Carolina,
(colored,) Col. Montgomery, was the last
regiment of the reserve. The selection OF
the 54th Massachusetts to lead the charge
was undoubtedly made on account of the
| good fighting qualities it had displayed a
| few days before on James Island. I
| These brigades, as I have remarked be-
fore, were formed for this express duty.
Many of the regiments had never seen
their brigade commanders before; some
Of them had never been under fire, and,
| with the exception Of three regiments in
the LIST brigade, none OF them had ever
been engaged in this form of attack. All
had fresh in their memories the severe re-
! pulse we had met on the morning of the
18th inst. For two years the Department
Of the South had been in existence, and
until the storming of the batteries on the
south end of Morris Island, the army had
won no victory fairly acknowledged by the
enemy s.is-E g.,,.,4-;s. AZ =.
i Just as darkness began to close in upon
the scene of the afternoon and the evening,
Gen. Strong rode to the front and ordered
his brigade, consisting of the 54th Mass,
i Col. Shaw, (colored, ,regiment), the 9th
Conn.,, Col. Chatfeld, the 4Sth New York,
Col. Barton, the Sd N. H., Col. Jackson,
the 10th. Penn, and the 9th Maine, Col.
Emery, to advance to the assault. At the
instant, the line was seen slowly advanc-
ing in the dusk toward the fort, and be-
fore double quick had been ordered, a
tremendous fire from the barbette guns on
Fort Sumter, from the batteries on Cum
mings' Point, and from all the guns on
Fort Wagner, opened upon it. The guns
from Fort Wagner swept the beach, and
those from Sumter and Cummings Point
enfiladed it on the left. In the midst of
this terrible shower of shot and shell they
pushed their way, reached the tort, por
tons of the 54th Massachusetts, the 9th
Connecticut and the 4Sth New York
dashed through the bitches, gained
the parapet, and engaged. in hand-to-
hand fight with the enemy, and for nearly
half an hour held their ground, and did
not fall back until nearly every commits
stoned officer was shot down As on the
morning of the assault of the 18th inst,
these brave men were exposed to most
CALLING fire of grape and canister, from
howitzers, raking the bitches from the
bastions of the fort, from hand gre
nades, and from every other modern i'm
plement of warfare. The rebels fought
with the utmost desperation, andso did the
larger portion of Gen. Strongs brigade, as
long as there was an officer to command
it.
When the brigade made the assault
General Strong calamity rode at its head.
When it fell back, broken, torn and bleed
ing, Major Plimpton, of the Sd New Hamp-
shire was the highest commissioned officer
to command it. Gen. Strong, Col. Shaw,
Col. Ohatfeld, Col. Barton, Col. Green,
Col. jackson, all had fallen; and the list
| send Won will fall how MANY other brave