Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-09-18
Operations Near Charleston.

OFF FORT MoULTRIE, Sept. | /, l963.-The
prisoners captured by the rebels, in the as
saut on fort Sumter, including the officers,
are still within the fort. A flag of truce sent
out yesterday brought the intelligence from
Lieut.. Preston, that he and his fellow officers
were well treated, and as comfortable as the
circumstances would admit. Bully Beaure-
gard took the opportunity OF sending the
threatening message to Admiral Dahgren
that he would place the prisoners ON the par
apet of Sumter if the navy made it an object
OF fire. Admiral Dahlgren replied with as
much dignity as the nature of the case would
justify, that il he (Beauregard) should resort
to such a heathenish mode of procedure,
then he might look at the same hour for rebel
prisoners tied to the outer surface of the mon
TORS turrets. 1t is thought the answer of the
admiral will do much to bring tile bObtaled
Beauregard to sense of the common rules
of civilized warfare.
In the late fight the monitor Weehawken,
which, it will be recollectcd, got aground off
MOultrie, received some internal injuries,
which it will require week or ten days to re-
pair. The Patapsco had her smoke stack
penetrated by shot from on board one OF our
own vessels. Both of the monitors have
come to Port Royal Tor the necessary repairs.
Those two are the only vessels that met with
any accidents of Il serious nature. The Wee
hawken, while aground, did quite as much
service as any Of the monitors atioat, and
from one OF her shells the magazine in Moul-
trie was blown up.
1t is conceded that the Ironsides is the most
valuable iron clad vessel of which the navy
can boast. 1t did more actual service in the
last engagement than all the monitors put to-
getl'er; Tor how often has it poured whole
brOadSldeS into the rebel works. causing the
gunncrs To abandon their pieces and seek
safety behind sand hills. From the com
mencement to the close of the attack, the
IrOnsides was struck one hundred and fifty
times, and yet she was all ready on Wednes-
day morning to again pitch into fort Moul-
trie with much vim as she did on the pre-
vious day.
Men are busy around Wagner digging up
torpedo IS. Thirly-ive have been brought TO
light since the evacuation. A number of rebel
prisoners were taken to the fort the other day
and made to point out the spot where every
torpedo was buried, under penalty of being
shot if they practised any deception 1t
seems that quite large space in front Of
Wagner is completely filled with them. Inside
the bUmb-proOi, a large door opening into Il
magazine is regarded with suspicion. 1t is
thought that a fuse has been placed that it will
become ignitcd when the door opens, and so
cause an explosion. Prisoners state that the
magazine is filled with ammunition. One of
the most inhuman acts that has been perpe-
trated since the war commenced, was at
tempted to be carried out by the rebels on
the night of the evacuation. According
to the statement of awounded man, discover
ed in the bomb-proof, he had been lying in a
dying condition for four days. The rebels re-
fused to give him even swallow of water to
quench his thirst, and told him when they left
that he could not possibly live, and had better,
before dying, do as much for the cause as lay
in his power. That he might benefit by this
Bdvice, they placed in his hand string at
tached to fuse communicating with the mag
azine before alluded to, with instructions to
pull it when the fort was well filled
with Yankees, and so send them all,
himself included, into eternity. But the
wounded rebel, although almost dead when
our men entered the fort, had faint hope that
perhaps he might live if properly attended,
and gave that as a reason for not pulling the
string. He was taken to an ambulance, and
died while being conveyed to the hospital.
Such instances of barbarism are almost too
revolving to be recorded. How men that claim
the title of human beings can be SO totally
void of feeling it is hard to conceive.