Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1863-07-28

strong, Col Shaw, Col Chatfeld, Col baron,
| Coi Sreen, and Col Jackson, ali hal ia le !,
| stories are nyinE about that this regiment I'D
that regiment broke and run; that hut for In,
| frightened J4th Massachusetts fnegrol we
| would have carried the fort: that thu 9th Ms;na
| did rot reflect much honor upou the Gallant
| STATE sfe represents and n theu other
| reasons which care not 10 enumerat, II is
| absurd 10 say these men did not fiyht and
| were not exposed TO perhaps the most deadly
NE o1 me war, when MANY officers and so
! II any o! the rank and file were killed It must
he r. me III bered, TOO, that this assault was made
! IN 'h- night a very dark night-even the light
| OF tie stars WAS obscured by the blackness OF n
| hsaNy thander storm, and the enemy could be
| distinguished from our own men only by the
1 ughi OF bursting shell and the fash of tho h,x,
| itzer and mGsket. The 5ith Massachusetts
(utgro) went boldly into battle, for the second
| time. con nl"nded by their brave colonel but
came cur OF II led by no higher officer than the
/ boy, Lieut.. Higginson.
| ANOTHER ASSAULT AND REpULsE-psspKR-
| ATE FIGHTING.
The frst brigade, under the lead of General
/ Strong, Jailed to take the fort. 1t was now thu,
| turn OF Col Putnam, commanding the second
1 brigade, composed of the eth n H. the t2d
| Ohio. Col. Steele, the 9th Ohio, Gel. Voorhees,.
| and the tooth n. Y. Col. Danely to make the
| attempt But alas the task was too much
| Tor him. Through the same fire he led his men
TO, over and into TIE fort, and for an hour held
! one-ha OF II, fighting every moment of that
time with the utmost desperation, and, as with
fell killed, and nearly all his officers wounded
and no reinforcements arriving, that his men
leii back, and The rebel shout and cheer of vic
| tory was heard above the roar of Sumter and
| the guns from Cummings Point.
In TINS second assault by Col. Putnam's
brigade, Gel. Turner. sf Gen. Giimore's staff.
sieod at the side Of Col. Putnam when he fell,
anc with his voice and sword urged on the
| thinEed ranks TO the final charge But 1t was
too late. The third brigade, Gen Steyensoa's
was not on hand. 1t was madness for the
second to remain longer under SO deadly fire,
ana the thought OF surrenderng in a body to
the enemy could not tor a moment be enter
tanned To fight their way back TO the entrench-
ments was all that could be done, and in this
a. ain.
Without a doubt many of our men fell from
oSr own fire. The darkIsess was so intense
the roar OF artillery loua, the flight of prape
and canister shot so rapid and destructive, thai
1t was absolutely impossible to preserve order
IN the ranks of individual companies, to say
nothing OF the regiments.
More than half the time VT were in the fort
the night was simply hand to. hand one, as
the wounds received by marf clearly indicate
Some have sword thrusts, some are hacked on
the head, some are stabbed with bayonats and
4 lew were knocked down with the butt end of
muskefs, but recovered in time to get away
with swollen heads. There was terrible fight
Ing 10 get into the fort, and terrible fighting To
get out Of it. The cowardlg stood no better
chance tor their lives than the fearless. Even
II they surrendered, the shell OF Sumter were.
thlcHly falling around them tin the darkness
ana as prisoners they could not be safe. until
victory, decisive and unquestioned, rested with
one or the other belligerent.
CLOSING sCENEs,
Inc battle Is over; 1t is midnight; the ocean
reach is crowded with the dead. The dying, the
wounded. 1t is with difficulty Won can urge
your hCrse through to Lighthouse Inlet FaiIN
lights are glimmering in the sand holes and
rliie pits to the right as you pass down to the
beach. In these holes many a poor wounded
and bleeding soldier has laid down to his last
sleep. Friends are bending over them to
s'aneh their wounds, or bind up their shat
tered limbs, but the deathly glare from sunken
eyes tells that their kind services are all in
vain.
In this night assault, and from its commence
ment TO its close, Gen. Gilmore his staff and
his volunteer aids, consisting OF Col Littlefield
OF the 18th South Carolina, and Majors Bannis-
terand Stryker, Of the Paymaster's department,
Were constantly under fire and doing all in their
power 10 sustain the courage of the troops and
urge On reipforcements.
All inst human power could do to carry this
iormldasle earthwork seems to have been done.
No one would have imagined in the morning
that so fierce cannonade from both the navy
and the batteries on shore could fail to destroy
every bomb-proof the rebels had erected But
the moment our men touched the parapets of
fne Tort, 1.3O0 men Streamed from their safe
hiding place, where they had been concealed
during the day, and fresh and strong, Were
prepared TO drive us back. We then found to
our sorrow that the 15-inch shot from the
Monitors, even when fired at distance of but
l.teO yards, had not injured them in the least.
Cnly lhe parapets OF the fort had been knocked
into sand heaps.
In their proper places forgot to mention
that the gunboats Wissahickon, Capt Davis
the Chippewa, Capt. Harris, the Paul Jones,
Capt. Buyer, and the Ottawa, were also en-
gagged IN the bombardment at long range, and
that during every day of the week, from the
lotn 10 the nth, had been more or less engaged
with the work.
The amount of she'll thrown into Fort Wag.
ner would almost build another Ironsides.
Still Later.
BEAUFORT, July 22.-By the Ben De Ford,
from Morris Island, we have intelligence up
10 thls morning. The Monitors are still daily
at work upon Fort Wagner. but seem to effect
nolhing beyond preventing the rebels from
repairing the work.
learn that in the attack of last Saturday seven
hundred shots were fired from that vessel, and
about the same number frem the Monitors. As
the tort made but feeble return, of course no
damage was sustained by the Ironsides
Lieut.. Col. Hall, Provost Marshal General
LOT tne department OF the South, met the com.
mander at Fort Wagner under a flag of truce
on Sunday morning, in order to arrange in re-
gard TO the burial OF our dead. The rebel off,
Ger would not treat with him, but told him that
the dead would be buried, and the wounded
cared for as well as their own.
PRISONERS taken and deserters who have
come In within the past few days, say that the
reDcl loss during the fight of Saturday was
quite three hundred; that at one gun there were
1our uetachments of men shot down; and that
late in the afternoon our fire became SO hot that
the officers commanding companies could not
lead or drive their men out Of the bomb
proofs.
The fighting qualities Of the 9th Cor1ecticut
and the 4eth New York they speak in the.
hle hest terms OF, and say thatsthe prisoners
from these regiments viii be unusually we'll
treated They also admit that the 5ith Massa-
chusetts fought well, but say all the prisoners
captured from that regiment will be sold into
S slavery. They were all sent into Charleston
the same night of the attack.
7. S.-By the Cosmopolitan, inst in from
Morris Island, learn that an exchange of
prisoners il to take place tomorrow. Our
Re to be brought to this city. Col.
Putnam il reported not dead, but severely
wounded.
PRENTICEANlA.
The enemy's pickets at the fords on the Ten