Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-07-23
LATE BATTLES NEAR CHARLESTON.
CAPTURE OF NORRIS ISLAND

ratons by military and naval forces against the city
Charleston with full accounts OF the assault of the lOtl
instant which resulted in the capture Of nearly all OF Nor
leland aud also OF the assault and repulse of the It'll
upon Fort Wagner the only battery upon that island whci
was not captured the first day The particulars
given most at large in the oined correspondence
the latest date 14th) Gen. Gilmore had commenced min.
ing Fort Wagner and expected that he would take
it in few days Gen. Terry had possessed himself
James Island up to Secessonvle where he fortified h
position The ron-cads rendered efficient services in co
operation with the military. As earlya the 9Th instant
they fred shots at Fort Sumter but did not fairly
commence work until the morning of the 9th when they
opened with earnesness their shots producing good effect
upon the wall at the south side of the Fort The rn,
kept up for two hours when orders were given t
withdraw. 1t renewed subsequent days. for how
| long and with what effect not yet known.
Correspondence of the Ne,o York Tribune
NORRIS ISLAND, TWO MILES FROM FoRT SUMTER
July 10, 1863
On the 10Th of june Gen. Gilmore arrived in the De
parment Of the South and the 14th assumed
aud Immediately entered upon the discharge Of bis duties
Scarcely had his staff officers taken their seats the head
quarter Hilton Head the day before vacated by
of tho department called upon for transportation
Folly Island, and in few moments thereafter the little
steamer Mary Benton was seen speeding out of the bay
and the toward Charleston with the General
commanding the department on board.
Upon arriving at Folly Island, Gen. Gilmore discovered
that the southern point of the island commanding Stone
and Folly rivers and also Coles Island sufficiently
tilted to prevent ncursions upon the transports in the little
harbor from the rebel ironclads but that upon the
treme north point commanding Lighthouse Inlet aud the
southern point of Morris Island not single earthwOr
had been erected not gun mounted and nothing but
few pckets scattered hiny along the beach offered any
resistance to the rebel occupation of the island So strong
the southern extremity and weak the northern that
Gen. Gilmore remarked to the officer in command Of the
island that could it be turned around pivot several
weeks hard shOveling and engineering would be saved
to him. but it was all the available troops must take
hold and accomplish in twenty days what il commenced
in time, might have been extended through three four
months.
Folly Island is strip of land extending from Stone
river to Lighthouse inlet, distance of miles, and
from the ocean to Folly river mile The lower two
thirds of the island is covered with thick growth of pal
metto and pine trees the upper Onethd consists Of low
marshy swamp with the exception of the small point
ming out upon Lighthouse inlet, which is covered with
thick stunted growth of live oak and pameoes sprDgng
out of sand hills made from the ranging from ten to
twenty feet in height and to the quick perceptive acu
ties of Gen. Gilmore furnishing admirable positions for
masked batteries.
On Morris Island, on the opposite side of Lighthouse
inlet the rebels had already erected since the late naval
attack upon Fort Sumter several batteries in all mount
ing nine heavy coumbiads and three tennch morars all
bearing upon Folly Island the mouth of Lighthouse inlet
and the approach to the Island via Folly river Three
these guns also upon pvots and could be brought to
bear upon monitors gunboats in they should again
make the atempto reach Charleston through the Southern
channel.
At the time of Cen Gilmores arrival upon Folly Island
the rebels aware from several little night recon-
nossances they had made that guns had been mounted
by upon the extreme northern point that the only
thing resembling earthwork at the southern side
Of the swamp; and that wooden instead of iron column
biads mounted them. After Gen Gmore's arri-
val and naturally supPosng that new commander would
adopt different plan from the General he had
the rebels commenced the almost daily practice of throw
ing few shells to Folly Island intending thereby to
be able to prevent the erection Of batteries directly bear
ipu npnn hair Gan ilvunro met in clio IN
stance reply to their cannonadng but during the day time
ala every Thing hu Uuuid v ai thc suppose TINT
simply standing the defensive But If quiet, list
less and idle by daylight at night he worked with almost
superhumsn energy The sandbs at the northern point
Of Folly Island teemed with le Hundreds Of spades and
shovels nightly flashed in the moonlight but not in sight
of the rebels From Hilton Head huge mortars and Co
lumbads and PARROT guns put board of trans
ports which, under the light of the stars the MOON
sailed for Stone Inlet discharged their cargoes and be-
fore morning dawned their return to the point of
their departure. From Stone Inlet these immense guns
dragged to the batteries erected for them through
sandr0ads which it s almost impossible to urge your
horse faster than walk Immense quantities of round
shot and she'll heavy tmbers ponderous derricks and
crdnesn fact every thing necessary to complete the
the night at times through terrific to the
exact position required by the engineers in charge Of the
works.
In less than three weeks ten batteresn all containing
fortyeght guns of the heaviest cabre-were erected
within four hundred yards of the enemys works without
his having the slightest suspicion that any thing for
mdhDi6 tndn arIlllery WlCnn miles
The earthworks erected the guns in position the
milton all in hand nothing wanting but the execution
of few slight military combinations before the attack upon
Morris Island should commence
At the time that Gen. Gilmore erecting these
batteries he also transporting all his available infantry
from St. Helena and Port Royal Islands to Folly Island
In the darkness transports heavily laden with troops left
the bay of Port Royal and before morning dsembarked
their loads Folly Island. Whole divisions were in this
way transferred to the field Of action The pine and pal
metto groves OF this little island a the soon swarmed
with troops but well they protected by the shrub
berry and sandh that might have sailed around the
island for weeks without having discovered any thing
than few tents the beach and along the margin Of the
river.
Every thing far human foresight could discern,
connected with the expedition had been successful ArtL
ery and infantry all hand and deserters and pr
soners almost daily arriving told that nothing known
within the rebel lines Of the movement
Gen. Gilmore, to insure perfect in capturing the
lower batteries upon Morris Island, decided not to rely
upon the strength of the works he had himself erected
but to bring to his aid stormng party from OF the
best regiments Of the old Tenth Army Corps. Gen.
Strong experienced and brave officer who had served
with Gen. Butler in New Orleans asked permission to
lead the column. On the night before the attack was to
be made something moro than hundred small boats
light flied with detachmeuts from the 9TH Connecti
cut Lieut. Col. Rodman in commands the 9th Connecti-
cut Col. Chat6eld; the 9th Maine, Col Emery 10Th
Pennsylvana, Col Strswbrdge; four companies OF the
4Sh New York, Lieut. Col. Green In command and the
Sd New Hampshire Col jackson Sailors from the Iron
Sides Wabash, Powhatan Canandaigua and Pawnee man.
of thah