, 1864-05-13
A Picture of Charleston Under Fire.

A correspondent of the Augusta (Ga,) Con-
stitutionlist, writing from Charleston, gives
the following picture of that city under bonn
bardment Of the enemy: The limited des-
truction Of property by the protracted rain
of shells is as wonderful as the small loss Of
life. walked through the streets where
the effect Of the shells is most apparent
Here is cornice knocked off, there is a
small round hole through the side of build
ing, and at remote intervals the earth is torn
where shell exploded and looks like the
work of porker in search of hidden treas
ure. Vendors Of the staples of the market
sit serenely by their little stores unmindful
of the pyrotechnic solutions of their Yankee
deliverers bought delicious apples and
cakes at one-fourth the price charged two
hundred miles away in the interior, where
abundance and extortion seems to 90 hand
in hand.
In reply to question If she were not
afraid, one of these cid women replied Lor,
mars, we no feerd noW-we used te EN-. Dey
make big noise and fro trash all bout-dat's
Aide good Lor perfect us. Thus is the
reliant trust of these people exempl6ed even
in the spirit of this simple African confess
that could not thus feel Indifferent to these
missiles of destruction, and as they came
screeching across the bay felt an instinct
i've inclination to change my base Of obserya-
ton. Extending my ramble to other por-
tions of the city, the track of shells was fire.
quently discernable, but they have not effect
ed tithe of the injury sustained by the
great fire of two years ago, whose blackened
outline stretches across what was once the
heart of the city. In only two or three in
stances have fires been occasioned by them,
and then the loss was trihing. In localities
most exposed to shells the old tide of bust
ness is suspended.
Here and there pedestrian moves hurri-
edly along, and the rattle of cart or dray is
heard for whole square. The blinds are
closed, vases of rare exotics droop and with
er ON the lonely window SILL because there
is no tender hand to twine and nourish them
The walk glistens with fragments of glass,
ratified thither by the conclusion of shells,
and little tufts of bright green grass are
springing up along the pave, once vocal with
the myriad tongues of busy trade. If this
be food for exultation to the malevolent foe,
he is welcome to the tender morsel. l do
not mean to say that any part of the city is
abandoned. Here and there stores are opened
machine shops are active, and labor incident
to the public defense is pushed vigorously
forward, even in the most exposed districts.
still many branches of ordinary business, and
most of the residents are removed, because
it would be foolhardy for those not impeled
by special duty to remain.
The Mills House and Charleston Hotel,
those princely abodes of comfort and good
cheer, are closed The pavilion still invites
the sojeurner to its hospitable roof; most of
the habitues of Hayne and parts of Meeting
and King streets abandoned the merchants
desk for the camp, or transferred their wares
to points secure from Yankee guns That
part of the city to which the ven-
geance of the foe has not penetrated is ga
map of busy life" The newspapers, Post
office, express Office, banks, and many bust
ness houses are in successful operation, and
streets present scene Of animation not at
all suggestive of state of siege.