Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1865-03-09
RUTLAND h ERALD.
MONDAY, MARCH 7, 1865
For, sumter and CharIeston.

IN charleston anu NlCluIJJi given ~ /
newspaper correspondents, though IN
some instances appearing to be rather
highly colored, are suppose to be IN
the main correct, and at all events are
quite interesting. The following ex-
tracts are made from the correspondence
of the Tribune
CHARLESTON, ;. c., FEB 22D, 1865,
Here beginneth tAe re opening Of the |
Tribunes special correspondence from
Charleston which has been suspended
since an early period Of the great rebel
lion against the progress Of the Demo
cratic idea in America, and the grandest
and purest incorporation in the world
the Constitution aud Government of the
United States How marvellous, how
vast, how sublime have been the events
that have marked our history since your
last representative trod the streets Of
this insurgent city Then it was ruled
with a rod OF iron by a barbarous and
aristocratiC class, inflated and inIatu-
ated by two centuries of power; proud
of their position; glOrying in their
shame; confident of their ability to ar
rest and turn back the advancing tide
of Northern civilization; detesting its
apostles as the Pharisees once hated
the disciples Of the CHRISTI whom they
had long and everywhere prosecuted to
the death; then they were so bold and
strong and fierce that the bravest hearts
among us, those who loved the Union
above all earthly goods were doubtful
at times of the final triumph of the ma
tioH and the right. 1t was the high
carnival of despotism in America, the
Belshazzar's Feast OF the Southern
STAKEHOLDER.
FORT SUMTER.
The fort originally was pentagon,
built of brick, stately and high. Every
one is familiar with its external appear
anCe before the insurrectiOn. Its siege
has revolutiOnized the art of military
engineering. 1t is now shown that the
old style of brick or stone wall detences
are far less efficient than eaIthwOrks or
lines Of gabions. GabiOns are large,
deep wicker baskets filled with earth or
sea or quartz sand. The brick walls of
Sumter that faced Morris Island are al
most entirely demolished; but behind
where they stood are layers after layers
of gabions, with terraces and bomb
proofs both for soldiers on duty at the
guns on the parapetS, and as quarters
for the officers and men. The detences
average. | should think. about 100 feet
in thickness. Every shell that demol-
ished a portion of the exterior brick
wall, therefore, only strengthened the
defeuCes, as it tossed the brick from
positions where it was Of little use to
make the interior lines heavier Sumter
reminds one OF the innocent criminal
who told her Confessor that she loved to
be ruined.
The bomb proofs of the sentines and
soldiers on duty are little steep holes,
down which they ran and hid themselves
as soon as they saw the smoke of the
guns on Morris Island, remaining there
until the shell exploded The heavy
siege guns are concealed and protected
beneath these impregnable defences, and
are worked in underground galleries.
The quarters of the officers and men are
also bomb-proofs-u or ra-
ther undergabiOn rooms COmmodious
and safe, if neither commanding a good
. view nor extremely luxurious The
area is entirely unOCcupied with the
exception of a railway which runs from
the entrance to the officers quarters or
the further side. To guard the fort
against an attack on the sides that have
been battered down, there are wires
stretched along the parapets, and lines
of ehipeauT-dc,fr frie-e at the bottom to tril
up and arrest the charge of an assault
ing party. The fort which looks like s
ruin, is thus stronger in its dilapitudt
than it was in its original state. Or
the left hand side, looking from the city
heavy timber works pr teCt the ole
brick walls, which are there quite high
but were badly damaged by the BON
bardment of the monitors under Admi
raj Dupont.
OFFICERS IN COMMAND.
Gen. Schimmelpfennig commanded
the Northern District of the Depart
ment of the South, which extends iron
Charleston to Hilton Head.
Two companies of the Fifty -fourtl
Massachusetts are doing Provost Mar
shaI duty. At every public buildin,
the tidy negro sentinels can be seer
hating citizens, ordering them back, O
examing their passes. They are weI
behaved gentlemen, and contrast yer
favorably with some of the rebel cit
zens. heard of one citizen a woman
who complained of them as insolent.
INsoLENCE OF THE CoLoRED TROOPS"
Do the Yankees trouble you? 2" wa
asked of this person.
ono" she said, the Yankees don't
but your negroes do"
They don't insult yon, do they ~
"No, not me; but they do others"
What do they do z"
"0h they won't turn out of tn
sidewalk for you, and they will 60 up
white man and ask him for light fC
their CIGARS
To appreciate this enormity fully,
should be. known that it is part Of II
unwrttten laws of South Carolina tn,
every negro on meeting a white perso
ON the side walk shall give him the i,
side-or the wall" Some seditior
Yankees have probably advised the NJ
sroes of the fact that this Ter non scyip
Is Gepealed, or at least played out.
oince one of our soldiers went into
oatnolic cathedral in Mexico and r.
quested the priest to give him one Of -
0Pers to light mis- cigar Of - u :.