Weekly Trinity journal., 1865-02-25
The Storming Of McAllister.

A correspondent of the New York Herad thus
writes of the storming and capture of Fort Nc
Allister by Gen Hazen under Sherman
Learning that IIazen was to storm the fort on
the afternoon of the 18TH visited the right OF
the line and ut clock joined Gems. Sher-
man and Howard, at Dr. Cheroc's rice mill, on
the Ogeechee opposite Fort McAllister. found
Sherman on the roof of the mill, surrounded by
his staff and signal officers, Bekley and Cole,
ready to communicate with liazen on the Island.
While patiently waiting for llazenS signals
Sherman keen eye detected smoke in the hori-
zon seaward Up to this time he had received
no intelligence from the fleet. In moment the
countenance of the bronzcd cheftan lighted up,
and he exclaimed
. Look Howard there is the gunboat
Time passed on and the vessel became visible
vet no signal from the fleet or Ilazen. Half an
hour passed, and the guns of the fort opened
simultaneously with pufs of smoke that rose
few hundred yards from the fort showing that
IIazen : skirmiShers opened moment after llazen
signaed
have invested the fort and will assault i'm
medately' At this moment Bckley announces
= signal from the gunboat." All eyes are
turned from the fort to the gunboat that is COM
ing to our assistance with news from home.
few messages pass which inform that Foster
and Dahlgren are within speaking distance. The
puuDOdl HON iltlltS anu dShS
Can we run up? Is Fort McAllister ours p
:! No, is the reply. - llazen is just ready to
storm it. Can vou assist|'
But before Sherman can reply to Dahigren the
thunders of the fort are heard, and the low sound
of small arms is borne across the three miles of
marsh and river. Field glasses are opened, and,
sitting fiat upon the roof, the hero of Atlanta
gazes away oil to the fort. % There they 90,
grandly :; not waver, he remarks.
l. n.,, hn .1oc
- See that flag in the advance, Howard how
steadily il moves not man falters
There they 90 still see the roll of musketry.-
Grand grand -
! Still he strains his eyes and a moment after
speaks without raising them
% That flag still goes forward there is no
hinching there"
4 pause for minute.
clock r he exclaims, I" it has halted. They
yer. NO it's the parapet There they go
a,.,;, now they scale it; some are over. Look !
t5c1e,s flag on The works Another, another.
It's ours The forts ours
: The glass dropced by his side; and in an in
tant tbe iov of the oeat leader at the possession
Of tbe river and the on, ming Of the road to his
new base broke forth in woids
As the old darkey remarked, dis chile don
sleep dis night - And turning to one OF ms
aids, Capt Auderied, he remarked :: H'''e d
boat for me at once I must 60 there = po,ntlne
to the fort, from which half-a-dozen battle fhgs
f1oated grandly in the sunset
And well might William Tecumseh Sherman
rejoice for here, as the setting sun went down
on Fort McAllister reduced, and kissed a fond
good night to the Starry Banner. Sherman wit
messed the elimination of all his plans and
marches that had involved such desperate resist
ance and risk the opening up of a new and
shorter route to his base. Here, at sunset, on
the memorable 18th of December, the dark
waters of the great Ogeechee bore witness to the
fulfllment of the covenant Sherman made with
his iron heroes of Atlanta twenty-nine days be-
fore to lead them victorious to q new base.