The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1873-03-08
THE sERGEANT's STORY.

eyes, sir" said the Sergeant, 81 was
down there at Sumpter when it was bonn
barded, and a lively time it was, though
we were not much scared. We had
always been on pleasant terms with the
people about here, and never had
harsh word: but it was plain to be seen
that they were getting ready to fight
us. for all that. They were building
forts and practicing gunnery from them
for weeks before they turned their guns
:. on. us. Major Anderson felt very badly
about these preparations, and I have
seen him almost crying, for he knew
we'll the trouble and terrible loss that
these people We're bringing upon them
selves. He said at the first what the
result of their action would be. When
the Star of the West was ired upon his
officers, Captain Doubleday, of compa-
ny E, and Brevet Captain Seymour, of
our company, and others were anxious
to open fire upon Fort Cummings, that
threw the shot, and almost insisted,
but the Major sternly forbade it. They
had been teasing him before to fire upon
the men who were building the forts
and batteries, and stop the work.
CHAD we received the supplies of the
Star we might have held out month
longer, but not more. I think Major
Anderson was satisfied we should have
to leave sooner or later. They COM
menced upon us first, I think, from
Fort Moultrie, about o'clock in the
morning, April ~, 1861, but it was not
five minutes before the whole pack
were barking away at us. We had
about seventy-five soldiers and twenty
five laborers and mechanics, and they
fought as we'll as the soldiers. 1t took
about five men to man each gun. We
took it very coolly, and I hope gave a
good account of ourselves, sir. There
were 24's, 1928, and 42's. Some of the
heavy guns were overturned, carriages
and all. We paid our respects chiefly
to Forts Cummings and Mou1trie, who
were the toughest on us. I tell you,
sir, it was the devil, the way all hands
poured it into us all that day and all
that night and up to O'Clock the next
day, when firing ceased. Our fort could
have mounted ono hundred and fifty
guns, but there was not moro than 4
third of that number used. We took
spells, half working for two hours and
then the other half relieving them.
We fired every fifteen minutes i'll the
nighttime.
sstThe barracks, or rather the wood
work in them, was set on fire about IL
O'Clock the second day by shells from
one Of the sand batteries, and for about
fifteen or twenty minutes the heat was
pretty bad. The wood was soon burned
out, and we had no more trouble from
that and were in as good order as ever,
and continued the fight. I was stand
ing near an embrasure when Major
Wigfall crawled through. He had
come in an open boat with Il white flag
which was risky operation He called
out as he got inside, "For Gods sake
let's stop this bloodshed.' Sergeant
Bingham, a rough customer, remarked,
THAT be ID; there's no one hurt here,
but Major Anderson, who soon came,
ordered the white flag to be hoisted,
and up it went under the stars and
stripes. The firing ceased, and Wigfall,
by orders of General Beauregard, made
arrangements with Anderson to leave
the fort, and the flag was lowered and
saluted. When we left to sail for the
North, all the provisions we had left
was a barrel of pork; but there was
plenty of ammunition, though we had
thrown many barrels of gunpowder
overheard during the fire.'