The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1876-12-15
IRE "SWAMP ANGEL"
A Monument Made of the Old Gun
Which Was Used in BOmbard.
ing Charleston in 1S63-A
Unique Memorial by the
Citizens of Trenton,
New Jersey.


Day. The memorial is a monument
consisting of gun mounted on pedes-
tai of stone. The piece of ordnance
used is the famous gun known as the
"Swamp Angel" which did such good
service for the Union cause before
Charleston, South Carolina, in the sum-
mer of 1868. The pedestal of the mon
ument is now nearly completed. 1t
stands at the junction of Perry street
and Clinton avenue, "plain for all men
10 see." 1t is made of Trenton brown
stone, and is in shape truncated, four
sided pyramid. On the easterly and
westerly sides there jut ont stone tablets,
on which is hewn the inscription:
Swamp Angel; the first gun, an eight
inch Parrot rife or 200 FOUNDER, fred
from the Marsh Battery on Morris Is
land, S. c., at the City of Charleston, -
600 yards distant. Weight of gun, 49, |
500 pounds; weight of projectile, $50
pounds; charge of powder, 16 pounds;
greatest elevation used, So degrees
Bombardment opened August 10, 1868.
Burst at thirty sixth round" At the
| top the pedestal is arranged like gun
carriage, and into the cavity formed the
gun is to be cemented. The credit of
getting up the monument is almost Who'll
| ly due to Hon. John Hart Brewer, who
| ,,,.ro,toI hN. a.
collecting subscriptions wherewith to
carry it out The design was drafted by
Isaac Brongham, of Trenton. 1t is
plain but striking. On the northerly
and southernly sides of the monument
will appear the only attempts at orna-
mentation. These will consist of neat
posts supporting clusters of lamps, and
from the stone bases of the posts orna-
mental drinking basins will project
The Swamp Angel" has record which
is of interest to the lovers of the Union,
and the memorial will we'll serve to
commemorate the patriotism which call
ed the gun into service. The circum-
stances attending its history are perhaps
worth recalling. The time was August
1868, and Charleston, S. c., was in pos
session of Gen. Beauregard and the re-
bel army who were boastful of their
supposed security from attack. General
Quincy A. Gilmore was In command of
the Union army, which was besieging
the place on the side of the harbor.-
The intrepid Union troops gained a
footing on Morris Island, on which was
situated Fort Wagner. The assailants
began approaching the fort by parallels.
Over four miles from Fort Wagner lay
the City of Charleston. and when the
: people of the City began to be appre-
hensive at the slow but sure approach oi
e the Northern troops, and feared lest
: their residences should be shelled, Gen
Beauregard qnieted their fears by pro,
claiming publicly that the Union army
had no guns which could carry so far
He reckoned, however, without bis host
Right ont in the marsh on the side O.
Morris Island fronting the City Genera
Gilmore caused firm foundation TO b.
made, and on 1t was placed the "SwamI
Angel"-the new Parrot rified cannon
!" which had just been received from Yves
re Point. Gen. Gilmore had notified Gen
Beauregard that he would begin to shell
the City of Charleston on August 21.-
ie The notice was sent several days befor
the gun was fred, and Beauregard ans
wered the notice the day before the fir
nc ing in a jesting way, not believing
III possible that the Yankees had a gu
" which could carry so far, pretended tina
y he had been absent and had only receiv
~ ed the aotice just then, and had not tim
q to remove the people of the City. O
the night of the memorable August
ne every soldier in the Union camp la
awake to watch the result. The gun wa
Is elevated carefully, and was loaded wit
''e a she'll. Then 1t was fred, and agai
and again the experiment was repeate,
P'' After time flames began to shoot up
on the City of Charleston, and showed tn.
:, the experiment was success. The ell
thusiasm among the troops in camp W;
tremendous. Again and again was tt
gun loaded and fred-no longer as
IN experiment, but with the assurance tn
every shot was a telling blow to Sece
" sion and the capital of the State whic
had been the first to secede from Il
'' Union. In firing the thirty sixth rour
'I the breech of the gun blew off. Th
accident was, however, of minor cons
'A qnence. The object had been accomplis
Nv ed, and other guns were used to contin
w the work. By September Fort Wa
' " ner and Battery Gregg were in posse
'n' zion of Gen. Gilmore, and Fort Stunt
was in ruins, and 8 large portion of t
City of Charleston was greatly injur
and and entirely abandoned by the inhab
re- ants. The City and harbor of Charl
ior ton were also completely covered by
Union guns. The Swamp Angel" d
ant not again turn up until after the W
hat when it was sold in Charleston, with
number of other guns, as scrap iron
age, Charles Carr, an iron manufacturer
lied Trenton, became the purchaser, a
fastened the two pieces of the gun
'ens gether, 30 that it is now intact once mo
though the place of fracture is motto
llng bic. The City authorities of Tren
al have donated the ground on which
con- monument is to stand, and the forr
presentation of the monument 10
City will be probably made, as bef
each mentioned, on Christmas Day, thor
ms the date is not yet definitely fixed
er 10 jutant General Stryker, of New Jers
oliar who was one of General Gilmore's 8
officers at the bombardment of Char
as ne ton, wilt then narrate the history of
piece of ordnance, and addresses will
hade made by prominent citizens.