The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-08-22
THE SWAMP ANGEL.
IA e Remarkable Battery that Threw
Shot into Charleston, Five Mil =

The Remarkable Battery that Threw
shot into Charleston, Five Mil =
Away.
Gen. W. II. Davis in Philadelphia
Weekly Times.
At this period sprang INTO existence q
battery built in the marsh between
Morris and James Islands, which has
become famous AS the 'Swamp Angel
AID as such will go down to history.
l. construction was early determined
upon, and the suggestion, we believe,
was that of Colonel Serrell, commanding
tie New York Volunteer Engineers. 1t
was expected that shells thrown from 1t
would reach the city aGd pobs-
Div cause the enemy To evacuste.
The spot chosen was almost mile
from Morris Island, and nearly on
line between what were known rs the
"ert batteries" and Charleston, on the
edge Of u deep creek that served rs a
wet ditch, On reconnotLertng the local.
ity it Was found that pole could be run
down sixteen feet anywhere Whereabouts
before coming TO bottom. The active
part of the work was assigned 10 leu
tenant Oi engineers who, when shown
where the battery was 10 be built, pro
uoInced the thing impraCLicsble. The
colonel replied that the project Was prac-
tlcablc and the battery must be built on
the spot selected. The officer wa. di-
,cted 10 call tor anything he / yht
deem necessary TOR the work. The next
DAY ne made rtquisitIon on the quarter
master for one hundred men, eighteen
feet high, to wade through mud sixteen
feet deep. and immediately called On the
surgeon of his regiment and inquired II
he could spice the men It furnished
This piece OF pleasantly cost the lieu
tenant his arrest, and the battery was
built by men OF ordinary stature. A heavy
foundation OF pine logs was laid IN the
mud on which the battery was built en-
t,rely of sand bags. The timber WAS
hauled scvera miles from Folly Island
Tue bsgs were filled with sand on the
Is and and taken TO the battery IN boats.
Ali the work Was done at night, for the
eyes Of watChtul enemy were upon all
our movements. They knew we were
A. some mischief so lar out On the marsh,
but did not rca ize the truth until they
loDkei across one bright morning, and
st.g tina, like Jonah's gourd, battery
l. ID grown up in the night. 1t was COM
mvncrl on the 4th, and completed on the
18th Of August. The ssnd-bsgs cost five
thousand dollars The battery was mount,
ed with two hundred-pounder Parroti
and great labor was required to put 1t in
position. 1t was hauled TO the edge OF
the marsh, where 1t was embarked on y
rat in the creek. and thus tloated down
I, the battery The distance from Char
lesion was INT thousand eight hundred
Yards, and the gun was fired at an e.evs-
i n OF thirty-fve degrees. The strain on
il was such that it burst st the thirty
fourth discharge. The Greek Fire, of
which so much was said. WAS the greatest
hun bug of the War. Nothing of the
kind was used during the siege. Three
Shells filled with ordinary porl-fre were
fred into the city of Charleston, but
everything beyond this was due to the
fancy of newspaper correspondents, The
distinctive name OF swamp Angel" Is
sad 20 have been suggested by Sergeant
Feller. of the New York Volunteer Engi-
ncers.