The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-11-17
The Mule of Sumpter.


When Dahlgren's iorn.clads began opera
,ions in Charleston IIarhor the 18th Army
Corps made sudden dash and drove in the
thin lines of pickcts which the rebels had post
ed on the eastern end of Morris Island When
daylight came every gun which Bcauregard
cOud bring to bear upon the new work began
10 rain shot and shell, and from daylight MI
noon there were lively times in and about
Charleston Bay. shortly after noon Fort
Sumter opened furiouSly, and it was feared that
an attempt was about TO be made by the enemy
TO advance. There were enough men there, II
was thought, to hold it, bLi tho"r was den
cheney OF ammunition, and Sua .a, .uriIcr vol
unteered to deliver the amunitlOn. The only
road was the smooth and sandy beach along
the bay. and the distance between the two
points about mile and IA half. Half that dis
lance was within easy range OF Fort Sumter,
and Battery Wagner guns covered all the
way to the sand hills, behind which was the
Federal camp,
| am describing thi, incident a. it appeared
from the shipping in the bay, and what called
attention to it was the sudden waking up OF
every gun on the southeast angle of Sumter.
| Looking To SEE the cause of the furious canon
aiding. everybody was surprised to see mule
team tearing up the beach in the direction OF
the new work The driver was laying the lash
on and that mule had its ears laid straight
back and was making its legs 90. Occasion
ally shell would touch the beach, bound up,
and explode, and the mule would then hesitate
and try to turn back. But the driver would
lay the cowhidc on with renewed vigor; then
the mule put on another squirt, until at last II
became entirely demoralzed by the explosion
of tcn-inch shell almost under its belly. Ev-
cry glass in the squadron was leveed at the
! LII, NH |,
the animal by the head, whirled it around once
or twice and started itup the beach once more.
Fort Sumter flashed and famed, Battery Wag-
ncr belched and Numbered, and still that dar-
ING driver urged his mule along though the
way was swept by at least thirty guns.
At last he reached his destination, but he
could not stay there, and III a moment he was
turned around and eXhortng that animal to do
its level best The mule did not need to be
told to step out for in it, rear there was roar
and racket, about its ears were flying sand and
scrap-irOn, which seemed TO stimulate its fleet
ness. Down that hard beach flew the mule,
the light cart bobbing and swaying, and the
drivers arm rising and falling as he dealt out
lash after lash. At last they near the friendly
shelter Of the sand hills. In another minute
they will be safe, but just a. they near the
place 10 turn aside Shell came screaming rom
Sumter. Everybody could see the huge mass
of iron is it rOared through the air 1t struck
the beach directly in the rear Of the mule and
with "A bound it overlook it and exploded with
terrific violence. a general exclamation is
heard from Dahlgrcn's flagship, where the
Admiral and his staff are earnestly gazing at
HE adventurous mule and his daring driver.
Fort Sumtcr's rampars are black with men,
they. too, willing Witnesses OF Yankee pluck.
tlOrr the swell Of Morris Island and cover