The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1882-10-28


morning in the history of America.
Fifteen thousand citizens Of Char
lesion have crowded down to the
esplanade, and every man has his
face turned towards the sea. To
the right, as they look down the har-
Dor, is Morris Island; TO the left Sui
livan's, and midway between is Fort
Sumpter, grim and silent and not
even showing its flag.
The great crowd trembles with OK
element and speakes in whispers. a
bloody civil war is about to open.
The young men are ready to hurrah
over the prospect, but the older ones
look grave, as they realize what war
means.
Now the gray mist creeps up from
the waters of the harbor and floats
away, and the eastern horizon be-
comes tinged with red. You can
see more plainly now; at the head of
Sullivan's Island is the floating iron
battery, and it is to fire the first gun.
It's echoes will awaken the huge iron
monsters asleep in Forts Moultrie
and Johnson-at Cumming Point
at Point Pleasant, and other locali-
ties. There is flag over each Con
federate fort and battery, and with
good glass YOU can see men on the
ramparts.
From December the Confederates
have been trying to get possession Of
the grim and silent fort rising out Of
the waters OF the harbor. All de
mands Of surrender have been refus-
ed. and the only other way is now to
be tried. Day by day batteries have
been erected. almost
WITHIN RIFLEssHoT or suMprER's
WALLS,
and Major Anderson has been pow
erless. Ills orders are to hold the
fort, and he has noauehorsy to fire n
gun until it becomes an act OF self-
defense. He has seen the forts rise
the great guns landed and mount
ed-the volunteers march in-the
ammunition brought down from
Charleston, and yet Federal policy
kept his gun silent.
Silence now! In the floating bat
terry is an old grayhaired man-Ed-
mund Rufiin. lie has sought the
privilege Of firing the first gun OF the
war. The lanyard he holds in his
hand is the rope which will ring the
bell of destiny. When that bell
strikes, mighty Republic will fall
in fragments, and it will take the
blood Of a hundred battles to cement
it.
"Buomr'
The bell has struck. At the word
the old man has pulled the lanyard,
and q solid shot whirrs across the
water and strikes the brick wall of
Fort Sumpter with a heavy thud.
For long minute no one speaks.
The echoes of that gun are fraught
with mighty issues-the whirr of that
shot means death to quarter of a
million soldiers. AS the thunder
rolls up and down the harbor and
dies away 10000 people cheer. The
war has begun. There can be no
backward step now. Old and young
cheer and shout and shake hands
and feel glad relief The Confed
crates had been all ready for week.
Every one of the fifty guns and NOR
tars in position had been trained
with mathematical precision to reach
certain points with their fire. The
order was to fire from left to right,
beginning with the floating battery,
and
THE GUN WHICH EDMUND RUFFIN FIRED
was soon answered by the next, and
the fire swept clear around the circle
until it came back to the same gun.
The projectiles used were solid shot,
shell and bombs, and every gun had
the fort within easy range. AT the
time the first gun was fred repor-
ter of the Charleston Mercury now
on the staff of the News-was stand
ing directly behind Mr. Rufiin, and
to him l am indebted for many par
ticulars of that attack never before
published. He was one of the first
Ill Tie lOIt dlltI Juc SURRENDER, anu
what he saw and made note of can
be depended on even when it clashes
with the traditions of the historian.
Taking up the firing in the order
named, each gun was soon busy at
work, and the tremendous canonade
shook Charleston from centre to cir
conference. One standing on the
esplanade, three miles away, felt the
ground tremble under his feet as if
an earthquake was struggling to
reach the surface. There was no ex-
element among the Confederates
after the first five minutes. The
guns were loaded and fired with cool
ness and regularity, and officers
sought positions from which they
could note with their glasses the work
of every shot.
Major Anderson was not only ex-
pecting the attack, but was ready for