Mexico weekly ledger., 1882-11-09
FORf AND fffEf.
THE FIRST FEDERAL ATTACK ON
FORT SUNTERy Esn
.ain~,A I 4 II J
IRON-CLADS AGAINST BRICK AND
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The World Aeoksd On to Learn 9 Les.
49, 49, @son. Ss&$s sS ~
90 - g
+ 1t is 3so'cbck in theaafternoon of
the 7th Of April, 1868.
HI An April dayain 1867 began one Of
the bloetiisst wars of the century.
This April day two years later is to
to witness a sight in l~ar which nc
nation has ever seen befues wvgvs ."
The federal sifoa- -ell6 ara eoing. d.
attack Fort Sumter.
! That means more than you dream.
1t means a revolution all over the
world IN the manner of building and,
arming ships of war, and IT, mesuss
that Fort aSumtesswill be lie Last
brick fort erected on the American
continent to withstand lombard
ment from the water. ses IA ~
/ 1t is a great epoch ia the history Of
war. When the sun goes down tllis
evening the wooden navies of Europe
will be worthless, and the brick and
stone forts of England and France
will be untenable. 4 #
| WHAT WE SEE.
We stand on the walls of Fort Sum-
ter and look. OFF the bar are the
blockaders-wooden vessels armed
with from three to six and eight guns
each. Inside the bar is the IRON clad
fleet, named as follows: Weehawken, >,
Patapsco, Nantucket, Passaic, Iron-
sides, Nahant, Montauk, Catskill and
Keokuk. ~ %@
These nine iron elads have re-
serve of five vessels which can throw
their projectiles into the confederate
batteries on Morris and Sulkvah's y Is
lands. s ss.3ss--zss5zass So { Z s u a. - "
/ The channels have been obstructed
by piles and RATS and filed with nets
and torpedoes, and the iron-clads will
find themselves under the fire Of Sum-
ter, Moultrie, Beauregard, the Redan,
and within long range of Castle,
Pfnckney. Then there is the Wap-
poo Creek Battery, Fort johnson,
Fort Ripley, Battery Bee, Fort Wag-l
ner, the Star and Stand Batteries.
More Than seventy heavy guns win
be trained on the nine iron-clads. ''
It is known in Charleston that. the
federals are about to bombard Fort.
Sumter, and thousands Of citizens
havesgathered at the sea-wall park as
spectstors. II is a bright, clear day,
the ai1balmy, the sun warm, and the
water il smooth enough to float a ca
noe. o. Z
INsIDEsFHE FORTS.
Il IS two years since Maj. Ander-
son was bombartaed out of Sumter.
For two years the confederates have
been adding to.its strength and arma-
ment, and England's whole wooden
navy would be no match for it at this
hour. Fort Monltrie has also been
strengthened in many ways, and the
newer forts and batteries are terribly
strong and we'll provided.
MOVING TO THE ATTACK.
Every commissioned officer but one
in Fort Sumter Is at dinner. That
one is on the ramparts with q spy
glass to his eye. He sees the IRON
elads fall into line and begin the adj
vance, and he reports the movement
to the post-con onlmandant. Not an of
fcer leaves the dinner table The.
meal is cody and deliberately finished,
and then the long-rol1 Is beaten, and
every human being within those walls
lnoses % the place assigned him With
out excitement Of eonfusiorL Q II is
the same in every other fort and bat
itery-no demonstration, no excite
ment. In fort every man is one Of
the pieces d greatmactline. When
the machine moves every piece knows
its place and falls into it.
1t was a strange sight to see those
grim iron-clads fall into line and ,adz
vance. War had never Witnessed
such a spectacle before. When it
was seen that the long anticipated at
tack was about to be made, Fort
Sumter threwout Che flag Of South
/ iCarolina and -saluted it with thirteen
guns, while the music of the band on
thesramparts was heard i'm every con-
Ifederate fort and battery aboard the
iron-clads-beyond the bar where the
blockaders we're lying and rocking on
the swells. k#..*s
| .. A GRIM MYSTERY.
The iron-clads will be under the
fire of the Star and Sand batteries
and Fort Wagner. before Moultrie or
Sumter can fire gun: After the sa-
lutte of Sumter there is silence. In
the confederate works men whisper.
lon the espaanale rin@ chafie.tesf
scarcely foota1neses onahe graxeiIed
walks. Aboard the iron-clads orders
4 Iaresgissamin low, stern tones fd1 pf
terrible earnestness. The hundreds
1 of men looking on. from the reserve
fleet and the ablockaders fairly hold
ttheirs breath.
2 The Nhole world might well Hook
on and tremble With excitement~~Ih
tnigh problem of war is about to
|hasDlsean 0ga9gsYTw
/ Now the 1eadings iepn clad Is in
4 3nnse d the frst confederate work.