The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1882-11-30
RAIN or SHOT AND SHELL.
Graphic Account of tho Bomba rdment OF
Fort Wagner.


Morris Island, Charleston harbor, at tho
time of the famous ironclad lombard
ment, July lS, 1868. His description in
the Philadelphia Weekly Time, of how
the fort withstood the fleet is more
thorough, perhaps, than any other de.
scription yet written. That it is graphic
every one will be likely 20 conclude uron
reading the following extracts from the
article:
The fire from the monitors which now
daily paid their respects to Wsguer was
wonderfully uncomfortable. 1t was n
novel and curious spectacle to witness
these monsters come in action like huge
water dogs, their black sides glistening
IN The sun and showing their lines above
tue water, they would apparently swim
without any effort into range, then seem
to dive under water, showing only their
horrid heads, represented by their tur.
rets, above the sea, and then opening
their red mouths, bark deep toned def,
ance at their enemies. Their richochet
shots were admirable; striking the sea,
they would skip along, making wla. the
boys. call duck and drakes, and then
roll iuto the fort, or bound clear over the
work and explode in the salt marsh far
beyond. The wooden barracks we're for
tunately knocked to pieces by these
shells, for had they taken fire much trou-
bic might have resulted, although they
were 80 situated that the smoke and
flame under ordinary conditions of the
weather would have been blown by the
usually prevailing sea breeze over into
the marsh. Before the Smelling had
made them untennble the Headquarters"
was IN one of those buildings which were
constructed of inch boards. On the
morning of the l4th Capt. Waring, an
accomplished gentleman of South Caro-.
lima, who was serving as volunteer, on
the staff Of Gen. Taliaferro, enlisted to
make some report. Now and then the
epat and thud of musket balls were heard
upon the building. Wariug remained a
few moments and then left the building.
He had scarcely passed the door vhSn
lie was seen to stagger and then fall. It
was thought he could not be hurt much,
but only confused or stunned by spent
ball but On reaching him it was discov.
cred that the ball fired at random more
than three-quarters of mile distant had
passed entirely through his body and in
few moments he expired, so gres.t was
the range and projectile force Of some of
the small arms used. About S.l5 O'Clock
the storm broke, ship after ship and bat.
terry afaer battery, and then apparently
all together, vomited forth their horrid
flames and the atmosphere was filed with
deadly missiles.
Wagner replied to the enemy, her 10
inch Columbiad alone to the uhips, de,
liberately at intervals of fifteen minutea,
the other guns to the land batteries
whenever in range, as long as they were
serviceable. The S2-pounder riAed gun
was 5000 rendered useless by bursting
and within two hours many other guns
had been dismounted and their carriaaes
destroyed. Sumter, Col. Alfred Rhett in
command, and Gregg, under charge of
Captain Lesesne, with the Sn!!iyan and
James Island batteries mt long range,
threw all the power of their available
metal nt the assailants and added their
thunders to the universal din the har.
Dor of Charleston was volcano. The
want Of water was felt, but now again
unconsciously the enemy came to the AZ.
sistance of the garrison, for water was
actually stopped from the cra,ers made
in the sand by the exploded she'll. The
city vi Cnurirsiuu was alive audi nfniau,o
with excitement; the bay, tho wharyes,
the steeples and streets filled with aux.
ious spectators looking across the water
at their defenders, whom they could not
succor. At 2 o'clock the fag halliards
were cut by shot and the Confederate
garrison flag was blown over into the
fort; there was an instant race for it's re.
covery through the storm of missiles,
over the broken earth and shells and
splinters which lined the parade. Ma
j0r Ramsey, Sergt. Shelton and Private
Finn, Of the Charleston Battalion. and
Lieut. Riddick, of the Sixty third Geor.
gia, first reached it and bore It back in
triumph 10 the flagstaff, and at the same
seized a battle.flag and, leaping on the
This ahg was again shot away, but again
Charleston Battalion. These intrepid
actions, emuiating in higher degree the
ring the Revolution, were cheered by the
command and inspired them with renew.
ed courage.
The dag wore on; thousands upon
thousands of sbellD and round shot;
shells loaded with alls, shells of guns
and shells of mortars, percussion ahells
exploding upon inpact; shells with
graded iuses-every kind apparently
known to the arsenals of wer leaped into
and around the doomed fort, yet there
was no cessation; the sun seemed to
stand siili and the long midsummer day
to know no night. Some men were dead
and no scratch appeared on their bodies;
the conclusion had forced the breath out
of their lungs and collapsed them into
corpses. Capt. Twiggs, of the staff, in
executing some orders sas ioGnd appe-
rently dead. He was untouched, but
lifeless, and only strong restoratiyes
brought him back to animation, and the
commanding officer was buried knee
deep in sand and had to be rescued by
spades from his imprisonment. The day
wore on, hours followed hours of anxiety
and grim endurance, but no respite en-.
sued. AT last night came; not however,
to herald cessation of the strife; but to
usher in q conflict still more terrible. 1t
WAS twilight, when calm camo aud the
blazing circle ceased to glow with flame.
The omiuous pause vas understood. The
buried cannon were at once extnmed,
the guns remounted and the garrison o..
dered to their appointed posts. The
Charleston Battalion were already
formed and iu position they had nestled
under the parapet and stood ready in
their places. The other troops, with the
exception Of part of one regiment, re-
sponded TO the summons with extraordi.
nary celerity, and the echoes of the Fed
eral guns had hardly died away before
more than three.fourths Of the ramparts
were lined with troops one gap remain.