Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-10-17
THE FIRST GUN" AGAIN.
The Exact Relation of the late Edmund
Ruffin to the Early Events of the War.

Editor Morning NesOs. For more than
twenty years the name Of Edmund Rufin
has been enormously associated with the
hring OF the first gun discharged in the verv
earliest military feat of the wsr-the bonn
bardment OF Fort Sumter; and since the
subject has been deemed OF suff1-
cient interest to provoke from
time to time considerable public
discussion through the newspapers, will you
permit one who was daily and hourly mill
tarY companion Of the venerable Virginian
during his brief active participation in the
stirring scenes OF the early period of the
war to explain precisely the attitude of that
patriotic gentleman with regard to the oper-
ations OF that period.
Let me premise by saying that General
stephen ID. Lee is literally and undoubtedly
correct In his explanatory letter to the
COatrier-J0HrnGI, reprinted in the MORNING
NEWS OF Saturday. But while he has estab-
nsned Mr.. Ruf1u's non connection with the
nriug OF the first gun, he has omitted to
locate the latter gentleman in the important
niche which he filed during that porten-
tous crisis.
Mr.. Ruffin was one of the garrison of the
Iron Battery on Cummings Point. Morris
Island, 100 yards from Fort Sumter. The
first gun was discharged from Fort John
son, on James Island, at 4:30 a. m. It was
mortar shot, and the writer traced the
soell through the air, and saw it explode
above the fort.
The land side OF Fort Sumter, with the
facade and sallyports, fronted the Iron Bat
terry, Of which the Palmetto Guard, of
Charleston, were the garrison. There we're
no embrasures for heavy ordnance on this
angle, but only loop-holes and sluices for
musketry. Consequently, Major An
derson reared upon the psrapet
the only cannon he could
direct against Cummings Point 1t was the
OBJECT OF the garrison of the Iron Battery
to dtsmount these guns. Consequently il
would have been exceeding folly to fire at
them until they could be plainly seen. At
Z O'Clock a. m. they were clearly visible, and
they were In a few hours rendered useless to
Anderson by the excellent practice of the
Palmetto Guard. 1t will be seen that two
and a half hours elapsed after the discharge
OF the signal shot before the battery in
which Mr.. Ruf1n was present took up the
firing. Fort Moultrie and other batteries,
whose purpose was merely to riddle the fort
ltself, had, however, at once re-echoed the
bursting and booming salute from Fort
johnson.
The armament of the Iron Battery con-
sisted OF three 90 FOUNDER Columbiads, two
42-pounder naval guns. three 10 inch NOR
tars and one II pOas'ader WhituOorth ri fed
cannon. This was the first rifled cannon ever
used in this country. and Mr.. Edmund Rut-
fin, volunteer in the garrison, was COM
plimented with the privilege of firing from
this gun the first shot. 1t is this fact, i'm.
properly understood, which has caused
Mr.. lsuffin to be confounded with the per
son who fred the first shot in the war.
To conclude, 1t may be stated that Mr..
Rutf1n did fire the last shot from one of Del
aware Kemper's guns at the battle of Manas-
sas. The pursuit of the fleeing Federals
ceased at Cub Run, where Kemper gave
them parting salute Mr. Rufin, who on
account Of his inirm age was permitted to
ride uron caisson, here pulled the very
last lanyard of that eventful day.
ONE WHO WAS THERE,