The National tribune., 1883-09-20
FORT WAGNER.
Confederate Generals Tribute to the yalor of the
Assaalting Column.

ASSEMBLING Column.
General William B. Taliaferro, of the late
Confederate army, in recent account of the
assault upon Fort Wagner. makes the following
| allusion TO the courage of the assaiiants
- The dark masses of the enemy's columns,
brigade after brigade, were seen in the fading
twilight to approach Line after line was
| formed, and then came the rush. A small
creek made in on the right of the fort and in
| tercepted the enemy's left attack; they did
not know it, or did not estimate it. Orders
were given to Gaillard TO hold his fire and de-
liver no direct shot It was believed the OBJ
stacle presented by the creek would confuse
the aSSaiants, cause them to incline to the
right, and mingle their masses at the head of
the obstacle, and thus their movements would
be obstructed. It seemed to have the antici-
pated effect, and the assaulting columns, appa-
rently iumbled together at this point, were
met by the whitening volleys of McKethans
direct and Gaillard's cross fire, and by direct
discharge of the shell-guns supplemented by
the frightful enflading discharges of the
lighter guns upon. the right and left. 1t was
terrible, but with an unsurpassed gallantry the
Federal soldiers breasted the storm and rushed
! onward to the glaees. The Confederates, not
fourteen hundred strong, with the tenacity of
bulldogs and fierce courage which was
aroused to madness by the frightful inacton
TO which they had been subjected, poured from
the ramparts and embrasures sheets of flame
and a tempest of lead and iron. Yet their
intrepid aSSailants rushed on like the waves of
the sea by whose shore they fought. They
fell by the hundreds, but they pushed on,
reeling under the frightful blasts that almost
blew them to pieces, some up to the Confederate
bayonetS The southeast bastion was weakly
defended, and into it a considerable body Of
the enemy made their way hut they were
caught in trap for they could not leave it.
The fight continued, but it was impossible to
ha fn-r IF ,,,icc
poured from the fort, the reflex of that terrible
tide which had poured in all day, and the
Federals retreated, leaving nearly thousand
dead around the fort.
THE AssAILANTs AssAILED.
There was no cessation of the Confederate
fire. Forts Sumter and Gregg threw their
shells along with those Of Wagner upon the re-
tiring foe. Nor was the conflict over in the
| fort itself. The party which had gained access
| by the salient next the sea could not escape.
1t was certain death to attempt to pass the line
of concentrated fire which swept the faces of
the work, and they did not attempt it, but
| they would not surrender, and in desperation
| kept up constant fire upon the main body of
the fort. The Confederates called for volun-
| teers to dislodge them, q summons which was
promptly responded to by Major Mcdonald, of
| the Fifty first North Carolina, and by Captain
Rion, of the Charleston battalion, with the
requisite number Of men. Rion's company
was selected and the gallant Irishman at the
head of his company dashed at the reckless
and insane men who seemed to insist upon
| immolation. The tables were now singularly
| turned. The assailants had become the as
sailed, and they held fort within q fort and
were protected by the traverses and gun cham
bers behind which they fought. Rion rushed
at them, but he fell, shot outright, with several
of his men, and the rest recoiled. At this time
| General Hagood reported to General Taliaferro
with Colonel Harrison's splendid regiment,
the Thirty second Georgia, sent over by Beau
regard to his assistance as soon as landing
| could be effected at Cummings Point These
| troops were ordered to move along on the
| traverses and bomb proofs and to plunge their
! concentrated fire over the stronghold. Still
for time the enemy held out, but at last they
| cried out and surrendered. The carnage was
| frightful. 1t is believed the Federals lost more
men on that eYentful night than the entire
| strength of the Confederate garrison. The
Confederates lost eight killed and twenty
wounded by the bombardment, and about fifty
| killed and one hundred and fifty wounded al
| together from the bombardment and assault.
Can any one of our readers tell us to what
regiment or regiments the men belonged who
were captured inside the ort?-ED.
THE 10TH PENNSYLVANIA AT FORT WAGNER.
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
Naturally your paper interests other people
| beside the boys who wore the blue. | have
! read with interest most of the communications
| from soldiers on disputed questions and was sur
prised to observe an absence of notice on the part
of. G. Graham, Third New Hampshire of the
Seventy-sixth Pennsylvania, in his August Sd
letter From the time of his enlistment in '61
until his muster out in '64 had a correspond
ent in that regiment, and remember well his
description of the charge of his regiment on
Wagner, July Ii, 1863. have carefully kept
all his letters, (the poor fellow is dead now J
and am able not only to furnish testimony to
the glorious record of the Seventy-sixth at
Wagner, but also at Pocotaligo, where my cor
respondent-Isaiah II. Rawlins-reeeived a
wound. 1 shall be glad to hear from some
member Of his regiment that knew him.
WESTMINSTER, ND. A. H. HUBER.