The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1883-07-26
Some Further "reminiscences of Morris Island.
To the EDITOR NATIONAL. TRIBUNE:

Twenty years ago the 10th of this month (Julyl
we got first foothold on Morris Island, and we
rather took the rebels by surprise the morning we
opened them from Folly Island with the guns
and mortars which we had been SO silently plant
| ing at night for a month previous. We had
screened our breaStworks with green bushes, and
when opened out on the rebels ii was not long
before effected a landing on Morris Island. and
went there to stay. The rebels made il warm for
us before got through, but we followed them as
closely to Wagner's we could We planted our
batteries and shelled the fort from land and water
until the night of July 18TH 1868 when moved out
| of our breastworks and formed in line of battle
| We moved out IN plain view of the rebels while it
was daylight, and as soon as all broke cover the
| rebels opened fire from Sumter, Moultrie,
Johnson s and Suilivans Islands, and made it red
hot for us, too and don't you forget it! The shot
and shell flew thick and fast and many poor fell
| low fell to rise more; but when came within
| close range of grape, canister and musBetry the
| havoc was fearful men went down by the hun
| dreds. Our regiment fell back about one hundred
yards under this very severe ire but they had the
nerve to about face and charge the fort.
The Fifty-fourth Massachusetts colored regiment
! led the charge, and the brave Colonel Shaw gave
| up his life while leading his men. i had often
heard ii said that the negroes would not fight, but
/ they showed as much bravery there as the white
| troops. The men lay thick the side of the
fort that could hardly get up the parapet. There
| ditch around the fort filed with water, and
| it was piled with the dead and wounded. have
/ heard loss estimated 500 and / think we
lost fully that many. 1t not over an hour from
| the time formed in line until we retreated
from the fort. think could have held the fort
if 1T had been daylight; it dark could not
see what we were doing, and could not distinguish
oar men from the rebels The latter could
| pick off from their bombproofs, and they could
| see us plainly against the light background of
/ the sky / think our regiment was the only one
! of our brigade that in the charge j would
/ like to correct the comrade of company i, who
says the Thirteenth Indiana III the brigade.
/ That is q mistake The Sixty-second and the Six
| ty-seventh Ohio, Thirty -ninth Illinois. and Eighty
/ fourth Pennsylvania composed the brigade at that
| time. The Thirteenth Indiana detached before
| we went South, and it was good a regiment rs
ever shouldered musket. We lost all COM
missoned officers and more than half our men in
| the charge. Northumberland Steel had COM
nand of the regiment in the absence of Col. f. b.
Pond. who was at home sick furiougf.
We remained on the island from July 10 to Octo-
Der 90 1863 in reach of the rebel guns all the time.
! and good part of the time we did not dare to
| show our heads above the breastworks until the
/ fort was evacuated, account of the sharpshoot-
| ers. VIII not some who was eyewitness
give us an account Of the operations of the fleets
against the rebel batteries and the strandng of the
monitor on the sand bar near Sumter?
j. w. ANsELL,
/ DENNIsoN, o. Co. II. ed o. V. /.