The National tribune., 1883-06-28
ONE WHO WAS TBERE.
Some Entertaining "reminiscences of
the Siege Of Morris Island.
To the Editor NATIONAL tribune:

To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
Comrade o. G. Burtt, company D, Seventh
New Hampshire, states, IN your issue of June
z, that he wants to hear from some one who
was at the siege of Morris Island, S. c.. l have
been thinking the matter over, and it appears
to me that have faint recollection of being
there. Perhaps you remember the night work
we did on Folly Island, building those bat
teries in the sand bluffs which were to silence
the rebel guns ON the lower end of Morris
while we crossed the inlet in surf-boats? And
they did it, too My regiment-the Sixty
second Ohio-pulled the last brush and other
objects of concealment from the front of those
guns on the morning of the 10th of July, 1868.
And how we yelled when the ball openedi
The Ninth Maine, if / mistake not, rowed
the boats which took US across. | venture to
state that no surprise of the war was more COM
plete than that attack on Morris Island, and it
always seemed to me that General Gilmore
never received the credit to which he was en-
titled in that or any of his operations in front
of Charleston. Our regiment was not engaged
in the assault on Wagner on the night of the
18th. We were held as reserve for some reason
But we took in the whole show on the night of
the 18TH That terrible night cannot be de-
scribed None but those who were engaged can
realize how near it WAS to being-as the rebS de-
scribed ia slaughter pen" Colonel Skaw's
setts-led, and my own regiment was as close
behind it as men could march. The pitchy
darkness was only broken by the flash OF
cannon and bursting shell. The air seemed
full of sh1ieking missiles I never talked with
two boys who could agree as to the length of
time we were engaged. 1t seemed to me to not
exceed forty-iiVe minutes. Some say 1t was
less than that, and some much longer. God
knows it was long enoughi / never recall
that night but l think of Tennyson's Charge
of the Light Brigade" The fate of Colonel
Shaw and his Fifty fourth Massachusetts, is
matter of history. Our regiment lost exactly
one-half, to a man, not including those who
were captured. Of the latter, the wounded
were soon exchanged, but two of my company
| (E)-Henry Clark and Tom Standardized at
Andersonvllle. l suppose other regiments suf
fered as badly Many of our boys were hit or
bayoneted on the parapet. The ditch was full of
water and many fell back only to drown.
The fatigue duty on that island was some
thing terrible in itself, and was all done under
fire. We carried sand bags day after day under
the burning sum- and night after night in the
damp sea mists. And maybe you recall the
boat-picketing out ia the harbor, and around in
the rivers and bayous? That was jolly, too, in
its way, with mortar shells winking, winking
overhead, like crazy stars cut of their orbits,
and trying to luil us to sleep with that soft,
soothing, musical hum they had, don't you
know? And sometimes bursting short, too,
confound themi And we out there in an
open boat with no chance to dodge and not
even dog-tent to hold over our heads! And
we had to stay there all night, and creep back
just before dawn. Oh, yes! you can tell 'em
I've been there! And maybe you helped, as
l did, to put the Swamp Angel in place, and
| felt a grim satisfaction when you heard the
first shell go screaming over into their pet city,
| whose spires we had been looking at so long?
And, l suppose, you don't forget how we
fatigue parties always put out one or two boys
for lookouts while the rest worked. and how.
at each puff of smoke from the rebel guns and
mortRrs, the lookout would shout: Cover |"
| Moultrie," or " Battery B, or q Pinckney," or
SUMTER" or " Johnson's Island" or "Suili-
vans Island" as she case might be,-snd he had
| to yell about twice every five minutes And how
| we would hunt hole /" or " grab root " till
| the pot-metal dumping bursted Oh, yes, it
was fun but we're glad it is all over, amt we?
| My regiment stayed until October, and were
| the first TO enter Wagner after the evacuation
| on the It'll of September, and our welcome was,
| of course pot-metal from Moultrie.
| can recall now besides your own regiment,
| the Seventh New Hampshire, Fifty fourth
| Massachusetts,, First and Second South Caro-
| lima (coiored -" de Fust Souf, sab, and :" de
Secon' Souf, sab, ")-and the Forty-sixth and
| Forty-seventh New York, the Ninth Maine,
| the Twenty fourth MISUNDERSTANDING was
bully" regiment, without disparagement to
any of the rest,-and after awhile we had other
| troops, among which | recall the One Hundred
and Fourth Pennsylvania, but Of course, l
can't remember them all. Our brigade was
composed of the Thirteenth Indiana Thirty
ninth Illinois, Sixty second and Sixty-seventh
/ Ohio, and was usually referred to as that
Damned Western brigade" We were the only
Western troops there at the time of which
write. Perhaps you remember the old house
that stood up toward the west end of the island,
and was for some time used as a signal station;
and the big " lookout" we built on the end of
Folly Island around large pine tree; and the
oyster beds we used to visit, and scoop the oys-
tiers out with a case-knife; and the mosquitoes
! and the sand-fies, etc. Now, l have just written
this in hurry, and disconnectedly, to answer
the request of Comrade Burt and to convince
him, by these few "reminiscences, that | really
was there. His query has awakened memories
of those times which / find are still fresh,
though it is long since I have spoken to any
one of my experience there, and | would be
glad to hear from some oue or many, who can
write up an account of our service on Morris
Island in a much better and more readable
style, in order that those who do not know,
may have an idea of the terrible service it
was-for long weeks under the fierce sun, on
those glistening sand heaps, and continually
under fire, even when sleeping. From the 10th
of July until the 1st of October, | do not re-
member an hourwhe theroar of cannon was out
of our ears How well recall the saddest roll
call we ever had on the morning of the 18th of
July, when less than half of our own little
company answered Here!" And remember
how, in the long siege, when digging our
trenches up closer and closer to the fort, we
dug out our fallen comrades, who had been
hastily covered up where they fell But want
to hear from some one else who was there.
&C." GID owl.
GRAND ISLAND, NEB.