The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-03-15

'ue garrison was WlthdraWn to the rifle
pits, two or three light guns dragged
away with them, and presently the tort
winch had been tcnanted so long and
had withstood SD much was without sen
tinels TO challenge or artilleris.s to Ere.
GH0sTLY SHADOWS.
There WAS a suspicion in The Federal
mind that somo movements was taking
place among the Confcderates, but
whether 1t was an increase of garrison or
an evacuation no one could determine
10 he prepared for any emergency, a
strong calcium light WAS thrown upon
the fort from one Of the iron claGs. From
the vessel 1t seemed rs if one could have
seen cat walking along the parapets,
but the light was deceiving. 1t was a
ghcstlv glare which betrayed those who
watched instead Of those who worked.
Men stood upon the parapets without
discovery, and the strong glare on the
front of the fort dcepened the darkness
on MI ether sides.
On this night Federal pickets lay in
their rile.pits within thirty steps of the
ditch of Wagner, but they neither saw
nor heard anything to arouse their suspi.
cions. There were less than 500 men in
tho garrison, and as night came on they
marched out of the fort and moved away
like shadows. The soft sand echoed no
footstep, aud no voice was raised above
whisper
While the ghostly glare of the calcium
l!ght tc!! Hn0ii :hs rn.Gparts. aad while
tho Tiger OF War crouchcd in the sand
only few steps away, listening, pecfing.
glaring, 740 men fitted across Tie sand
to Battery (-"""' 'rithout the whisper of
an alarm. ,r every pound of sand
used in constructing Wagner and repair
ing 1t two pounds Of Federal iron had
been hurled to batter it down, but on
this night it stood there as proud and
strong aud defiant as ever.
LEAVING TIE lsLAND
Before 10 o'clock the garrison of Wag.
ner was rowing away from Morris Island.
The men had taken their muskets. but
little else. Not one of the cannon had
been saved. Before midnight the rarri.
son of Gregg had left, and there remain.
ed only the small party charged with
blowing up both works.
WHAT WAS TO BE DONE.
The intention Of the Confederates was
to leave nothing but two great holcg in
the sand to mark the sites Of the forts.
The orders transacted from headquar.
ters were very plain and complete The
guns were to he spiked, the trunnions
knocked of aud tho cartridges
broken. All ammunition was to be
placed in The main magazine, and time
fuses used for the explosions. The big
guns were to be jammed full of powder,
sand and shot aud arranged with time.
fuses to burst about the time of the grand
explosion. Gregg being five minutes
walk from Wagner, was to have n ten
minutes fuse in place Of fifteen, and tho
programme was to have the two cxplo.
Sions occur in the same second.
WHAT WAS DONE.
No move could be made at Wagner
until after dark, and then it was found
that blow struck upon a gun would
arouse all the Federal pickets living be-.
yond the ditch. The guns were spiked
by men crawling about like cats, but
they could not be arranged for bursting
nor the carriages destroyed. Tho spik.
Ing was better done Mt Gregg, being
further away, but yet within six :.a;irS
after The Federals took possession every
gun was in good working order.
The fuses had been repeatedly tested.
and each time they had burned brightly
and exactly such distance to the min.
ute. In each fort the fuse was carefully
laid and led to barrel Of powder, and
they were burning all right when the last
boat left the island. And yet, strangely
enough, neither fuse accomplished the
result deemed positively certain. One
went out altogether ak or eight feet from
the powder, and the other became disar.
arranged and was consumed without
damage to anything.
The last boat from the island was dis
covered by Federal picketboats and fired
Mt. and ten minutes later it was kuown TO
Gilmore's forces that Norris Island had
been evacuated by the Confederatcs.
Alta given signal Forts Sumter, John.
son and other works turned their fire
upon the evacuated forts, 70 prevent the
Federals from rushing in and extinguisii-
ing the fuses, and though this fire
answered the object in one sense it failed
in another.
From April to September Wagner had
been stormed and assaulted and pounded
until almost every grain of sand had
soaked q drop of blood, but here it was
at last in Federal hands. Ten thousand
infantry, thirty cannon and mortars in
battery, backed by feet Of iron -clads,
had finally driven 72O men out of sand
heap, and Gilmore was half mile nearer
Charleston.
Federal history called it great victo.
ry, and the masses shouted glory without
counting the cost or consulting the facts.
To-day the sea ia pouring across the sand
bar In three or four different channels,
and few months more may see white.
capped waves rolling over the spot where
whole pages of nations history were
written with bayonets dipped in blood.