Mountain Home bulletin. (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1888-1889, 1888-09-15
GILLMORES SWAMP ANGEL
TkE GUN THAT POURED SCREECH-
ING MISSILES INTO CHARLESTON.


rhs First Messenger from the Mashed
a.tt,rv In IN. Mar.h-x,our.ov NJ IN.
'"''~'"'' VI '"' o~""""."'"s'
A Fuse Shell.
Thar. ar. . vood m.rv ,.on,. IN Charlie.
.on vho had an intimats Int .omowhat nm.
nIss..nt scou.int.ncs with ths swami
nn.i urs o.,,r rirh. IN A,r,,s. ,Sss
,trarc. no;sa m. heard in tha H. II vas n
ro;s. th.t cow. raonI. h.a hecona fom;l;ar
v,th hut ono that to the won,an and chill.
drar in Charles ma. entirely untnovn
Some peopl. comnared Il to the blast Of the
last tr,,mr othars tn the howl of the hvena-
.rd o,hars ~ IN. corcsntr.taa Noise of 10. /
on lo,omotives rushing through A tunnel in
Tn. s;r and condars,d into a scream of the
most narrowing intensity
II vas tho first Swamp Angel messenger
amt into Charleston by the late Gen. Gill |
mora The vntchman at St Michael's
st4en,e so,nded the alarm. and the iremen
. nd other naonls hurried ont In haste Tba
shell came from a masked battery which
Cen Gilmore had erected in the marsh at tho
artreme south end Of Morris island. and on
the southern borders Of the creek which sepa-
rates Morris from Folly Island. In = straight
lima IL wa. over Ave miles distant from the
citv The batterv had been constructed un-
der tho greatest difficulties. and in what was
considered an impossible place. The idea of
= oun throwing a proiectiie distance of five
miles had not at that time penetrated the
mind. Of the average public. and the arrival
Of the first messenger from the Swamp Angel
was "A unexpected az it was unpleasant
II consisted Of a single S-inch PARROT rifle
mounted in the marsh and surrounded by an
eartbwork of circular shape. It burst at
the thirty 81 xtb round. and that was the end
of the Swamp Angel proper After this tho
bombardment was directed from the bat
teries on Morris Island. IL Is said that the
elevation Of the guns was so great that they
could only be used to fire a half dozen times,
and a. a matter of fact the people who re.
manned here during the bombardment be-
came 40 accustomed to the sound that they
could tell by the sound when q gun had
burst
Gen. Gillmore's runners soon attained a
wonderful accuracy in firing their guns. 1t
was said that the Swamp Angel shells were
loaded with "Greek fire." but this was never
verified. Fires frequently occurred, and the
Aremen always promptly turned out, taking
the chances Of the shells A fire at night in.
variably awoke the Swamp Angel to renewed
activity The shells were sent in generally
at an average rate of one every fifteen or
twenty minutes Occasionally when q gun
would burst there would be a suspension OF
operatjons at the Swamp Angel end of the
line. sometimes for several days This in.
varably followed fire in the city. The light
from the blaze would give the gunners at the
SWAMP Angel a good mark, and they would
fire more RAPIDLY. which probably cost them
several puns. and then the people of Charles.
ton would have a rest until the burst guns
were replaced
The accuracy which the Swamp Angel gun
,,.rs attained was remarkable On one occa-
sion the buildings on Browns wharf were
6rad durinp the dav The fire department
vas promptly on the spot and set to work to
! extinpuish the flames The building was on
the wnter front. and tho dense columns Of
smoke offered splendid target to Gen. Gill.
mora,s markunen There are perhaps a
a,,,an men In Charleston TODAY who will re-
call the incident and who will testify to the
fact that during the progress OF that fro at
,oas+ thraa shells ware thrown into tho burn.
inc building. The accuracy with which the
Swamp Angel guns were fired. in fact. gave
,,o,,r ~, tho statapap, spbseouentlv made tha,
the .,,,nners intentionally refrained from FIR.
,no %, ~, MichaeI,s steeple. which was never
nit durino the entire two vears of the bom.
hardmcnt-
porc,ssion sbeI,s ,vere used nv thu Swami
Ano., onnners for over n vear Durinp this
,,nne the people Of Charleston had abundant
.,r,o n .tuav the neculiarities of the percus-
s;or p.rrott she'll The she'll. of course.
,,,,,d onlv ba exploded when it came in con.
20, Nth a 4. ri surface and was thorefore
univ DANGEROUS snder these conditions In
o,,,. -asss ont of ten q nercus,ion shell thot
s,r,,.L wooden bnildinu simnlv buried
i,sois IN the earth and remained there The
.,',, dancer ~ Iis. or limb tbarefora vo. In
49, .a;uo .,,.,,cL Nv tha .ball on ;ts :. oe and
u. ~, roo,,o .oon learned n avoid this ''
y. ,os1 ,h.r. wos q stortlino cbo,oa i, tbs
...,a;.;o,, :, th;no, Ry mi. five thosa Mn
-. oo.,1,o,,ad % ra,,,oir IN Oh. citv hod
5000 ,,sod n tho Swomp Ancei IN
- ,h;. tin. not mora than two ar tbree
.",. III h.on L;,,ad M, o,v;tbst.rd;,o tbo
.h., s,,I,, eva ,no,,s. nd hod ha.,, .l7,ost
....,,, -. ,,,a.r AZ ~ .ov roth;n, - H.
sos,,.. s, - ,ha sran,an OK, has;dss do;,n
s.it;,.. ,s,,,n =. n;rht !. Low, ~. ,vator ,ront
. -. a.,l.t ,,ro, sr.orons,v - s,,h,,,,a ths
go. - ~. .t.m.d d;s, ,r;o. n, 81. -.
30 g.. o ,sc. h,iIdi,,a ,r.s eraS l., a.
,"..r w,rd. IN. alarm wss sonndo,, snd
~ sm. ,,,;nnto. Tho onciros ver. ~ ,hair va .
-. =. ~. 800 =, ~ oon foarot;on
~. rss s.a,,, =, ~ oiar,', h.li M H.. .,;a,.
.,..n =. ,hs a.. inn.riahlu oa,,.oa 'eha sha
S..,o Anm.,. - vato m sna rado,h,s
80. ....sss ~. ..,oaa it,, a :,
'"on . "'. .sa nn.; ~ w ~ ~. a.. @ @ a..
ens e IrM.a W.. w. 49, y. ~ -. 10y ~" " wv I,'
a"es ~ a,s,.",. ., ~, 4 80
1