Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-05-25

GTLLMORE'S SW WAMP ANGEL

GTLLMORE'S SWAMP ANGEL TLE GUN THAT POURED SCREEcH-
 ING MISSILES INTO CHARLESTON. Tho First Messenger from the Masked
 Battery in the Marsh-Accuracy of the - Gunners-Incidents of the CanDonading.
 "A Fussf Shen.
 There are good many people in Charles ton, who had an intimate but somewhat un- pleasant acquaintance with the Swamp Angel One calm night in August, 1863, strange noise was heard in the air. It was noise that some people had become familiar with, but one that to the women and chil- dren in Charleston was entirely unknown. Some people compared it to the blast of the last trump, others to the howl of the hyena, and others to the concentrated noise Of lO,- GOO locomotives rushing through tunnel in the air and condensed into . scream of the most narrowing intensity.
 It was the first Swamp Angel messenger sent into Charleston by the late Gen. Gill more The watchman at St. MichaePs steeple sounded the alarm, and the fremen and other people hurried out in haste. The shell came from a masked battery, which Gen. Gilmore had erected in the marsh at the extreme south end of Morris Island, and on the southern borders of the creek which sepa- rates Morris from Folly Island. In straight line 1t was over five miles distant from the city The battery had been constructed un- der the greatest difficulties, and in what was considered an impossible place. The idea of a gun throwing a projectile distance of five miles had not at that time penetrated the minds of the average public, and the arrival of the first messenger from the Swamp Angel was as unexpected as it was unpleasant The battery was the famous Swamp Angel It consisted of single S-inch Parrott rifle mounted in the marsh and surrounded by an earthwork of circular shape. It burst at the thirty round, and that was the end of the Swamp Angel proper. After this the bombardment was directed from the bat tories on Morris Island. It is said that the elevation of the guns was so great that they could only be used to fire half dozen times, and as a matter of fact the people who re- mained here during the bombardment be- came so accustomed to the sound that they could tell by the sound when a gun had burst.
 Gen. Gillmore's gunners soon attained wonderful accuracy in firing their guns. It was said that the Swamp Angel shells were loaded with "Greek fire, but this was never verified. Fires frequently occurred, and the fremen 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 gun would burst there would be suspension of operations at the Swamp Angel end of the line, sometimes for several days. This tn- variably followed a fire in the city. The light from the blaze would give the gunners at the Swamp Angel good mark, and they would fire more rapidly, which probably cost them several guns, and then the people of Charles ton would have a rest until the burst guns were replaced.
 The accuracy which the Swamp Angel gun ners attained was remarkable. On one occa- sion the buildings on Browns wharf were fired during the day. The fire department was promptly on the spot and set to work to extinguish the flames. The building was on the water front, and the dense columns of smoke offered splendid target to Gen. Gill more's marksnen. There are perhaps a dozen men in Charleston today who will re- call the incident and who will testify to the fact that during the progress of that fire at least three shells were thrown into tho burn ing building. The accuracy with which the Swamp Angel guns were fired, in fact, gave color to the statement subsequently, made that the gunners intentionally refrained from fir ing at St. Michael's steeple, which was never hit during the entire two years of the bom- bardment.
 Percussion shells were used by the Swamp Angel gunners for over year. During this time the people of Charleston had abundant time to study the peculiarities of the porous sion Parrott shell. The shell, of course, could only be exploded when it came in con- tact with hard surface, and was, therefore, only dangerous under these conditions. In nine cases out of ten @ percussion shell that struck wooden building simply buried itself in the earth and remained there. The only danger to life or limb, therefore, was in being struck by the shell on its passage, and most people soon learned to avoid this.
 In 1884 there was startling change in the condition of things. By this time those who were compelled to remain in the city had become used to the Swamp Angel Up to this time not more than two or three people had been killed, notwithstanding the fact that fully five thousand had been almost constantly under fire, to say nothing of the exposure of the fremen, who, besides doing military duty at night along the water front, were called upon frequently to subdue the
 flames in the shelled district. On the night of Sept. 3, 1864, a building was fired in the lower wards. The alarm was sounded, and in i've minutes the engines were on their way
 to the scene of the confagration.
 Tho boom of the alarm bell and the bright glare of the fire invariably caused the Swamp Angels to wake up and redouble their attentions to the ''doomed city" An engine, the Phoenix, was on it's way to the fire, dragged by a dozen or more men. In
 Hayne street an obstacle was met A mes
 senger from the Swamp Angel plunged into the earth directly in front of the men, and making hole six feet wide and as many feet deep, buried itself in the ground. A half do zen men were precipitated into the excava ton, and the engine, "Old Betsey," followed l suit. The shell did not explode, however
 and beyond several painful bruises nobody was hurt. ->-f
 While the men were getting the dust out O
 their eyes and trying to lift up ''Old Betsey'
 the ''boom" which signifed the advent of an
 othsr messenger from the Swamp Angel wa
 heard. Then every one stood still and list
 ened. A few seconds after the boom cam