The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-04-27
GILLMoKE,s SWAMP ANGEL.
The Deadly Gum That Poured Screeching
Missiles of Death Into Charleston.

The Deadly Gun That Poured screeching
Missiles of Death Into Charleston
Charleston IS. CD News.
There are good many people in Charleston
who had intimate but somewhat unpleasant
acquaintance with the Swamp Angel
One calm night in August, 1868, a strange
noise heard in the air. 1t was noise that
some people had become familiar with. but one
that to the women and children in Charleston
was entirely unknown. Some people com pared
it TO the blast of the last trump, others to the
trated noise of 10, 900 locomotives rushing
through a tunnel in the air and condensed into
a scream of the most narrowing intensity.
1t was the first Swamp Angel messenger sent
into Charleston by the late General Gillnore.
The Waterman at St. Michaes steeple sounded
the alarm. ard the fremen and other people
hurried out in haste.
The shell came from q masked battery which
General 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 q straight
line it over five miles distant from the city.
The battery had been constructed under the
an impossible place Tie idea of gun throw
ing 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 1t
was unpleasant.
The battery was the famous Swamp Angel.
1t consisted of single eght-inch Parrott rife
mounted in the marsh and surrounded by an
earthwork of circular shape. 1t burst at the
thrty-sixth round. and that was the end of the
Swamp Angel proper. After this the lombard
ment was directed from the batteries on Morris
island. It is said that the elevation of the guns
was great that they could only De used to ire
a half dozen times; and As matter or fact the
people who remained hare during the lombard
msnt became so accustomed to the sound that
they could tell by the sound When gun had
burst.
lowed the first nights bombardmenf. Dozens
of trains were out of town the next morn
ing carrying thousands OF women and children.
General Gillmore's guuners soon attained
wonderful accuracy in firing their guns. 1t was
said that the Swamp Angel shells We're loaded
with sGreek fire." but this was never verified.
ways promptly turned out, taking the chances of
the shells. A fire at night invariably awoke the
Swamp Angel to renewed activity. The shells
were sent in generally at an average rate OF one
every fifteen twenty minutes. Occasionally,
when b gun would burst, there would be a sus-
pension of operations at the Swamp Angel end
of the iine sometimes for several days.
This invariably followed 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 Charleston
would have rest until the burst guns Were re-
placed.
The accuracy which the Swamp Angel gun
ners attained was remarkable On one occasion
the buildings on Browns Wharf were fired
during the day. The fire department. was
promptly on the spot and set to work to ex-
tinguish the flames. The building was on the
water front, and the dense columns of smoke
offered splendid target TO General Giimores
marksmen. There are perhaps dozen men in
Charleston to-day who will recall the incident,
and who will testify 60 the fact that during the
progress of that fire at least three shells were
thrown into the burning building.
On another occasion, while fire was in
progress at the corner of Market street and
East Bay. shell was actually thrown into the
engine. At the time there were probably
twenty men at the breaks 1.-THE engine being an
old-fashoned doubledacker), and but one man,
O colored runner" was injured.
The accuracy with which the Swamp Angel
guns were fred. in fact. gave color to the state
ment subsequently made that the gunners in
tentionaly refraiued from firing at ST. Michaeis
sseeple. which was never hit during the entire
two years of the bombardment.
Percussion shells were used By the Swamp
Angel gunners for over year. During this
time to study the peculiarties OF the percussion
PARROT shell. The shell. of course, could only
be exploded when it came IN contact with hard
surface, and was. therefore, only dangerous
under these conditions. In nine cases ont OF
ten a 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 she'll
on lts passage. and most people soon learned to
avoid this. So in time q good many families
moved back into the sshelled district" as it was
called, and occupied the wooden houses
In 1864 there was startling change in the
condition Of things. By this time those who
come 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 fire.
men, who, besides doing military duty at night
along the water front, were called upon fire.
onently to subdue the flames in the sheIed dis
trict. On the night of Sept 2, 1864. building
was fired in the lower wards. The alarm was
sounded and in five minutes the engines were
on their way to the scene of the confaeratlon.
The boom OF the alarm bell and the bright
glare OF the fire invariably caused the Swamp
Angels to wake and redouble their attentions
to the doomed city," An engine, the Phoenix,
was on its way TO the fire, dragged by dozen
or more men. In Hayne street an obstacle was
met. A messenger from the swamp Angels
plunged into the earth directly IN front OF the
men, and making a hole six feet wide and as
many feet deep. buried itself in the ground. A
half dozen men were precipitated into the exca-
suit The shell did not explode, however, and
beyond several painful bruises nobody was
hurt
their eyes and trying to lift up 'Old Betsey the
tsboom" which sienified the advent OF another
messenger from the Swamp Angel Was heard.
Then every one stood still and listened A few
seconds after the boom came the peculiar aud
excruciating whistle which marked the pas
cage of the messenger through the air The
whistle not familiar. There was an ind O.
scrioable something about it that made one shiv-
1t was not the old familiar percussion shell
scream few moments later and the mystery
low awaiting the crash. there was another ex-
psosion very near. followed by dozen baby
screams and dozen sharp reports. while flash
of light illuminated the scene. Then II was re-
blized that friends the enemy. wanted
mood. II was fuse SHE'LL something which no
alan could dodge.
Charleston had become reconciled to the per-
cusaon shell because the percussion shell could
be logged. aud was comparatively harmless to
life so long one kept clear of brick buildings;
but the fuse she'll was another thing 1t multi
piled the danger hundred fold. The writer
saw one explode in the air about Ave hundred
feet high, In King. between Georges and Liberty
streets. on the morning OF Sept 10 1864 Two
fragments reached the pavement flag ssonesl
One measured about four inches in length and
about three inches in width. The first cut
hole IN the flag sidewalk and buried itself in the
earth beneath. The other fragment buried
itself In the maeadamized roadway.
The advent OF tbs fuse shell led 70 the CON-