Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-12-20

repeating at this day. Indeed, the
great military operations there seen
will never lose any of their interest.
Up to this time they remain the grand
est of their kind ever attempted.
Parts of the story may be briefly told
here.
Although the Union forces had OBJ
tanned 1odgment upon Morris Island,
Fort Wagner obstinately held out
against several direct assaults, and
General Gilmore decided to lombard
Fort Sumter over Wagner. This was
something entirely new in the warfare
of heavy artillery. General Beaure-
gard, deemed, perhaps, the first en-
gineer in the old army, assured his
men chat Sumpter could not be
preached until after Wagner had been
reduced;" but Gilmore resolutely
went to work upon the theory of the
renowned Sam Patch, that some
things can be done as well as Others"
and indicated his faith by success. We
read with amazement and admiration
OF the labors of the besieging army in
dragging heavy guns through marshes
to get them into position, the work
having to be done by night, and the
pieces covered with brush and weeds
in the daytime, to conceal them from
the enemy. Just one item of this part
of the work will be sufficient
to show its character. A three.
hundred-pounder cannon was NOV
ed a distance of more than
mile through sand and marsh. Three
carts were broken down, and week
required for this labor. By such toll
as this, eight batteries were con-
structed for the preaching of Sumter,
and stupendous weight Of gun-metal
mounted on them. Besides the great
piece named, there We're six two-hun-
dred Founders, nine one hundred
Founders, two eighty four FOUNDER
Whitworths, two thirty and four TWEEN
two-pounders, all ritled, and all Par
rotts except the two Whitworths. It
is stated that "never before had such
weight Of metal been directed against
any fortress in one attack since the art
of war began" OF these batteries,
the nearest to Sumter was thirty -four
hundred yards and the farthest forty
two hundred and thirty-fve yards.
Let the reader pause at these amaz-
ing statements and reflect. Great
masses of iron weighing three hundred
and two hundred pounds were hurled
at Fort Sumter-and struck it, tool
at distances of two and two and a third
miles. It makes everything that had
gone before in the way of siege-opera-
lions appear small by the contrast.
1t was the boast of the Confederates
that Sumter was never given up until
the approach of Sherman's army in the
rear compelled the evacuation OF the
city, and that the ruins OF the fort
We're held by infantry, who success
fully beat off all boat attacks. While
this is true, it is also true that the ter
rife bombardment by batteries and
iron ships that Sumter was subjected
to from August II to September l,
1863, dismounted all its artillery, and
made the place practically mass OF
ruins, which could not be used for
offensive purposes. The number OF
solid shot, during this time, poured
upon the place was two thousand one
hundred and sixtytive; the number OF
percussion shell, foar thousand ana
eighty-fve. =,
But the marvels OF long-range artll-
le'y were not exhausted in these Dat,
teries. It remained for the celebrated
Swamp Angel" to cap the climax OF
this species of warfare. The appfo-
Pirate name of this battery was due 10
the lively fancy of Sergeant. Felter' OF
a New York volunteer engineer feSl-
ment. The suggestion for the con
struction OF the battery was maze oy
Colonel Z. w. Serrell, who command
ed that regiment. The proposed loca-