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

NSoSAAoou us dlulOSG q mile
from Morris Island, and nearly on q
Inc N, between our left batteries and
Charleston, on the edge of deem
creek that served as wet ditch
bottom could not be reached with n
pole anywhere in the vicinity short Of
sixteen feet. The engineer Iieuten-
ant who was detailed to do the work
looked over the ground-or the swamp
and declared that it was impossible
TO make foundation in such a place
strong enough to support large gun,
Colonel Serrell replied that the plan
was practicable, and that the work
must mus be done.at the point designated.
You can make requisition for any,
thing you need" he added. Thereupon
the obstinate Lieutenant made a formal
requsition on the Quartermaster for
one hundred men eighteen feet high.
to wade through mud sixteen feet
deep; and he informally called on o
surgeon to know if he could splice the
men when furnished. Of course. this
waggish officer was relieved from
further duty in building the battery
and placed in arrest, and the work
was done, and thoroughly done. by
those who had faith in the possibilities
OF the situation. The whole work was
done at night, to avoid interruption by
the enemy, and occupied two weeks.
The foundation was made of pine
logs, which had to be hauled several
miles; on this foundation sand-bags
were built up. On this battery was
placed 2OO-pound PARROT gun, which
was got into position with vast diff
Guilty and labor. The distance from
Charleston was $500 yards, and the
gun was fired at an elevation of thirty
five degrees. It burst at the thirty
fourth discharge, but not before its
enormous shells had fallen into that
quarter of Charleston that was within
its range, demolishing buildings, and
causing the desertion of the exposed
part.
Such statements amaze us; they as
tonished Europe at the time, and our
own people have never yet fully com
pretended the colossal nature Of these
operations, which were the very larp-
est of their kind in this or any other
war. Shells weighing 200 pounds
thrown five miles! It fairly taxes be-
lief-and yet is matter of recent his
tory. Some of the men are still living
who did it. o
Incidents connected with the service
OF the large artillery at other points in
the harbor are interesting. After the
fall of Fort Wagner, Union batteries
were erected at Cummings Point,
more than three miles from Charleston
in an airline. From thirty-pounders
and 100-pounders shells were continu-
ally thrown into Charleston; during
several nights in succession shell fell
into the city each five minutes! One
of the thirty Founders was fired 4,615
times.
The precision of the fire on both
sides was often marvellous. It is re-
lated that a captain of O Maine regi-
ment stood up on bomb-proof at Bat
terry Gregg Ito have good view of
Charleston" From James Island, a
mile and half off, Confederate gum
ner sighted him and made him mark.
The ball cut him in two!
During the operations against Fort
Wagner, while the Eighty-ffth Penn
sylvania Regiment was guarding the
trenches, nine of it's men were seated
together, outside of cover. A mortar
shell fired from James Island destroyed
the entire party at blow-killing
seven and mortally wounding two.
While number of the One Hundred
and Fourth Pennsylvania Regiment
were asleep at night in a bomb-proof
of Battery Gregg, a shell from James
Island entered the door and killed and
wounded seven.
This sketch merely attempts to give
some of the most interesting features
Of the long siege and defense Of Charles
ton, as recorded by eye-witnesses. The
complete story would require volumes
in the telling, and would strikingly
illustrate the courage, the tenacity, the
endurance, and the skill of the Ameri-
can soldier. Chicago Ledger,
An lInexnectetl Hero.