The National tribune., 1892-05-12

runboats kent ND an incessant fire from their
euflading position, and for some time the shells
/ mus: have poured in the fort one every second.
At this time the Pocahontas, which had towed
a transport ship in, LET her CO. aud came up to
Join in the sport-sport for us but death to
! the rebels. AT 1890 o'clock the little Gnnboat
! Mercury came up close to US and stood right
in toward the battery, and after taking posi-
tiou she opened fire with her 30pounder Par
rot gun, throwing in she'll with great precision.
HER CONDUCT WAS BRILLIANT IN THE EX-
IRENE,
! and attracted the attention of the entire feet.
/ At LILO o'clock not a rebel boat is seen, and
/ from appearances they have gone behind the
/ point 10 take on board the troops, who cannot
/ stand another round of broadside firing. The
! battery is badly damaged, and the houses and
tents bear the marks of Shells and it looks rs
If there was stampede in the rebel camp. At
FIVE minutes to u o'clock the Wabash and her
! cOnsOrts are in position 10 advance, but they
remain quiet and let the gnnboats pepper away
/ at the battery, which only replies with one
! gun, which looks as if it WAS only firing SO as
to deceive u.s. while its officers embark their
forces. at o'clock We weigh anchor and go
still closer in, feeling assured that the rebels
have become pretty well used M. aud will not
4 or cannot injure Us.
The transports now lanch their surfboats.
| nearly 100 in number, and place the crews in
! troops At 2:30 the Wabash came down aud
fred one gun, aud TO our surprise there was no
reply to it, although she waited for some mo-
ments. Signals were now made to the vessels
aud the firing ceases entirely, the ships got in
order, and, to our surprise, prepared to anchor.
THE FIRST LANDING.
At 90 minutes of o'clock, a boat-the whale
boat of the Wabash-was manned, and with a
white iag flowing over its bow and Commander
John Rodgers in thesteFn, started for the shore.
Every stroke of the oars was watched by thou
sands of anxious people. She strikes the beach,
Capt Rodgers borne on the backs of true and
trusty tars, with the Stars and Stripes over his
head, and a large ens gn, goes on shore, and at
3 o'clock precisely the Stars and Stripes wave
in triumph over South Carolina soil aud de-
serted rebel fortress
4 glorious and brilliant naval victory has
been won. As soon as the good old flag was
seen from on shipboard our boys gave nine
ronsing cheers, and they were taken up from
ship to ship and the bands saluted the flag with
the Star Spanged Banner" and Hail CO.
lumbia." Never was such scene beheld. For
an hour the cheers of the patriotic soldiers
made the air resound. Again We got under
way and proceeded to within half a mile of the
shore and anchored, and the debarkation of the
troops commenced and continued until long
after dark.
After the flag was raised on the old building.
which was afterward used as post headquarters
by Capt. John Rodgers. the Captain planted the
first flag on the ramparts of the battery. The
honor of raising the second one belonged to
Coxswain Eugene p Palmer, of the boats
crew.
The scene which was presented TO the view
OF the landing party was of very interesting
character, and the confusion everywhere yisi-
BILE showed that the rebels had fled in terri
bic alarm, leaving everything behind them
swords guns, clothing, watches, money, and
everything pertaining to weii-reguiated
camp. Ladies clothing was found i'll great
abundance. The hot-shot furnaces were still
filed with hot shot. and warm dinners were in
plenty lying around, scarcely disturbed In
different parts Of the fort were found 10 killed,
one Of them Captain in the German artillery.
These men were all horribly mutilated.
THE SIGHT WAS HEART-sICKENING.
Graves were dug in the trench and the bodies
were consigned to their last resting place. Capt.
Steadman performing this duty, assisted by his
boats crew.
The effect of our fire was seen on every hand
in the work. On the line along the front their
guns were dismounted by the enflading fire of
our ships. One carriage had been struck by
large shell and shivered to pieces dismounting
the heavy gun mounted upon ii, and sending
the splinters flying in al directions with ter.
rife force. Between the guns at the foot of
the p2rapet was a large pool of blood, mingled
with brains fragments of SHE'LL and pieces of
flesh, evidently from the face, as portions of
whiskers still clung it. This shot must have
done horrible execution. rs other portions OF
human beings were found all about il. Another
carriage to the right was broken to pieces. and
the guns on the waterf front were rendered use
less by the enflading fire from the gunboats on
the left flank. Their scorching fire of shell.
which swept with resstiess fury and deadly
effect across this long water pond. where the
enemy had placed their heaviest metal en-
barbet without taking the precaution to place
traverses between the guns, did as much as any
thing TO drive the rebels from their works in the
hurried manner described. The works were
plowed up by the shot and shell so badly as
10 make immediate repairs necessary. All the
houses aud many OF the tents about the works
were perforated and torn by flying shell, and
hardly light Of glass conld be found intact in
any building where a shell exploded.
EVERYTHING BORE TIE MARKS OF RUIN.
No wonder that the rebels beat hasty retreat
Their tents were left standing. and they had left
IL their hurried departure everything not ac-
tualy upon their persons. In some of the tents
were tables with everything laid for dinner,
covered with bountiful supplies of cold meat.
bread, biscuit, ETC., and in sundry bottles and
demUohDs were certain liquid comforts that
caused rejoicings to the hearts Of the captors.
The road the rebels took was strewn for miles
with mrskets, knapsacks blankets, cartridge
boxes, and other valuables that they had
thrown away in their flight. They had re-
treated across the island to Scabrook, distance
of haifa-doZen miles, where they took boat for
Savannah. Even the wharf at Seabrook was
strewn with valuables, carried even SO far and
abandoned az the last moment
The troops who were in charge of this fort
were the 18th S. c. under Col. Jones; the 9th
S. e., commanded by Col. Hayward. and a bat
talon OF German artillery, under Col. Wagner.
They had in the fort about 300 men in all,
enough to serve all the guns in the most eff
cient manner. They had also a field battery,
with 500 troops. stationed at point shcrt dis
tance above Hilton Head, where they antiei-
pated our transports would undertake to send
troops to attempt a flank movement for the
assistance Of the navy. 1t cannot be denied
that the resistance was as gallant as the final
panic WAS complete. The hardest fighting on
the rebel side was all done by the German artil-
lery, this being the last to leave the fort which
they did not do until long after part of the
valiant Palmetto "chivalry" had taken to the
woods.
We took few prisoners, about % in all. most
Of them being sick in the hospital. Among
the spoils were 300 muskets. the complete camp
eqnipage of il regiments, 30 cannon, and i'm
Inense quantities of ammunition.
Our loss in the affair was eight killed and
about % wounded. The loss of the rebels was
very much greater. the estimates being 120
killed aud 200 or more wounded, a large num-
Der of their dead having been buried by our