Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-09-24

through the Moultrie House. No one was hurt,
but you ought 10 have seen that crowd run.
NOT FLAG OF DISTRESS.
"An incident occurred during the first days
bombardment which has often been misin-
teTpreted. In salutlng The feet, which arrived
soon after the firing began. By dipping our
tag. the flag in the third dip was thrown half
way down because of the cutting of the ballard
by rebel she'll. The ballard became jammed
in the pulley and we could therefore neither
pull the flag up nor down. it remaining a. half
mast in consequence. But it not. as has
often been Thought, signal of distress.
We maze none. The position OF the
flag was due alone TO accident. The lag
was. however. shot down during the lombard
ment by a solid shot. but it was quickly nailed
to n pole. and half dozen men carried the new
staff TO the parnpet and dashed it to n traverse
made of spare gun carriages. although the
rebels turned all their guns upon them. Yet
not "a man was hit. young Philadelphian,
Bringhurst, nailed the flag to the pole.
1.-The second DAYS bombardment began pretty
much as did the first. During the night neither
our friends in the fleet ncr the enemy disturbed
Us and heard some bitter things said about
the former Early in the second day ou- quar-
tiers caught on fire. We put it out, as we did n
second one. and then when the fire broke out In
several places We found that the rebels were
buildings burn. The fire burned everything in
its reach and threatened our magazine. But
the powder chamber was full of smoke before we
closed il. Most of our powder and shell we
covered with wet blankets, and when the
blankets gave out we were compelled to
throw thirty barrels of powder overheard.
''As the firing went on the smoke inside the
fort became as thick as wool. No man could
breathe standing erect Our fire ut leng tn was
reduced to one shot every five minutes. the
rebels meanwhile redoublirg theirs. The mag
aline became enyclopeG in flames and we ex-
pected every moment to be our last We still
continued our five-minute fire, however, and
just as | approached to fire my gun No. 1. as he
advanced to sTonge out. discovered face peer
ing in at the eInbrasure and l heard n voice
say: For Gods sake don't make me stay
here and be killed by my own shot
and shell" Then 1 saw No. 1, a
soldier named Thompson. drag in a man by the
hand. The man was in citizens clothes. very
much excited. and some of us thought he was
drunk. Asking for Maj. Anderson the major
appeared. to whom the stranger said: Il am
Col Wigfall of Gen. Beauregard's staff. For
Gods sake let this thing stop. There has been
enough blood shed already. Maj. Anderson
replied: There has been none on my side.
And, besides, your batteries are still firing on
me-
AT Wigfall's reques. flag of truce, large
sheet, was shown from the paraPet, suppose,
as the firing ceased in few minutes and senti-
rels were posted. Soon small boat put out
from Sullivans Island, bu: it displayed no
white flag until warned of By our sentry. We
had no boats left 10 meet 1t, and when the rebel
boat came alongside three very indignant con-
federates stepped ashore. One WAS stephen ID.
Lee, formerly lieutenant in the fourth United
States ARTILLERY; one was named Ferguson. also
an ex-olicer of the United States army; but the
third did not know.
THE CESSATION OF FIRING.
'Lee was the spokesman. aAd was very irdig-
nant at being stopped by our sentry. supposing
we had surrendered. They had a consultation
with Mai Anderson in which | did not rartici-
pate. The three confederates Tepudiated Wig
falls action and | well remember Anderson s
answer: We'll. gentlemen. YOU can go back TO
your batteries. | didn't send for you. But
they did not go back for half an hour, and the
firing was never resumed
AT dusk another flag of truce approached
US in small boat from Sul!ivans Island. when
We learned that the fighting was over. and that
we would be permitted TO leave Fort sumter
with all the honors Of war. Jefferson Davis tele
graphing from Montgomery, Ala. to Gen.
Beaureg gard that in consideration of Maj. An
dersOus brave defense he should be accorded
such honors. The grand old flag we
were to salute with 100 guns, but when
but forty-eight rounds had been fired
an explosion occurred. which killed two
OF our brave ltlOW- ana DlIIN NOuHueu
another The dead were buried in the fort,
our enemies. in a true spirit of chivalry. send
ing a chaplain to officiate at the funeral. The
wounded man. Geo. Fielding. considered to be
fatally hurt. we sent ashore. The surgeon gen.
eral of South Carolina cared for him, and some
time the following month he rejoined us at Fort
Hamilton. New York harbor, having come
through the lines on n pass signed by Gen.
Beauregard. His sight of one eve was partially
destroyed and for that reason the United States
authorities refused to re-enlist him. Yet he
afterward enlisted Michigan regiment and
was killed. poor fellow. on the peninsula.
when assembly sounded for us in Fort
Sumter for the last time the column was
formed. the old flag wrapped around the top
mast which had been shot down and reverently
carried on the shoulders of six sergeGnts in ad-
vance. the garrison marching out behind 10 the
inspiring strains of Yankee Doodle. Boarding
the Planter. she carried us to the steamer lsa-
bel. which next morning took us 10 the feet, on
which we sailed to Fort Hamilton, New ork
harbOr.
That" remarked Capt. Chester. IVES more
than thirty years ago. And how much has hap
pened since those days, letit seems to me but
Yesterday