The National tribune., 1892-01-14


ears in this way Returning 10 my quarters in
the early morning after night spent in mount
! lng the gun on the marsh, looking badly bat
! tered, covered with mud aud jaded with labor.
t Capt. Henderson, with two strange officers, was
1 ~ front of my tent, aud rs ! came up he said,
/ Ia burlesque style: Gentlemen, let me make
4 you acquainted with the swamp Angel" A
few days after heard the soldiers apply the
name to the gun I had mounted out on the
marsh, but my comrades still call me swamp
/ Angel"
! can give no dates of my own, and all dis
/ tances, weights, and measures, and what follows
/ wiII be as true as memory eau give 1t. Now Tor
! the gun.
Col. Serrell. Of the 1st y. Y. Engineers, came
/ to my quarters one morning with the request
that should take charge OF transporting and
mounting the gun destined for the battery on
/ the marsh. now nearly completed. The gun
was 2O0-pound Parrott the weight something
over 1900 pounds, the distance OF carriage
\ some three miles. The gun was To be shipped
at the terminus Of little shallow creek or wa
/ tercourse in the rear Of the house on the beach
/ midway of Morris Island Beacon House,
/ think II was called. on a surf-boat OF some
| eight or nine feet beam and p or 30 feet long,
! aud at high tide taken down this narrow, tor
/ tuons channel, with scarce water To float it,
\ 10 watercourse which may have been Light
/ honse lulet; then mp this channel TO point
near its opening 10 Charleston harbor; then a
/ turn TO the LETT into channel to a landing
made with bags of sand pinned with long splits
/ OF wood driven into the mud. up onto the slope
/ OF It's left bank. where the marsh battery was
/ located. the gun was 10 landed and mounted.
Al first declined the responsibility OF hand
! Ing this gun, the danger WAS so imminent at
all points. Gnn-carriages, bags Of sand, and
other material could be divided up and boats
loaded with safety; but there could be no diyis-
ION OF the gun. and the great weight ia such
compact mass, difficult to handle with favOra-
ble surroundings, would be in great danger on
these slippery mud banks with such frail sup
ports.
The boat might not float the gun. or bring it
SO low IN the water as 10 sink 10 with tho least
| ripple; the boat might heel and dump the gun
I ia ladIng or unladiug, and should the boat
J ground II would be no more than an eggshell
under the gun; in short, if the gun once sunk
| ia that mud it would 90 10 hard bottom some
ID or 20 feet below. and be total loss. In such
case there would be investigation, possibly
court martial and disgrace for the party respon-
sible
After some discussion, in which Col Serrell
made the difficulties appear as light as posi-
bic, lac limited that no one would be ordered to
such duty {; that no one had been found as yet
| TO undertake the task but no doubt some one
would be found willing 10 undertake this work.
This put me my mettle, aud remembering
the hadling and mounting 10 inch mOrtars and
| 10 inch COumbiads under great difficulties on
Tybee Island, agreed 10 take the gun for the
battery on the marsh and do my best to safely
| mount il.
Col. Serrell was to send party Of his engi-
neers TO line the boat fore aud aft with tim
bers. so rs TO bring an even bearing on the in
side from the keel up, and have all the
material. including long. heavy timbers and a
working party, al the landing ia time for high
tide which well on in the afternoon or
evening next day.
All things being ready on time the next day.
the boat was securely mOOred. tramway OF
/ timbcrs laid from the gun on the hard ground to
overlap the center Of the boat, round timber
inserted in the muZzle Of the gun. projecting
several feet 10 help slide the muzzle aud keep
| il parallel with the breech ia rolling. a strong
I line loUped over 4 trnnniOn, gith several turns
round the gun leading over IL In the direction
! to be moved, manned with will by the men,
aud the transportation Of the gun commenced.
Care was taken ia skiddHg the gun onto the
boat to keep it on an even keel aud level beam.
Tides don't wait; 50 no time was lost in get
/ ting the boat out OF the narrow, crooked chan
mel to the deeper WateTcOuTse, where breath
OF relief could be taken. II ! remember rightly,
the guuWale Of the boat was not more than i've
/ inches above water The boat was moved up
10 where the plank walk crossed the marsh,
aud there moored aside from the nid-channel,
where il remained a day or two. with myself
aud two men 10 bail the boat and care for its
safety in case Of storm or Wssing boats, which
was mostly in the night This walk or foot
bridge was made originally BY the enemy 10
connect Morris aud James Islands for the pas
sage Of troops. A branch was built from 1t 20
connect with the Marsh Battery.
The battery completed, the necessary mate
rial shipped. aud a working party ready, row.
boat took the gun in tow TO tine landing, where
at high tide the gun was landed on timbers in
the same manner IL bad been shipped, aud rolled
a. near the platform Of the battery As possible.
This had taken all the night. \ little before
daylight all but the guard ia charge returned
10 their quarters.
To explain: Batteries built under fire Of the
enemy must be constructed ia tho night, and
this was especially true Of mounting guns. A
gin erected, with working party around IT,
would be fun for the Johnnies 10 practice on
Some interesting incidents could be related in
| this connection, ont Of place here.
The night following field gin and working
party OF about 20 men Tan officer. Sergeant
CORPORAL, and 80 men was the usual detaill be
Ing ready, the gun was mounted aud the Marsh
Battery received its destroying Angel" The
gun was mounted on a barbet carriage. ] was
, called 10 Gen. GilmoTe's headquarters and
offered the command Of this battery. and moth
ing could have pleased me better than taking
it: hut malarial fever had done me nearly tC
, death once from being on those deadly mud
+ banks. and prudence dictated a decline Of the
offer. An officer from a Maine regiment was
reported TO have the honor Of commanding this
battery.
After some practice with the Angel il was de-
cided to give 10 more elevation than the nor
, nal position az the carriages would admit Of
and received al order TO remove the trayeTs,
wheels from the chassis aud let it rest on the
platform Thus treated the gun could be ele
waited 10 So IL remember rightly. The strain
/ from the heavy charge Of powder and the fric
tion consequent TO give the projectiie the spira
, motion At such a high elevation burst the gut
: by blowing the brecch out Of the heavy rein
force at the vent, after throwing about tive
score shells into Charleston. Here lot me say
that two or more guns Of the same class
! mounted TO breach Fort Sumter, burst in th,
same manner.
{ An order came to me 10 90 to the battery OF
5 the marsh and bury the gun in tire parapet
The gun was found lying Obliquely across thu
T parapet about tile same angle il had been fired
: where its exploding had thrown il from tn,
5 trnnnion- beds. Bags Of sand were removed
5 the gun turned parallel with the parapet, ant
8 buried. Subsequently two S-inch seacOas
mortars were mounted in the battery. Whicl
d the soldiers christcned the "Marsh Hens"
= lO-inch COlumbiad. mounted on James Islam,
{ "by our friends the enemy" that frequentl,
: shelled the Swamp Angel, was called by on
4 soldiers "The Ball OF the Woods. "-ASDREy
r j. WADLTE, Captain, Go. Z, 81 n. H., Greeley
Colo.