The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-11-22
THE FIRST SHOT
Fired-on Fort Sumter and Who
Fired 1t.
GENERAL BElUREGARD TELLS
How it occurred and Settles Dis
puted questionable "HOnor" of
Striking the First Blow at the Union
Does Not Belong to Glbbs..ThO Cir
cumstauces ofthe Afrair.

NEW ORLEANS, La, Nov. 2l.-General
Beauregard has made public the follow
ing statement which seems to settle the
identity Of the man who fred the shot
that began the late war:
Last April, noticed short article
dated April 10, 1892, in which it was
stated that Major W. NJ. Gibbs. OF
South Carolina, claimed having fired
the first gun against Fort Sumter, on
April II, 1851, as follows:
"On the night Of the 18th OF April,
CAPTAIN George s. James, who COM
manded the artillery company stationed
nj Fort johnson, was instructed to have
a shell exploded at 1880 o'clock on the
next morning, which was to be the sig
nal for general bombardment. !, as
tirst lieutenant in command OF a pat
terry of ten.inch mortars, was Entrusted
with this duty. Our mortars were
loaded and trained, one with full
charge, directly on the fort; the other,
according to instructions, to explode
high In the air and wide OF the mark
only as signal. Corporal Welsh, with
one LANYARD in hand, and / with the
other, awaited the moment and watch
ed our time pieces as the hands marked
the half hour.
"The shell was thrown high in the
ara beautiful sight, as the whole line
could be traced by the burning fuse.
Immediately our mine was sprung TO
destroy a house which interfered with
our view, and then the gun which was
trained upon the fort and was intended
for business, was discharged, all within
a minute, by Lieutenant Henry L. Farley,
with Captain James, commander OF a
second battery Of mortars, and Lieuten-
ant Hayne, detachment OF reserves.
These are absolute facts, and the two
shells from my battery were the first OF
the siege. Lieutenant Meade, who was
in Fort Sumter, informed me that the
second shell fell in the fort"
As Major Gibbs statement did not
agree with my recollection of the event,
/ enclosed the article to Col. A. K.
Chisholm, OF New York, who was one
Of the aides sent to Major Robert
Anderson, commanding the fort, to de-
mand its surrender, asking him (Chls-
holm) Tor MS recolleclon Oh tne oCCuE
renee. I received only lately his an
swer, which / submitted at once to
General S. D. Lee, who was also one OF
my aides on that occasion, and happens
to be now in this city. He confirms the
statement of Colonel Chisholm, which
agrees with what he had written on the
subject, first on October Z, 1882, and
then on April 81, 1892, to Colonel Stobo
Farrow, Of South Carolina. As my re-
membrance of the verbal report OF those
OF my staff agrees fully with their pres
emit statement, publish the communi-
cation from Colonel Chisholm, which is
approved, as have said, by General
Leo, and ought to settle the question OF
who fred the first gun or signal shell on
Fort Sumter on April u, 1851. The
lapse of time (thirty-one years. since
then, eau we'll explain the errors OF
Eajor Gibbs, who was gallant officer
Of the confederacy, and is incapable of
claiming knowingly an honorwhich be-
longs to brother officer.
(Signed) CT. BEAUREaARD.
Here is the letter referred to:
81 BROADWAY, NEW York, /
April q, 1892. !