Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-10-01
SAW FORT SUMTER BoMBARDED.

TAUNUs.
SAW FORT SUMTER BOMBARDED.
The Story of Sergeant Daley, Who Was .
Member of the Relief Party
Chas. p. Daley. sergeant United States army.
retired, writes to The STAR the following in
teresting account Of what he saw of the bonn
bardmeut Of Fort Sumter: When South Caro-
lima sounded the tocsin Of secession was in
Boston, and although a mere boy was brimful
OF fight wanted to go out right away myself
and do up the whole of South Carolina in less
than no time. started for the recruiting Office
right away, carrying with me a written permit
from bogus guardian. wes enlisted at once
and packed of to Governors Island, NY, in
company with nine or ten other recruits. The
steamship Star Of the West was getting ready
to take out achievements to Maj Anderson
ut Fort Sumter, he having evacuated Fort
Moultrie for the better security OF his garrison
at Sumter. Anderson requested Gen. Scott
and the rest OF the authorities at Washington to
send him reinforcements, as he was menaced on
every eide; but to all his plesdings he got deaf
ear until secession had stepped in and taken
root in Fort Moultrie. 1t was not until then tina:
Scott ordered out the Star of the West with a
few men, not one OF which they ever landed,
Tor the rebs fired gun or two from the vicinity
Of Fort Moultrie at the ship; the captain got
knock-kneed through fear, put his snip about
and returned to Now York The Baltic was got
In readiness Immediately, and about SIX months
provisions put on board, and u battalion Of
about 275 men, picked or selected from about
500 recruits then on Governors Island. First
the old soldiers who had seen service before
were chosen, and next the most expert of the
young recruits, of which had the honor to be
fair specimen, being an expert with the mus
kat Na Ont on ahn i,-ty hna 70
with mufhed oars, 50 we could steal into the
garrison at sumter. We had our oarsmen and
mnrksmen ell selected before we left New York
But while these preparations were going on
some traitors in our vicinity gave the whole
thing away by telegraph to Charleston, SO when
US warm reception should we attempt
TO land at Sumter Every sail boat in
Charleston was brought into commission and
armed with brass howitzers. We could see
thom running back and forth between our
ship and the fort. We were met at Charleston
bar by three men-of-war viz, the Pawnee the
cutter Harriet Lane and another whose name
l cannot now remember. We got there Just in
time to witness the bombar dment We got to
the bar about midnight. The sea was awful
rough just then or should have attempted to
land by our small boats As 1t was, we lowered
two, but each was swamped as soon as it
touched the breakers, SO we had to give up the
idea Of running In Just then. At about 4:I5
am. the first gun was fred from Moultrie.
The shot fell short about TWENTY-FIVE or thirty
yards from Sumter and Immediately after all
the batteries around opened fire simultaneously.
Their firing was wild at first, but after a while
they got the range pretty accurately, SO that
could count many as twenty SHELLS In
quick succ ession bursting close, right over
Sumter. This was continued for nearly
two hours, and we began to think that
Anderson and his men had left the fort some
time during the night, and that the rebels were
firing at an empty fort, as we saw no shot fired
from II during all this time of nearly two hours
bombardment. At about a. M. as was strain
ing my eyes to see what the matter was with
the little garrison, l saw the old stars and
stripes hoisted or run up, and few minutes
after we saw a smoke and flash from two guns
in quick succession, then another and another,
at Intervals OF about two minutes, all from the
lower tier Of guns. The fourth or fifth shot
dismounted one of the Fort Moultrie guns. We
could see great deal of confusion among the
rebs. 1t must have been a solid shot, as it did
not explode. A little while after some wood
work In Sumter caught fire and made big
blaze. and shortly after the upper or top Of
the flagstaff was shot down. carrying the flag
with 1t. II was soon hoIsted again. The firing
from Sumter became slower and slower until
there was an interval of about fifteen minutes
between shots, which led US to imagine that
there weren't enough left to man two guns,
After awhile We saw a small boat skimming
across from Fort Moultrie and as it neared
Sumter white flag was raised on it.
The hiring ceased, and we concluded Anderson
had surrendered but We were mistaken for the
boat went back ard firing was resumed. 1t was
not until sometime after that another boat
crossed and Anderson surrendered condition
ally. He and his command were brought to
our ship by a little steamer called the Isabelle.
They brought all their small arms. ammunition
and small military stores. They didn't have
even bareback to subsist on ;Ehen they came
to our ship. They were as hungry as wolves
Capt. Chester, now of the third artillery, was q
sergeant at the time. l helped him up the
gangway. The little steamer TINT brought
them alongside was so low that they had to do
some climbing to get aboard OF our ship. l
will state a little incident that occurred which
came very near sending one reb to his kingdom
come. When the last of Anderson's men came
aboard the stars and stripes, which we're float
ing at the foremost Of the little steamer, was
grossly insulted by an ugly looking clod-
hopper, who whipped out his jack knife, gave
one rip to the halyard and brought down the
old flag, splashing in the tide. raised my musket
(Which was loaded to my shoulder, but just as
was drawing sure sight on that hayseed
reb. an officer who WAS standing behind me
grasped the musket from me- told the officer
1t was u shame to see the old flag insulted in
that manner. While the bombardment was
going on the gunboats blazed away at the sand
batteries along the shore on Suliivans Island
and silenced some of the guns there When
Maj. Anderson and his command came on
board a salute was fired by the gunboats and
we started for New York with that little garri-
son OF seventy-two men, carving with us also
part Of the Sumter Flagstaff with the post flag
nailed to it. When We got in front Of the Bat
terry at New York there was great excitement.
The people on the Battery could be counted by
thousands. The crowd was so densely packed
not land there then. How he landed after l
do not know, as we, the reinforcement were
landed at Fort Wood, Bedloe's Island, where
now stands the statue of Liberty, and in day
or two after some of us were transferred to