The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-02-07
THE HERO OF MORRIS ISLAND.
Why the Magazine OF Battery Wagner was
not Blown Up.

I Five miles from Charleston lies
Morris Island, facing the broad Allan
tic to the east, and divided from James
Island by a wide marsh and a winding
channel. 1t is bare, desolate track
of barren land, scarcely rising above
the level of the water. The wind
sweeps over it, whirling the sea sand
into ever shifting hillocks and hol-
lows, like the deserts of Arabia, but
without the attractions ascribed to
those wildernesses by the poet Moore,
for down those slopes spring no "sil-
very-footed antelopes" and nowhere
does "the Acacia wave her yellow
hair" Only a few stunted shrubs
grow on the western side of the island,
near the creek, affording a scant
refuge to the little sea birds which
build their nests among the wind
tossed branches. The only inhabi-
tants are an oyster gatherer and few
men who attend to tae light house.
IF human vision could reach 80 far
one might stand on the beach and look
across the intervening space to the
continent Of Europe, but as this is
| impossible, and we can only gaze at
the waste Of waters, there is nothing
to awaken fancy or enlist anyone's
attention, and stranger would merely
consider this low-lying island to be a
iopelessly desolate and utterly insig-
nifcant part Of the surface Of the
! earth.
Yet the waves that break heavily
along the shores seem to murmur the
sad refrain of the prophet of old, "Is
it nothing to you, all ye that pass
by ?" while the wind replies mourn
fully, Nothing" for, strange as the
statement may appear to be, during
the months of July. and August in
| 1863 that parched and sterile island
| was the most important spot of ground
in the State of South Carolina, and
was the point Of interest to which all
our hearts turned. This was the out
post of Charleston, and under the
burning rays of the summer sun our
best and bravest soldiers were fight.
ing in defence of this old city. When
friends met in those days the first
question asked was: "What is the
latest news from Morris Island ?"
The shells could be plainly heard ir
town, of course, as for weeks they
continually swept like hail storm
over that island. while on our side
the artillerists at Battery Wagner and
Battery Gregg replied loudly, and the
guns of Sumter and Moultrie Joined in
the awful concert, keeping up and un-
remitting fire, day and night, upon
the enemy's camps, assaulting col
umns, working parties and the feet.
The fighting for Charleston, which
was to continue without cessation
until the evacuation of the city,
almost at the close of the war, began
at the southern point of Morris Island
July 10. Then Battery Wagner was
repeatedly assaulted by infantry until
the enemy was obliged to abandon the
hope of ever capturing this work by
force of arms, and their engineers un-
dertook the task of obtaining possession
of the much coveted fort. This they
did by steadily advancing their lines
of earthworks closer and closer to OURS
until they effected by their skill
what the infantry and artillery COM
bined had not been able to do by
valor.
The canon Of the enemy were of
much heavier calibre than ours, and
tore down our parapets, which could
| not even be repaired by night towards
the end of the struggle, because the
Yankees mounted q calcium light
| which threw an illumination almost as
bright as day upon our defences.
On the 9th of September an attack
was made upon Battery Gregg by bar
ges from Vincent's Creek, but our
| signal officers had been clever enough
to read the enemy's signals, and we
were therefore prepared to meet their
advance, our entire force at Battery
Wagner, except the artillerists, having
been temporarily transferred to the
point where the assault was expected
so when the barges approached they
were surprised, instead of our men,
who received them so warmly that they
soon withdrew in confusion.
Col. Keith, the Confederate COM
mander on Morris Island, having re-
ported Battery Wagner to be no longer
tenable, council of general officers
was held, and it was decided that
Morris Island must be evacuated.
Battery Wagner had held out fifty