The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-28

at this instant friendly wave from the
ocean, swelling landward and lifting the
hulk higher than before, lifting the spars
and blocks, lifting the muzzle OF the gun
free from its OBTAINING Judgment, and
lifting the hearts of all those waiting
men from the depths of painful suspense
TO Joy and satisfaction. They could give
no cheers in such close proximity to the
enemy, but loud murmurs of glad con-
graduation passed from one to another.
Never did morning dawn upon lighter
spirits as they saw themselves free at
last to return to the city with their we'll
earned trophy. The cheers they had
been forced to suppress were presently
given with burst as they replied to the
garrison of Fort Sumter and the bat
ter1es of the harbor, cheering them as
they passed in broad daylight on their
way to the cityn
And now let me ask who, in rejecting
on the statements just made, could, tor
one moment, doubt the fact but that the
ruler of the Universe was on our sidel
That friendly wave was friend indeed,
and that gun was given US to turn against
our enemies in protecting our homes and
hresides from the incursions of a ruthless
foe.
The other gun was rescued three nights
later, for the men, profting by their first
experience, knew better how to manage.
Three regular assaults were made by
the enemy on Wagner in 1868, being on the
10th and 18th of July, the 18th of July and
9TH of September, respectively.
At the time of the first assault the
union forces occupied Folly Island, which
is separated from Morris Island by Light
house inlet, a channel about 400 yards
wide. This they crossed in barges. On
Folly Island they had forty-seven guns
and mortars, nearly 1000 men, with 1000
in reserve, four naval launches armed
with howitzers and four monitors on the
qui vive to assist in the attack so soon as
the ball was opened.
The confederate force at the south end
of Morris Island had IL guns and mortars,
and at the north end 20 guns and mortars
besides few field pieces. The confeder-
ates held position in their batteries as
long as possible at south end, but with
such fearful odds against them, when we
remember the cross fire maintained by the
monitors, we cannot be surprised to
know they were compelled to retreat to
Battery Wagner, thus allowing the enemy
to have possession of three-fourths of the
island. Our loss on that day (the 10th) was
294 men, 150-of whom were captured as
wounded or exhausted from the long
three-mile tramp under hot July sun on
a comparatively bare, sandy island. The
this terrific bombardment is shown by the
report from the enemy, that 3,034 shells
and shrapnel were thrown upon the island
that day. How well can appreciate the
fact of the cross fire from the ships
making it too hot for those poor fellows.
Most wildly do | recall that last day we
had at Ogeechee battery, about ten miles
from Savannah, for on Dec. 20, 1864, no less
than three batteries concentrated their
the river, cutting down immense pine
trees all around us, with their heavy Par
rott shot, as if they were mere saplings-
shells bursting above. around and in the
battery. The most expressive way of
putting 1t is to say, sit was red hot"
None of us objected to "fall in" when the
order was given, and we were marching
back to the city, thence by pontoon
bridges to South Carolina. But to re-
sumo: Battery Wagner and Gregg put
in some good work that day, for the flag
ship Catskill, from the reports on the
other side, was particularly marked by
our gunners, no less than sixty shots hav-
ing struck her by our 10-inch smooth
bores and rife guns, the former doing the
most damage, as the latter struck side
ways and glanced. The enemy had now,
by 9 o'clock in the morning, come within
range of Wagner, but were driven
back by our artillery fine, some 1,400
yards distant, and so orders were issued
to lay low until next morning before re-
newing the attack.
About midnight our boys from Savan-
nah arrived at Wagner as a reinforce
ment, and received a right royal well
come. Col. Olmstead in command of the
First Volunteer Regiment-the Twelfth
Georgia Battery under Lieut.. Col.
Capers and Mai. w. S. Basinger with
three companies of our Savannah Volun-
teer Guards, then known as the Eigh-
teenth Georgia Battalion. This added
534 men to the garrison.
In the battle on Morris Island our Sa-
vannah companies were well represented,
being the German Volunteers, Oglethorpe
Light Infantry, Company B, Washington
Volunteers, and Tattnall Guards. The
troops arrived just in time, for much con-
fusion prevailed in the battery, and our
boys stepped into the most advanced posts
fronting the enemy. The attack was
made Just about daybreak on July IL.
"The attacking force,' we are told, twas
close upon the heels of the pickets as the
latter came in" AS soon as they were
near enough to be plainly seen in the
darkness, which prevailed, which was
not until they we're within 80 or 100
yards from the counterscarp, the com
mand was given TO fire, and the Guards
delivered Volley from both fronts of
their bastion with deadly effect. Thus, the
first discharge from the fort checked the
enemy-then the gunners got into their
pieces, and in moment the whole front
of the fort was blazing with a
rapid fire of infantry and
artillery, and the enemy were soon re-
pulsed in disorder. In this assault the
figures are reversed as compared with
those of the day before, as the enemy's
loss was by far the greater, being in
killed, wounded and prisoners about $50,
whereas the garrison lost 10 only.
An incident related to me by one who
served at Wagner, goes to show the I'M
certainty of human existence. Three men
sleeping side by side in the battery, when
a stray shot singled out the middle Door
fellow. killing him instantly, whilst the
other two were uninjured.
We come now to the second assault on
Wagner made on that memorable July Is,
for it was preceded by a land and
naval ombardment of the hottest nature,
lasting at least eleven hours, and pretty
close estimate states 5000 shot and shell
of all sizes were fired by the enemy. The
assault was indeed a well arranged affair,
but being so stubbornly resisted, the
enemy were forced 10 withdraw and count
themselves badly defeated.
From o'clock in the morning five of
the gunboats shelled the battery for about
three hours. then the entire fleet moved
up and took position, Smelling the fort for
eight hours. The land and naval forces
together must have opened sixty-four
guns and mortars. These were opposed
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