The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1894-01-17
the South Carolina Military Academy,
and was thoroughly acquainted with all


Our working parties were hard at
work all daJ repairing damages, occa-
stoned by the enemy's fire. Corpl.
Newcomer, OF Company a. was killed
and several men wounded this afternoon
There were number Of casu,ties IN the
other regiments Of the garrison. The
enemy's FIRE slackened after nightfall.
A calcium hight was displayed by Gen.
GILMORE but was turned on the creek.
Capt. Sellers and Company F. (St.
Matthew's Rifles, were with me in the
salient tonight. They had been with
me there last night. l had been directed
to remain in the salient when my pres.
ence was not needed elsewhere. Both
men and officers had gotten so they
could sleep uad r fire, when permitted
to take little rest. The shells from
Fort MoGltre passed directly over the
salient, and as they were now timed TO
explode just two hundred yards beyond
US, the danger OF slightly premature
explosion was great, as will be unher-
stood, when it is remembered that
Moultrie was nearly two miles away.
Besides this danger and the danger
from the enemy's shot and shell, the
trenches were now so near that pieces
from our own mortar shells thrown
from the fort came back into the salient.
FIFTH OF SEPTEMBER, SATURDAY.
The last parallel OF the enemy was
now completed, just 200 yards from our
works, and their guns and mortars be-
hind it ready for action. In the Dom
bardment of today SHOT and she'll from
seventeen seige and Coehorn mortars
and thirteen 100, 200, and 800 pounder
Parrot guns, al II the land batteries,
we're necessarily poured into the forts.
These, with the fire Of sixteen II inch
Dahlgren brosdsids and 200 pouucer
Parrot bow and stern guns Of the
Ironsides, Eve Is inch Dahlgren guns
on the enemy's monitors, added to the
thunder of Moultrie, johnson aud the
batteries on James and Sullivan's Island
made an artillery fight the fury and
grandeur OF which can hardly be coD-
ceived. It is seYond my powers OF
description, surprising the most highly
colored accounts OF commandments OF
which I have ever read OR heard. No
words in the English language can
exaegerate it. The mortar shells OF the
enemy, which could be seen throughout
their entire flight, fell so fast that they
could not be counted.
The Parrot guns wers so near that the
explosion OF their shells in the tort
drowned the report Of the guns. All OF
our guns in the fort were silenced. 1t
was impossible for the artlllerlsts to
work them under such fire. Wien dl-
rec:ed to any one spot, as 1t was when
our artillery opened, IL became nposs!-
bic for anything to live, and the work
ING Of our guns was therefore out OF the
question. Men were beiuy killed and
wounded N every direction. It was
impossible to stand even fora few mlu-
utes on the part If terreplein or parade
Of the fort without being covered with
sand thrown up by bursting shells. We
kept about one fourth of the Infantry
outside OF the bomb proofs. The suffer
iag Of the men IA the bomb proofs from
heat and want Of water was terrible.
The supply brought from the city was
wholley inadequate. That gotten from
the wells on the island, corrupted by
corpses buried il the sand, was horri-
bic. Extreme thirst alone drove the
men to drinking it, and 1t was almost as
mnch as mans lie was worth to visit
well for the purpose of getting it.
a great many horrible sights, which
will remain in the minds Of those who
witnessed them as long as life lasts,
we're to be seen. Private Moses A.
Rawlinson, OF Company G, (Edlsto
R:1as.) was knocked from the parapet.
where he was tearlessly doing his duty
as sharpshooter, to the middle Of the
parade, distance OF forty or fifty feet,
going fully twenty teesup IL the air il
his passage. The braye fellow never
let bis rife 60, but fell with it in his
hands. Two of the litter. bearers start.
ed to bring him into the bomb proof hos
pital. stopped them, Secause it seemed
to me to be almost c. rtain death TO go
to him till the iron hail Stacked little.
He appeared to ue dead. In few min
utes be was discovered to move. then
told the litter-bearers that he must be
brought II. They did their duty fearless
| ly, but their tenderness to the poor fel.
low aud their bravery were useless. He
llsd in few minutes. Lieut. Henry
Montgomery, Jr., of Company G, was
killed about 10 or IL O'Clock 10 the
morning. A piece Of shell took Of the
greater portion of his head. A Chris
tian gentleman, true-hearted patriot and
brave soldier was lost IN him.
The mortar shells, being visible as
they ca ne Kissing and splatteriug into
our works, could many Of them be dod-
ged. The Parrot guns sent their shells
without warning. The fort was now be-
ing so rapidly demolished that it was
very evident it could not stan' a much
lon ger continuation G. the bombardment.
The parapet Ct The salient was gone.
and the ditch at that point filed with the
drift. It seemed that the bomb proofs
would soon succumb to this destructive
fire. A portion Of our signal corps had
been specially detailed to observe the
| signals OF the enemy. Every dispatcn
slgnalled between Gen. Gilmore, OF the
Federal army, and Admiral DIhlgren,
Of tie navy, was transmitted bY Our
slgnal officers TO Gen. Beauregard in
the city, and such as Ee desired Us to
know were then sent to Col. k!stt for
bis information and guidance. One OF
these dispatches, which was read by Col.
kcilt to few CT Us who were in his
confidence, detailed the plan of an attack
on Battery Gregg which had been agreed
upon between Glllnore and Dahlgren.
The arransenen; was made by which
Daalgren was to furnish the boats and
Gilmore the men, and Battery Gregg,
at Cummings Point, was to oe sur
prised. Buttoc this Information II seems
certain that Gregg would nave fallen and
the Confederates oo Norris Island cus
OF from al. hope OF escape; Tae expod!-
.,,n WAC 10 cons. in DDatS' with M. I'll ed