Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-07-16

places in the old world. If Fort Sumter
were situated in England or Germany or
France there would be fancy garrison,
band for the entertainment of visitors.
booths for the sale of photographs and
books, and frequent celebrations to i'm
press upon the people the lessons of
patriotism that such scenes teach. But
here there is not even a tablet to record
the heroism that has been exhibited
within the decaying walls.
The Government of the United States
would offend nobody and would do an
act of eternal justice If it would inscribe
upon marble slab somewhere within
the precincts of Fort Sumter the names
of the men who fought there under Rob.
ert Anderson, for defence of the place,
met one of the most desperate emergeu-
cies in which human beings were ever
placed, and their bravery and determin-
alton were never excelled
Fort Moultrie stands on Sullivan's Is
land, across the water about mile away,
and it, too, is deserted, except for the
presence of an old Sergeant and little dog
that scampers up and down the bre asst
works in most amusing way, and with
intense energy and interest assists his
master in showing tourists through.
The little steamer that runs between
Charleston and Fort Sumter stops at
Sullivan's Island on the way. In fact,
it is ferry between that place and
Charleston, for good many people re-
side there, and during the summer its
hundreds of cottages are occupied BY
people from the city.
A most forlorn looking old street car
meets the steamer at the dock, and its
wheels roll over rusty rails between rows
OF whitewashed houses and nondescript
architecture, which are built upon pins
to keep them out of the wet when high
tide comes in. This time of year they
are mostly deserted, but in summer,
am told, the place is very gay. There
are evidences all around of the damage
done by the recent hurricane.
Morris Island, where the famous
"swamp-angep' that bombarded Charles
ton during the war was located, it is said
to be picking up, and Fort johnson,
which stands across the channel from
Fort Sumter and Moultrie, is now the
quarantine station.
1t gives one a melancholy feeling to
visit Fort Moultrie and see the crumbling
classmates and portfolios buried under
shifting sand. That fort is entitled to
number of tablets. 1t should be one
to commemorate the memorable battle
that took place there III 1776 There is a
monument in Charleston to Sergt. Jasper
and another in Savannah, but there
ought to be some tablets in the fort to
tell how he leaped over the classmates
to the beach and recovered the flag that
had been shot away in that action. And
there should be some record within the
walls of Maj. Anderson's courage, also.
notice in the little guide book that they
sell here that Anderson's spikiug the
guns at Fort Moultrie and taking pos
session of Fort Sumter constituted the
first act of hostility in the war of secces-
sion"
Without the walls and near the portals
of Fort Moultrie is the grave of OsceOla,
the famous Seminole chief, who died a
prisoner there in 1888, and the inscrip-
ton upon the stone describes him as a
patriot" which epithet is scarcely borne
out by records of the Seminole war.
1t is a curious illustration of the char
acteristic conservatism ofCharleston that
photographs of Fort Moultrie or Fort
Sumter cannot be purchased at any of
the hotels or news-stands or bookstores,
and | heard a newsdealer at the Chales-
ton Hotel tell four persons in succession
that he did not keep stock on hand be-
cause there was no emand for them.