The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-27

The Christmas of 1863 will long be
remembered by those who passed the
zday in the city of Charleston, S. c.
For hours before the eastern sky was
streaked with the first gray tints of
morning, the cold night air was rent
10y other sounds than the joyous peals
from the belfry and the exploding
CRACKERS Of jubilant boys. At O'Clock
the federal army opened fire upon the
4cify with heavy parrot guns, includ-
ing the Swamp Angel" Fast and flu
3rious were the shells rained from the
guns-three at battery Gregg, one at
cummings point and one at the mortar
battery. The Smelling was more severe
than upon any previous occasion, the
federals generally throwing from three
ITO five shells almost simultaneously.
The confederate batteries promptly
land vigorously replied to the fire, but
without effect, in checking the bonn
Hbardment, which was steadily main
tained by the federals during the re-
4n1ainder of the night and all the follow
#ing morning, until about 1880 O'Clock
%Up to that hour several hundred of the
*pnessengers of death had been hurled
#against the city. There was no more
5fring until about o'clock in the after
moon. when one more shell was fired.
FThe shells were fired at a great eleVa-
Ntion, and were therefore plunging shots
striking a house on the roof and pass
siEg down from the attic to the cham
4bers, lower stories, ground floor and
basement Some exploded in the at
&tics, some in the cellars, some in the
&chambers, Others in the walls, streets
land against the front of the houses
hand stores. The effect was q complete
Nriddling of the houses. Brick walls
were thrown into millions of frag
ments. roofs were torn to pieces, raft
#ers,- beams, braces and Scantlings were
%broken and sDlintered into jack-straws.
HChurches, hotels, stores dwellings,
public buildings were all shattered or
Rpunctured. There were great holes in
1.-THE ground where carloads of earth
were blown out.
The scenes as the incendiary shells
Ncame hurting through the air, crash
Ting through the chambers of sleeping
women and children, or bursting in the
=StreetS, scattering the fragments in
every direction. and lighting up the
darkness with a sudden glare, were
shocking ia the extreme. Shell after
#shell followed at intervals, each pre-
ceded by the sullen roar of the far-off
battery. Soon the streets in the vicin-
ity where they struck were filed with
men. women and children; the former
Mas hremen or soldiers, repairing to their
alarm posts for duty, the latter hast
NeniDg somewhere for safety. The Char
&leston hotel was crowded with Hebrew
Nspeoulat0rs, Who had been attracted to
the city by the sale of some blockade
HcargOes, and duTins the excitement the
corridors were filed with these terrified
Egentlemen, rushing about in The scanti-
est costumes and the widest alarm
zone perspiTing individual of portIy di-
mensions was trotting to and fro with
one boot on and the other in his hand,
and this was nearly all the dress he
4could boast OF. In his excitement and
Hterror he had forgotten the number of
his room, from which he had hastened
at the bursting of the first shell in the
street, and his distress was lIdicrous
! to behold. Another in a state of semi
nudity, with a portion of his garments
ION his arm, baTked the shins of every
Zone in his way in his efforts to drag
a an enormous trunk to the stairway.
THE WONDERFUL ESCAPES.
In the hall a motley crowd had gath
fered, who were busy cursing the fed
Feral commander with the biggest words
ri Whirr, came another shell over the
4roof, and down on their faces went
Mevery man o. them, into tobacco Juice
and cigar ends, CATERING among the
spistoons. A shell entered the interior
Sof q gentleman's residence. cut the
sester and, passing through the pavil-
ion of his bed, penetrated the opposite
wall and lodged in the adjoining room
Both himself and his wife were in the
house at the time, but were not in