The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-07-18
THIRTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY
Of the Second Battle of Fort Wagner
 South Carolina.

t'AAAiA NA's'A J VI Nllt oCNNllb NAietA SN SN Union forces upon Fort Wagner which was situated on the southern end of Morris Island, and at the entrance of Charleston harbor, and as some of our Connecticut boys were engaged in that awful conflict, I thought perhaps that a short review of those stirring scenes might prove interesting to the present generation. Few perhaps are aware of the fact that of the only two models of fertilization now used for purposes or instruction to the West Point cadets, one is Fort Wagner, the other is Sebas- topol. The Union forces were under severe fire from the enemy ever since we made the landing on the island on the morning of July 10th. The morning of July 18th the Sixth Connecticut, who had been all the night previous in the rifle pits before Wagner in drenching rain, came into camp weary and wet and covered with sand, hoping for short cessation of hostilities, that we might be able to get cleaned up little and a short rest from the arduous du- ties, but, alas, for soldiers hopes, hardly had we eaten our dinner before the order came to "fall in'' and join in the assault on Wagner at dark. The order was cheerfully obeyed especially as the word was passed round that Col onel Chatfeld was to lead his own regi- ment into action, refusing the com mand of the brigade which belonged to him as the ranking officer. The brig ade to lead the charge was disposed of under cover of the sand hills to await the coming darkness when we were to face one of the most formidable rebel forts and mounted with thirteen heavy guns. At the urgent request of the gallant Colonel Shaw, who commanded the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts (col- ored troops), Colonel Chatfield allowed them the extreme right-the post of honor, although by military usage it belonged to the Sixth Connecticut. General Strong, who directed the as-
 
 words of cheer and encouragement. In coming to the colored troops he said, Men of Massachusetts, I am going to put you in front of the chivalry of South Carolina, and they will pour iron hail into your faces, but uphold the flag and the integrity of your state, and then those black heroes knelt down in the sand and with their right hand extended toward heaven. swore they would do their whole duty on the honor of a soldier. As the twilight deepened the attacking column formed and moved forward to the awful carnage before them. Shot and shell flew thick and fast and great tongues of flame leaped into the darkness as we closed up nearer the enemy's works. At a giv- en signal from General Strong we threw off everything except rifle and cartridge box and rushed forward on the double quick" Then when with in point blank range the enemy poured into our ranks such a galling fire that the colored troops were literally moved down, and some of the companies wa vered. On rushed the Sixth Connecti- cut under the brave Chatfield pressing our way through abattis, now entering the ditch that surrounded the fort and crawling on our hands and knees up the parapet unchecked by the awful tempest of shot and shell, of shrapnel canister and grape, of bullets and hand -grenades, leaping down to the casemates and bonb-proofs and driving all before them in dismay Our support aiding us, we forced the enemy into their bomb-proofs, but the terrible loss of life on our side during that brief struggle was so appalling that we could make no further advance while the en- emy held us at bay from their stock ades. At midnight we retreated with all our general officers either killed or wounded, and our ranks so decimated that 1t was madness to remain. Slowly we fell back to our lines amid shrieking shell from Sumter and Battery Gregg, which made night hideous and events long to be remembered Night attacks seldom result favorably to the attack ing party. Some one had blundered A general and six colonels had fallen, beside many of the rank and file, while nobly striving to maintain the honor of the dear old flag.
 A southern writer, speaking of the bravery of the Union troops on this oc- casion, has this need of praise for the Sixth Connecticut:
 "Then a grand deed, what the old Mortimer would have called a deed of derring-do was performed by men of the ever dominant Caucasian race, the thought of which, as I write after it's occurrence, makes my heart beat and pulses throb unanimously. Across the i narrow and fatal stretch before the fort-every inch of which was swept by a hurricane of fire, bosom of destruc- tion-the Sixth Connecticut, with Colo mel John l.. Chatfield, charged with such undaunted resolution upon the southeast salient that they succeeded, in the very face of hell, one may say, in capturing it. What though their victo- ry was barren achievement! What though for three hours they were penned in, no support daring to follow them, friend and foe alike, now as then, must honor and salute them as the bravest of the brave. The history of the war, rife with desperate conflicts, can show no more terrific charge than this. It was, in more than one partic- ular, battle of giants
 c. K. CALDWELL.
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