The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-02-01
DEFENSE OF Fl. WAGNER,
AN INHERENT PAPER BY c. II.
 CADWELI, or THIS CI4Y,

A. R., of Bridgeport, Thursday Night {, by General strong's Fighting Brig
 ade.
 The following paper on "The Defense
 of Fort Wagner was read Thursday
 evening before Elias Howe, Jr., Post, G.. A. R., of Bridgeport, by c. K. Caldwell
 of this city:
 Any one sailing or steaming into the
 harbor of Charleston will observe, to-
 ward the south as he approaches the city and to the left of what is called Ship Channel" long, low and sparse ly wooded island, which upon examin- ing the may, will he find designated as Morris Island.'' It is famous place and must remain so for centuries. Thence the first shot which effectually cut the bond of union was fired at the , Star of the West" and finally it was the theater of the defense of an earth work as stubborn, and subsequent seize and bombardment as memorable, as the war annals of ancient or modern times can furnish. Let us examine this island minutely. It is three and three fourths of mile long and it's greatest breadth is twenty-five hundred yards. Nowhere is it much more than two feet above high water mark. The soil is pe- culiar, being what is denominated quartz sand" and has no adhesion. It weighs when dry eightysix pounds to the cubic foot. The Confederate earth work was made of this sand and riveted together with turf and palmetto logs. It measured from east to west six hun dred and eighty feet and from north to south two hundred and seventy-five feet. Let me say in passing that few perhaps are aware of the fact that the only two models of Notifications now used for the purpose of instruction to the west point cadets. One is Fort Wagner and the other Sebastopol The armament of the fort consisted of sin gle ten inch columbiad, one forty-tWo pounder smooth bore, two naval eight inch shell guns, three thirtytwo pounder canonades, two thirtytwo pounder seige Howitzers, two twelve pounder bronze Howitzers and one ten inch mortar, a total of twelve heavy pieces of ordnance. Before sunrise on the 18th of July, 1863, it was plainly ev- ident that the Federals were contempla ting the desperate charge. The moni- tors of the Union fleet opened their deadly fire, pouring into Wagner nine thousand shells, on an average of about twenty per minute. Notwithstanding this rapid and terrible fusilade, we are informed by excellent authority that the fort stood intact, and of it's brave defenders only eight were killed and twenty wounded. General Strong's fighting brigade" was selected to lead the charge on that fateful night It was composed of the Sixth Connecticut Forty eighth New York, Third New Hampshire, Ninth Maine, Seventy-sixth Pennsylvania and battalion of the Seventh Connecticut. It was esteemed a high honor to be one of these picked regiments, but it was an honor that cost many brave man his life. This brigade won its fame in single month of time, during which it fought three famous battles and suffered losses not elsewhere equalled, among the same number of men, in the whole history of the war. The dashing General Strong, its leader losing his life at the head of his gallant men on the parapets of the fort. The Fifty-fourth Massachusetts, colored troops, under the gallant Colo mel Shaw, while not belonging to this brigade, played an important part as subsequent events will prove. Colonel Shaw, so history informs us begged of General Strong the privilege of leading his black troops in the foremost of the rixyt, Ia; ;e Tod that his command was the only free col cred regiment from Massachusetts upon the soil of South Carolina. Colonel Chatfield, of the Sixth Connecticut who was to lead the charge, reluctantly gave his consent to the change. Then fol- lowed a scene which will live among the poges of history as one of heroic action. of the sublimest cause Along the sand hills and beneath the scraggy oaks the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts rested upon their arms. General | Strong, in whispered words, told them their colonePs wishes. Said he: I am | going to put you in front of the chival- ry of South Carolina, and they will pour | iron hail in your faces. Will you de- 1 fend the flag and uphold the common-NI wealth of Massachusetts? And to man, we are told, those sable men, on pended knee and with their right arm | stretched toward heaven said they | would or die in the attempt The att lacking party were silently. but swiftly nassed upon the beach in close columns oy companies. The inky blackness of | he night, relieved only by the lights rom the mortars of the Federal fleet as hey poured into Wagner those terrible missiles of death, the blanched looks md determined attitude of the Union .roops at the gruesome duty before hem, are matters of history which will lot soon be forgotten by those who were in that ghastly struggle. When the order was given to charge, he Federals rushed at a double quick in the vanguard rushed the unfortunate Colonel Shaw, of the Fifty ourth Massachusetts, his long hair waving hehind him as he led his brave roops over the ditch and upon the ram ,artS of the fort, whither they planted heir flag, where their brave leader was killed. The others of the regi- nent could not endure the terrible trife, became panic stricken and acted atller like wild beasts let loose from a Then in startling contrast with the pussilanimity of the black