The Savannah morning news., 1902-01-28
TWIGGS AT FORT WAGNER.
High Praise From Soldiers Pen for
Gala ntry in the Fight.

|
teresting account of the attack upon
Battery Wagner, one Of the forts
guarding, during the War Between the
States, the approaches to the harbor
of Charleston, is contributed to the
current number of the Confederate
Veteran by Col. Henry D. Capers. Thee
article turns principally upon the gal
lantry displayed on that occasion by
Judge H. D. D. Twiggs of Savannah.
Col. Caper writes:
The memorable siege and defense of
Charleston, S. c.. from its commence
ment in June, 1868, to the evacuation
of that city by the Confederate forces
in February, 1865 presents one of the
most interesting records in the annals
of war. In all the details of this he
roic defense, in all that fully illustrates
the devotion of the patriot garrison, in
the many incidents of superb courage,
heroic discharge of duty, manly en-
dUrance and personal gallantry, there
can be found no record superior TO
that made in the defense of Forts
Wagner and Sumter the outposts Of
the devoted city. Permit me to de-
scribe a single incident which will, in
a measure, give some idea of the en-
which made every day and every hour
of the siege of Fort Wagner one of
the most brilliant, as it certainly was
one of the most terrific, experiences of
the War Between the States
I'm the month of August L received
orders at my camp, near Savannah,
| Ga, to report without delay to Cen
Beauregard at Charleston with my gal
liant comrades of the Twelfth Georgia
Battalion of Artillery. On reaching the
city we were ordered to report to the
officer commanding at Fort Wagner,
on Morris Island, the extreme outpost
on the sea front of the city and six
miles therefrom.
The incident referred to will illus
trate the ordeal the garrison at Fort
| wagner passed through and endured
more than a year. At the time of this
occurrence the fort was in command
of Brig. Gen. w. b. Taliaferro a typ
ical Virginia knight Sans peur ct sans
reproche.' July Is, 1868, will long be
remembered as one of the most noted
and terrible bombardments known to
history. 1t was followed by an as
sault at sunset unsurpassed for its
gallantry and fury. With the first
dawn of day the large fleet of the en-
| emys monitors, battleships, and their
Ajax of floating batteries, the renowned
| Ironsides, steamed close in and took
position in the sea front of Wagner.
Before the sun had sent one cheering
beam to brighten the gloom of this
| foggy morning, there came an eleven
inch shell from the Ironsides, the sig
nal shot for the terrific bombardments
refererd to. Think of the guns from
five monitors. guns of the heaviest call
iber, whose fifteen-inch shells were eX-
ploding every few seconds over, against
and within the parapet walls of a bas-
toned earthwork that did not occupy
the area of two acres; add to this the
steady fire of the IronsideS, with her
immense batteries of eleven-inch guns,
six on each side, and 1one each in the
bow and stern; to this add the accur
ate fire from two sloops, carrying bat
teries of two hundred pound rifle guns,
and of FIVE land batteries constructed
on the island with % heaviest mod
| ern ornaments, within LOO yards
of Wagner, and the reader may have
some idea of the Internal rain of
death dealing shot and shell that fell
upon the fort on that long and mem
orable day. There were some vivid il
lustra tions. A small redbird was
found at the close of the bOmbardment
with wing torn from its body as it
flew across the terreplein of the fort,
and again three men who volunteered
to draw a bucket of water from a shall
low WELL not more than twenty feet
distant from the entrance of the bomb
|
they reached the well. Late in the
afternoon, in the midst of this terrific
fire, it became necessary to ascertain
the movement of the Federal troops
in front of the fort and within the en-
emy's Notifications. A large body OF
their infantry, who were known to be
formed behind the hills, had been or
dered to assault Wagner as soon as
the bombardment ceased and, as the
Federal general supposed, the fort
would be practically dismantled, and
what was left of the garrison democrat
lied by the bombardment AS it was
growing late, and the critical time ap-
preaching for the deadly assault, which
was afterwards made, it became nee
essary (for the safety of the garrison)
to learn whether the forward move
| ment on the part of the assaulting col
| umn had commenced. Gen. Taliaferro
| communicated his anxiety to the MEM
bers of his staff grouped about him in
| the bombproof, but hesitated to desig-
nate an officer to discharge this peril
| Gus duty.
Mai H. D. D. Twiggs then attach
ed to the generals staff as inspector
general (afterward lieutenant colonel of
| his regiment and now Judge Twiggs,
of Savannah), handsome and gallant
| representative of chivalrous family,
| quietly stepped in front of his chief,
| volunteered to leave the bombproof,
| to ascend the parapet, and make the
| necessary observation. / saw him
| when he left us, and l felt then, as
| did Others that it would be the last
| service that Twiggs would render for
his country. l noticed Gen. Talia-
| ferro standing near the entrance OF
| the bombproof with the greatest solic-
| itude depicted on his face, and could
see from the movement of his lips
| that he was asking the intervention of
Divine Providence in behalf of his gall
liant staff officer. With the utmost
! GOODNESS Mai. Twiggs passed out into
| the exposed and open area, needless
Of the storm of death falling all
| around him, reached the Darapet of
| the fort assembled it to its very sum-
nit. and standing there midst the
bursting shells, flashing and thunder
| ing above and around him. he delib-
erately raised his field glasses and sur
| veyed the enemy's batteries and sur
rounding sand hills, with apparently
| as much self-possession as If he were
| i'm an opera house and looking at the
| form and features of prima donna.
| He had not remained in that position
more than one minute when a fifteen
| inch shell descended almost vertically,
| striking the parapet within two feet
| in front of him. and. burying itself In
| the earth, exploded with terrific force.
| Instantly with a great cloud OF earth
and sand. Mai. Twiggs was thrown
up into the air six or eight feet, and