Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1903-11-27

Beauregard, the Confederate COM
mander in Charleston. He had picked
up little knowledge of Federal sig
mails by studying the signal flags taken
from the wreck of the ironclud Keo-
kuk, and his companion captive little
suspected the fact that he was being
duped. What the aid learned was soon
shared. with the Confederate signal
men in the harbor, and there were no
secrets in the Federal fleet or camps
which did not so astray II trusted to
signals
After reading the signal the Chicora
steamed up beside Fort Sumter apd
anchored. The garrison took their sta
lions and waited from 10 O'Clock until
II, when they were rewarded by
sounds Of oars approaching. When the
muffled sounds of the oars indicated
that the boats were within 100 yards
the rocket was fired, the Chicora
opened with canister and Drummond
light blazed out on the pafapet. bring,
ing the boats into full view.
A boat from the Powhatan, COM
manded by Lieutenant e. p. Williams,
and one filled with marines under Lieu
tenant G. H. Bradford got the lead in
the rush and made land. The Confed-
crate guns across the channel as we'll
as those on the Chicora showered the
boats and the narrow beach around the
fort with canister and shells. The boats
which landed were quickly smashed
with shot or by bricks thrown on them
from the walls. The sailors and ma
rines started to climb the walls where
Federal shells had preached them dur
ing the bombardment, but the enemy
knocked them down with hand gre
nades, bricks and fireballs.
The Confederates continually hailed
the assailants to surrender. Williams
defantly refused, but Lieutenant Brad
ford was mortally wounded in landing
and some Of his men called out that
they surrendered. The Confaderutes
ordered Bradford's men to pass around
to breach in the walls and come In
side. In doing so they passed through
Williams men, and the lieutenant Or
dered them to stay outside. Incensed
at that the enemy redoubled their eff
forts to conquer the party. and seeing
that he would lose the last man in
hopeless fight Williams surrendered.
The Confederates captured thirteen Of
ficers and 102 men. The spoils were
four boats and three flags. one of the
standards being the flag hauled down
by Major Anderson In 1861. In antici-
patton of the recapture of Sumter the
original flag had been intrusted to the
feet to replace over the fort Among
the lieutenants In the affair were Remey
and F. w. Bunce, both of whom later
rose to the rank Of admiral.
Admiral Dahlgren watched the move
ment from a boat in the distance, and
he said that "Moultrie fired like q devil,
the shells breaking around me and
screaming in chorus" If 1t was hot
for him it was still hotter where shells
were supplemented with canister and
hand grenades. 1t was the navy's only
attempt to storm the fort, but the army
tried 1t later and retired after drawing
the fire of the garrison. On the 9Th of
September the army troops did not
leave their boats, but lay by waiting to
see how the navy detachment Jared.
General Beauregard said that the
garrison in Sumter stood by the guns
the night of the attack with the lock
strings In hand. He said that the sud-
dennoss Of the fire and its rapidly pre-
vented the capture Of Stevens entire
forco-.for had they been allowed to
land before the guns. opened they would
all have shared the fate of Williams
men. The Confederates in Fort Sumter