The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1905-09-14
SOLDIERS STORIES.
ENTERTAINING "REMINISCENCES
OF THE WAR.
Graphic Account Of Stirring Scenes
Witnessed on the Battlefield and I'm
Camp-veterars of the Rebellion Re-

In the same year that the war
closed, Col. w. w. Davis, of the One
Hundred and Fourth Pennsylvania
Regiment furnished some very inter-
esting statements relating to the siege
Of Charleston, which will bear repeat
ing at this day. Indeed, the great
military operations there seen will
never lose any of their interest. Up
to this time they remain the grandest
of their kind ever attempted Parts
OF the story may be briefly told here.
Although the Union forces had OBJ
tanned Judgment upon Morris Island,
Fort Wagner obstinately held out
against several direct assaults, and
General Gilmore decided to lombard
Fort Sumter over Wagner. This was
something entirely new in the war
fare of heavy artillery. General Beau
regard, deemed, perhaps, the first en-
gineer in the old army, assured his
men that Sumter could not be
preached until after Wagner had been
reduced" but Gilmore resolutely went
to work upon the theory Of the re-
nowned Sam Patch, that some things
can be done as well as Others" and
indicated his faith by success. We
read with amazement and admiration
of the labors of the besieging army
in dragging heavy guns through
marshes to get them into position,
the work having to be done by night,
and the pieces covered with brush and
weeds in the daytime, to conceal them
from the enemy. Just one item of this
part of the work will be sufficient to
show its character. A three-hundred-
FOUNDER cannon was moved q dis
lance Of more than a mile through
sand and marsh Three carts were
broken down, and a week required
for this labor By such toll as this,
eight batteries were constructed for
the preaching of Sumter, and a stu
pendous weight of gun-metal mounted
on them. Besides the great piece
named, there were six two-hundred-
Founders, nine acknowledgements
two eighty Whitworths,
two thirty and four twenty-two-pound-
ers, all rified and all PARROTS except
the two Whitworths. 1t is stated that
never before had such weight of
metal been directed against any for
uess in one attack since the art Of
nearest to Sumter was thirty-four
hundred yards and the farthest forty
two hundred and thirty-five yards
away.
Let the reader pause at these amaz-
ing statements and reflect Great
masses of iron weighing three hundred
and two hundred pounds were hurled
at Fort Sumter-and struck it, too.
third miles. 1t makes everything that
had gone before in the way of siege
operations appear small by contrast.
1t was the boast Of the Confede-
rates that Sumter was never given up
until the approach of Sherman's army
in the rear compelled the evacuation
of the city, and that the ruins of the
fort were held by infantry, who sue
cessfully beat off all boat attacks
While this is true, it is also true that
the terrific bombardment by batteries
and iron ships that Sumter was sub
jected to from August II to Septem-
Der 1, 1868, dismounted all its artillery,
and made the place practically a mass
of
offensive purposes. The number Of
solid shot, during this time, poured
upon the place was two thousand one
hundred and sixty-fve; the number Of
percussion shell, four thousand and
eighty-five.
But the marvels of long-range artil-
lery were not exhausted In these bat
teries. 1t remained for the celebrated
Swamp Angel" to cap the climax Of
this species Of warfare. The appro-
pirate name of this battery was due
to the lively fancy Of Sergeant Felter,
of a New York volunteer engineer
regiment. The suggestion for the con-
struction of the battery was made by
Col. E. w. Serrell, who commanded
that regiment. The proposed location
Is described as "almost a mile from
Morris Island, and nearly on a line
between our left batteries and
Charleston, on the edge Of a deep
creek that served as a wet ditch"
Bottom could not be reached with a
pole anywhere in the vicinity short Of
sixteen feet. The engineer lieutenant
who was detailed to do the work,
looked over the ground-or the swamp
and declared that it was impossible
to make foundation in such place
strong enough to support large gun.
Colonel Serrell replied that the plan
was practicable. and that the work
must be done at the point designated
you must make requisition for any
thing you need" he added. Thereupon
the obstinate lieutenant made q for
NAL requisition on the quartermaste-
for lone hundred men eighteen feet
high, to wade through mud sixteen
feet Deep" and he informally called
on surgeon to know If he could
splice the men when furnished. OF
course. the waggish officer was re-
lieved from further duty in building
the battery and placed in arrest, and
the work was done, and thoroughly
done, By those who had faith In the
possibilities of the situation The