Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1906-12-14
OVERCOMING OBSTACLES.
Acquaintance With Serrcll's Swamp
Angcl--Mud 20 Feet Deep.

sonal acquaintance with the Swamp
, Angel in front of Charleston in the
summer of 1868. When General Gill
more's division, 10000 strong, effected
Judgement on Morris island, and,
after an assault on Fort Wagner be.
gan the construction of siege works,
the boys believed that General Gill
more and Colonel II. w. Serrell, his
chief engineer, sat up nights to find
something for them to do. At all
events, the general. and his STAFF
seemed very busy in making plans
that gave the men lots of work.
"They knew when Gilmore sent
Lieutenant Peter S. Niche, of the
United States engineers, to examine
the marsh or swamp. They heard a
good deal about what he said of plac-
ing batteries in that swamp, but they
did not believe that any batteries
could be placed there. They knew
when Colonel Serrell and Lieutenant
! Nathan M. Edwards started across
| the swamp on a prospecting eXpedi-
ton, and they rejoiced greatly at the
mishaps of the two busybodies, as
they called them. Serrell and Ed
wards carried with them a 14-foot
plank, and when the mud or ooze in
the swamp would not bear them, they
sat on the plank and pushed it for
ward between their legs. Then, where
the ground was more solid, they
picked up the muddy plank and car
ried it until they began to so down
in the ooze again.
"They went down a good many
times. but all the time they kept go.
ing forward. All their maneuvers
were observable by both armies and
our own men hooted and cheered and
laughed over the mishaps and adven-
lures of the two plucky men. They
were as dirty a looking couple when
they returned to solid ground as any
of us had ever seen, but they reported
that they had found what they were
sent out to find, and that was a site
for battery
ut became noised about that Colo
mel Serrell had found one spot in the
marsh where mud was not more than
Is or 20 feet deep and that he had
reported to General Gilmore that he
could build battery at that point
from which shot and shell could be
hurled into Charleston. His first plan
involved the construction of a trestle
work road and the employment Of
$500 men to carry to the point in one
night sand bags enough to make an
island on which could be placed a
heavy siege gun which was to be
dragged across a causeway after the
manner of Napoleon. They took the
whole question under advisement. The
idea of 1900 men carrying %and bags
all night they regarded as great
joke. In fact, they locked upon the
whole scheme as a joke.
'At one camp fre a requisition on
Colonel Serrell was made out for 20
men, is feet long, to do duty in 15 feet
of mud. If the gossip about the camp
fires meant anything at all, it meant
that the men Of General Gillmores
army thought the general and his
chief engineer was crazy. But when
it was made clear to them that the
point was chosen to throw shot and
shell into Charleston itself. they
we're as eager to proceed with the
work as the general and his staff.
THE site was chosen about the
middle of July. About the first of
August the plan was matured, and
work was begun on the trestle road.
This was two and one-half miles long,
and was completed in about a week.
Then $4,000 sand bags, containing
over 500 tons of sand, were carried
by those devoted men to the point
fixed upon for the swamp battery.
On the 18th of August the island, or
battery, was ready for the gun, and a
200-pound Parrott gun was put into
position.
"All these operations, 1t must be
remembered, were observable by the
enemy and several of the rebel forts
! turned all their guns on what they
supposed was the real swamp battery,
but which, in fact, was a structure put
up to draw their fire. Meantime, the
men kept at work behind the sand
bags on the real battery, and at 1870
a. M, August %, the big Parrott gun
opened fire on Charleston, putting 1G
shells, constructed under the direct
personal supervision of Colonel Par.
rott himself, into Charleston. The
next day, August 2S, 20 shells were
thrown into the city, but at the thirty
sixth discharge of the Swamp Angel
the breech of the gun blew out of its
Jacket and the gun itself was thrown
forward on the parapet.
For days and days the rebel ar
tillerists, believing the gun was
thrown forward to fire on Charleston
bombarded it, but they effected nc
injury and did not kill man in the
fort. A month later 10-inch howitzers
were placed in the swamp fort for the
bombardment of Charleston and Fort
Sumter The Swamp Angel itself was
sold for old iron and sent to Trenton
N. j. There, however. it was identi
fed, rescued from the scrap pile, giver