Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1906-12-22
OVERCOMING OBSTACLES.
With serreIps Swamp
AngeI-Mud 20 Feet Deep.

mere are several men IN Cn1cdSO,
said the captain, in talking with an
Inter Ocean reporter, who had per-
sonal acquaintance with the Swamp
Angel in front of Charleston in the
summer of 1863. When General Gill
more's division, $4,000 strong. effected
a 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 E. 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
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 Serrel1 and Lieutenant
Nathan NJ. 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 go down.
in the ooze again.
"They went down 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 p1ucky 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 a battery.
cit 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 a battery at that point
from which shot and shell could be
hurled into Charleston. His first plan
involved the construction of trestle
work road and the employment of
1900 men to carry to the point in one
night sand bags enough to make an
island on which could be placed
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 $500 men carrying sand bags
all night they regarded as a great
| joke. In fact, they looked upon the
whole scheme as a joke.
cat one camp fire a requisition on
Colonel Serrell was made out for 20
men, Is feet long, to do duty in Is feet
of mud. If the gossip about the camp
fires meant anything at all, it meant
| that the men of General Gillmore's
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
were as eager to proceed with the
work as the general aud his staff.
1.-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.
| 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
2OO-pound PARROT gun was put into
position.
"All these operations, it 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
Isbut which, in fact, was structure put
up to draw their fire. Meantime, the
men kept at work behind the sand
bags on the real battery, and at 1: sc
a. M, August %, the big Parrott gun
opened fire on Charleston, putting 16
shells, constructed under the direct
personal supervision of Colonel Par
rott himself, into Charleston. The
next day, August %, 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 a man in the
fort A month later 10-inch howitzer.
were placed in the swamp fort for the
bombardment of Charleston and For
Sumter The Swamp Angel itself wa.
sold for old iron and sent to Trenton