Perth Amboy evening news., 1911-08-10
ANNIVERSARY
OF ENGINEERS
Staten Island Will Entertain
New York Regiment.

The fftieth anniversary Of the
First Regiment Of New York Engi-
neers will be held at the residence of
Counselor Arthur Won Bresen, New
York avenue, Fort Wadsworth. Stat
en- Island. on Wednesday, October 4.
Counselor Won Briesen served as q
sergeant In that noted regiment, and
the survivors and their friends will
be his guests on that occasion.
The First New York Engineers
was mustered into the service Of the
/ United States on October 4, 1881,
and as fast as recruited the men were
quartered in barracks at Camp
Washington, the grounds now OccU-
pied by the Rapid Transit railroad at
st. George. Five companies went
with the expedition to Hilton Head
in November. the other seven compa-
MES following as fast as their ranks
were filled.
This was the only regiment in the
Union Army recruited and enlisted
exclusively as an engineer organiza-
ton, and it rendered very valuable
service in the Department Of the
South from 1861 to 1864, and in Viz
ginia from May, 1854, to July, 1865.
It was under the command Of Colonel
Edward W. Serrell, an eminent civil,
railroad and military engineer. IN
all the operations of the army from
Pulaski to Sumter, in the Depart
mcnt Of the South, and Petersburg,
Bermuda Hundred and Richmond,
the regiment filled an important part
under Colonel Serrell, who remained
its commander until the spring of
1865, when he resigned, and was
succeeded by Lieutenant Colonel
James F. Hall. The regiment was
mustered out July 3, 1865, at New
York city.
Story OF "Swamp Angel"
Colonel SerrelI was promoted to
brigadier-general, and became chief
engineer on the staff Of General Gill
more. The story of his service in
Charleston harbor, in such capacity,
makes one Of the most interesting
narratives in the history Of the Civil
War.
The story Of "Gfllmore's Swamp
Angel" the gun that poured screech-
ing missiles into the city of Charles
ton, must be of interest to the read
ers of this paper. The ''messeng gers
from the masked battery in tho
marsh. the accuracy of the gunners,
and the various incidents of the can
nonading are still remembered by
many people, not only in Charleston,
but also Ia every part of the country.
1t was General Serrell who practical
Ily managed the siege.
One calm night in August, 1853, a
strange noise was heard in the air.
It was q noise that some people had
Uecome familiar with; but one that
70 the women and children in
Charleston was entirely unknown
/ some people compared It to the blast
of The last trump, others to the how.
OF the hyena aud others to the con
centrated noise Of ten thousand loco
motives rushing through a tunnel IL
the air and condensed into a scream
Of the most narrowing fntsnSity~s
1t was the first Swamp Antel ne.
senger sent into Charleston by Gen
eral Gilmore. The Waterman at st
Michael's steeple sounded the alarm
and the fremen and other people
hurried out to the scene. The shell
came from a masked battery which
Colonel Serrell had erected in the
marsh at the extreme south end of
Morris Island, and on the southern
borders Of the creek which separates
Morris from Folly Island. In a
straight line 1t was over five miles
distant from the city. The battery
had been constructed under the
greatest difficulties, and in what was
considered an impossible place. The
idea of a gun throwing a |pro1ectile a
| IicT0 nan nf Er-S n1s1ac nod MT n+ +IaT
time penetrated the minds of the
average public, and the arrival of the
first messenger" from the Swamp
Angel was as unexpected as j: was
unpleasant.
"Swamp Angels" Last Shot
The battery was the famou=
Swamp Angel. 1t consisted of a
single eight-inch Parrot rife, mount
ed in the marsh and surrounded by
an earth-work of circular shape. It
burst at the thirty-sixth round, and
that was the end Of the Swamp Angel
proper. After this the commandment
was directed from the batteries on
Morris Island. 1t is said that the
elevation Of the guns was so great
that they could only be used to fire
a half dozen times, and as a matter
of fact the people who remained in
Charleston during the bombardment
became so accustomed to the sound
that they could tell when a gun had
burst
General Gillmore's gunners soon
attained a wonderful accuracy in
firing their guns. 1t was said that
the Swamp Angel shells were loaded
with Greek fire." but this was never
verified, Fires frequently occurred.
and the fremen always promptly
turned out, taking the chances of the
shells. A fire at night invariably
awoke the Swamp Angel to renewed
activity. The shells were sent in
generally at an average rate of one
every fifteen or twenty minutes. De-
ca~sionally when a gun would burst
there would be a suspension Of oper-
atoms at the Swamp Angel end of
the line, sometimes for several days.
This invariably followed a fire in the
city. The light from the blaze would
give the gunners at the Swamp Angel
a good mark. and they would fire
more rapidly, which probably cost
them several guns, and then the
people Of Charleston would have to
rest until the burst guns were re-
placed,
Accuracy of the Gunners.
The accuracy which the Swamp
Angel gunners attained was remark
able. On one occasion the buildings
on Browns wharf were fired during