The Washington herald., 1914-02-04
THE WAR DAY BY DAY
Fifty Years Ago.
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/ mittents fire throughout the summer and
early autumn increasing II as winter sp-
preached. -
BY this time the, inhabitants of the city
had become more or less Indifferent to
the shells. and had learned to wafch for
them and to attempt to dodge them. While
there had been much damage to property.
but nve deaths had resulted from the
bombardment up to January ]. Three of
these had been women.
On Christmas Day fire was started
by shell and while the fremen were
fighting II another shell exploded in the
burning building, woundinE q fireman, q
policeman. and four soldiers.
A careful count of the buildings that
had been struck up to January 6. 1854,
showed that they numbered 13s, eighty
five Of which had been much injured and
forfy-one only slightly.
Some strange tales were told of the
effects of shells One entered lofty
warehouse on East Bay street and. strik-
ing the timbers of the roof at a certain
angle, unroofed the building.
A shell exploding In a church between
the roof and the ceiling made fifteen aper-
lures of different sizes in the ceiling. de-
molished a bronze chandelier over the
pulpit. broke the reading desk. split the
communion table. and demolished two or
three pews-
In another church a shell tore open the
Bible upon the pulpit, leaving a leaf open
upon which a jealous searcher found the
words: AN enemy hath done this" A
shell entering the Second Presbyterian
Church on Charlotte street so damaged 1t
that 1t was feared the structure would
fall.
AT later period in the bombardment
some strange fatalities were reported
A fragment of shell entered a barber's
shop and took OF the head of a negro
at work there. A negro ran into an
alley on hearing a shell and crouched
behind a door. The shell struck the
door and killed him. A shell struck a
house. penetrated a chamber in which
a man and his wife were asleep and
extingufshed the life OF bfh at the
same instant.
In a house on Queen etreet a woman
was sleeping in her bed when a shell
came through the roof. grazed her out
stretched arm and then went through
the floor into the cellar.
People AEed by Nervous Strain.
So much did the Inhabitants become
hardened to the danger OF the lombard
ment that as it proceeded the boys Of
the city watched for the shells in order
that they might pick up the fragments
and sell them for old iron. Many of
the shells did not explode and these
were dug out of the ground.
Yet there was a pervous strain upon
the people that told its story in their
faces.
Its effect was noted in this language:
Never have seen men grow old SO
fast as the inhabitants of Charleston
from the time the shelling Of the city
Heads which were Of raven
blackness became silvered with gray
during the interval OF only few months
Boys looked like old men and old men
speedily dropped away and died.
The life and business Of the city had
retreated gradually before the shrieking
Federal messengers of death into a zone
beyond range. While in the downtown
streets mot only grass. but bushes had
sprung up. the upper section Of the city
was crowded.
The business Of the place was conduct
ed in a few squares above Calhoun street
and along the Ashley River. This was
not heavy. The only event that con-
nected the city with the outside world
was the arrival of a daily train from
the North, that brought little except
military supplies, or the more rare ap-
pearance of a blockade runner at one Of
the city wharves.
The blockade was growing tighter and
tighter, and prices in the markets were
daily higher.
Yet neither the blockade nor the Fed
eral bombardment was to lead to the
fall Of Charleston. It was destined to