The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1915-06-10
SAW SUMTER BOMB:ARBMENT.
Iu!icc Lieutenant Tells OF First Bat
tie oI the War.

H.. Bai; ..O.e .>ewS OF Wednes-
day, April y. publishes the follow
: ing interesting account OF the bonn
Dardment of Fort Sumter, as seen by
Frederick 7. Crate. who took Part in
, battle and who is now lieutenant
OF police in the Maryland metropo-
lis. His statement that the signal
gun which opened the bombardment
OF the tort was fired on Mount Pleas
ant differs from those of others who
! TOOK part in the engagement and
VINO assert that the signal came from
James Island. Lieut. Crate is quoi-
! ed as follows:
AT the age OF l9 ! enlisted in the
Confederate army at Baltimore,
March is. 1861, and was Immediate
ly sent to Charleston. S. c., for duty.
Upon my arrival there | was detailed
to duty on the lightship at Rattle
snake Shoals, Cooper River, and
Wappoo Cut. After being on the
ship several days was promoted to
sergeant and placed in command of
the ship. My duties were to block
ade the boats going in and out of
Charleston harbor. | was relieved
from duty on the lightship several
days before the firing upon Fort
Sumter and placed on what was then
termed a floating battery at John S
Island. The battery was a small
scow, which was constructed on the
scale of fort. 1t was manned by
about 100 men and several large
cannon. There wer several of these
floating batteries in the harbor. hav-
ing been placed there by Gen. P. G..
T. Beaureguard preparatory to the
attack upon the fort.
Beaureguard Ordered Firing.
"On the day of April II, 1861, or
ders came from Gen. Beaureguard
for the batteries to be prepared for
action at a moments notice, and to
start firing at Fort Sumter when a
cannon was fired from Mount Pleas
ant, on Sullivan's Island, a short dis
tance away. When this order was
circulated among the forces it Great
ed much excitement among the men.
All during that day the cannon were
swabbed, cleaned and loaded ready
for action, and when nightfall arriv-
ed none of the men went to sleep.
They were too much excited to sleep
and sat in their quarters wide awake
, during the entire night awaiting sig
nal to open fire.
AT o'clock, April II, the signal
! came There was a blue fash on
Mount Pleasant, followed by the
deafening roar of gun, and the
bombardment was on.
Fire Not Returned.
Major Anderson, who was in COM
mand of Sumter, did not return the
fire until 6 o'clock The darkness of
the night hampered the fire of the
Confederate forces to great extent,
. but when the day broke they got the
range and threw a deadly volley Of
shrapnel and shell into Fort Sumter.
Major Anderson, while he was fired
upon from all sides, fought a gallant
battle. He refused to surrender. and
fought throughout the entire day and
night, but was forced to surrender
April 13, at u o'clock, and leave the
fort. Gen. Beaureguard, in consider
alton of his noble stand, allowed Ma
jor Anderson to leave the fort with
side arms.
After the surrender of Fort Sum-
ter was placed in the fort, where l
remained several months, until was
transferred to a neighboring post, on
James Island. Anderson, in his de-
fence of the fort, had reinforced the
walls with palmetto wood, on which
our shells had very little effect.
Later | was transferred from the
James Island battery and placed in
a company at Fort Moultrie. After
being there for some time l was
transferred to Morris Island Battery.
While stationed there our battery
was attacked by Gen. Sherman dur
ing his march to the sea-. We were
defeated and driven back on James
, Island, where | was made prisoner
of war and taken to Hilton Head.
There / was held prisoner until
after the close of the war, when
shipped on tramp steamer and
went to New York from where /
| came to Baltimore"