The Washington herald., 1915-02-21
FEDERAL TROOPS OCCUPY
CITY OF CHARLESTON, sc.
February Is.
February IL.

THtN years ago To-Day the city oil
Charleston. S. G.. which had been evac.
uated by the Confederates the night be.
fore. was occupied by the Federals. who
| had fruitlessly besieged ii for two years
The coming of Gen. Sherman's army
in the rear-Columbia. the State capital
100 miles northwest, had been occupied
by the Federals on February 17-had
forced Charleston's defenders to relin.
quish their hold upon the place.
Gen. W. II. Hardee. who after a re-
| treat from Savannah i'm December. had
gone TO Charleston. had under him about
1900 men. With this force he could have
put up stiff defense even in the IA &c
Of an attack by Sherman. but his army
eventually would have been forced to sur
render. Hardee's force would be OF more
use in the field. as early as February
u. when il was realized that Sherman
must take Columbia. preparations were
made for the withdrawal from Charles
ton.
sumter Evacuated.
On February 10 Capt Thomas A. HUI
guenn, commander of Fort Sumter in
Charleston Harbor, was ordered by Gen.
Hardee to prepare to evacuate his post
That night all the baggage of the Off
GERS and a force of laborers who had
been at work on the fort were sent off
to the city.
In order To conceal the proposed with
drawal from the Federais. who were
watching and bomba riding the place night
and day from their batteries on Morris
Island. at the entrance to the harbor. the
regular routine was observed at Sumter
during the day OF the 18th At sunrise
new battle flag was run up upon the
stan, and at sunset was lowered to the
sound of the evening gun-the last Con-
feuprafp cannon he fired from sum-
ters walls.
At dusk all the usual preparations to
repel a night attack were taken. Wire
entanglements and brstling pixies were
placed to protect the practicable parts of
tho gorge and sea face. and the light
howitzerS were run forward as II to meet
Federal boat attack. Then. after
dark. the garrison of about 800 men. COM
prising two companies of the First South
Carolina Regulars and three companies
of the Thirty-second Georgia Volunteers
bade silent farewell to the historic old
fort. boarded launches. and went to join
their already retreatng comrades within
the city.
In the meantime Gen. Hardee had sent
away as much Of his ammunition and
supplies as was practicable for him to
move. Cannon had been withdrawn from
advanced points Rising smoke told of
burning warehouses.
Jefferson Davis had given express or
ders that the cotton within the city should
be destroyed. Therefore. Gen. Hardee.
after putting the bulk of his troops In
motion. ordered his rear guard to roll
the cotton out of the storage houses and
burn it. This was done. The burning
cotton. piled high in the streets. soon set
fire to adjacent buildings. and in the late
hours OF the night the city was afire in
many places
Citizens and soldiers struggled to COM
bat the flames. but it was we'll into the
day before they were subdued. BY that
time about sixth of the city. mostly the
lower business section. was destroyed.
Flag Raised Over Sumter.
All the little signs of withdrawal had
not gone unnoticed by the Federals, and
in the night of February II they be-
stirred themselves to unusual activity. A
terrific bombardment. one Of the heaviest
of the siege. was rained upon the forts
and works around Charleston and upon
the batteries that marked the lower wa
ter front Of the town.
When the flames arose within the city
and it seemed positive that the Con-
federates were abandoning 1t. some Of
the gunners turned their pieces upon the
place and dropped shot after shot into
the blazing areas. This. no doubt. con-
tributed to the spread of the flames.
When morning dawned the Federals
saw that the Confederates had failed to
withdraw their brass howitzers from the
ramparts Of Sumter and knew that the
place had been abandoned. According
to unofficial accounts, two boats set out
for the goal. one from Federal monitor
Off the bar and another from one Of the
on Morris Island.
Conditions favored the landsmen. and,
after a tight race. Lieut.. John Hacket.
Of Company NJ. Third Rhode Island
Heavy Artillery. clambered into the de-
serted fort and mounted the rampant A
few minutes later, about . O'Clock. the
Stars and Stripes new over Sumter. the
first time since Anderson was forced to
capitulate in April. 1851. The nag was
raised by Maj. John A. Hennessy, Of the
Pennsylvania Regiment.
BY this time other parties Of Federals
had taken to boats and were rowing
toward the inner harbor. Lieut. Col
Augustus G. Bennett. Of the Twenty
first United States colored troops. in COM
mand at Morris Island. was first to land
Touching ut Mills Wharf. he sent form
II demand for surrender to Mayor Charles
Macbeth.
No attempt to advance into the city |
was made. for Col Bennett had with him |
,nly four or five officers and twenty two !
men.
AT that hour Charleston was still In }