GILLMORE AND DAHLGREN TAKE COMMAND. Capt. John Rodgers, in the Weehawken, had been several days in Warsaw sound ere the Atlanta made her appearance. At length, just after daylight," he espied her emerging from Wilmington river, with the Rebel flag defiantly exalted. Perceiving his approach, the Atlanta sent him a ball, then halted to await his coming. The Rebel tenders, it was said, had only come down to tow up the prizes, leaving the Atlanta at liberty to pursue her victorious career: their decks being crowded with ladies, who had voyaged from Savannah to enjoy the spectacle and exult over the victory. But there was not much of a fight certainly not a long one. Rodgers disdained to answer the Rebel's fire till he had shortened the intervening distance to 300 yards; when, sighting his 15-inch gun, he struck and shivered the shutter of one of her port-holes, with the iron and wood-work adjacent. Loading and sighting again, he fired and struck her iron pilot-house; carrying it away bodily, and severely wounding two of her three pilots. His next shot grazed the wreck of what had been the pilot-house; his fifth, fired at 100 yards' distance, smashed through her side, bending in her four inches of iron armor, shivering eight inches of plank, killing one and wounding 13 of her gunners; passing through and falling into the water. Hereupon, the Rebel flag came down and a white one went up; just 26 minutes after Rodgers first descried his antagonist; and 15 after she had opened the battle. Her consorts slunk away unharmed; their passengers returning to advise their fellow 47 June 17, 1863. 473 citizens that raising the siege of Charleston was not so easy a task as they had fondly supposed it. The Atlanta, it now appeared, had grounded, broadside to, just as she began the fight, but had nevertheless fired briskly and harmlessly to the end of it. She had 4 large guns and 165 men. Gen. Quincy A. Gillmore having relieved Gen. Hunter," as Com. Dahlgren soon after relieved" Com. Dupont, movements were at once set on foot looking to systematic operations against Fort Sumter and Charleston. To a comprehension of these movements, a preliminary glance at the situation seems necessary. Gen. Gillmore found in the Department of the South a total force of 17,463 officers and soldiers-the most of them veterans of approved quality, in good part brought thither by Foster. Considering the naval cooperation that might at all times be counted on, his real force must, for all purposes except that of a determined advance into the heart of the enemy's territory, have been fully equal to 20,000 men. For defense, against any but a sudden attack or surprise, it was hardly less than 25,000. But he had so many posts to hold in a hostile region, and such an extensive line (250 miles) to picket, that 11,000 was the very utmost that he could venture to concentrate for any offensive purpose that might not be consummated within a few days at farthest. And he had, apart from the navy, 96 heavy guns (all serviceable but 12 13-inch mortars, which proved too large, and were left unused), with an abundance of munitions, engineering tools, &c. He found our forces in quiet possession of nearly or quite all the Sea islands west of the Stono, with Seabrook and Folly islands, east of that inlet. Our pickets still-as on the day of Dupont's attack-confronted those of the enemy across Lighthouse inlet, which separates these from Morris island. Gillmore's plan of operations carefully matured before he entered upon his command-contemplated a descent by surprise on the south end of Morris island-well known to be strongly fortified and held-which, being taken, was to be firmly held as a base for operations against Fort Wagner, a strong and heavily armed earthwork at the north end of that island, 2,600 yards from Fort Sumter, held by a strong garrison under Col. Lawrence M. Keitt. This carried, the less formidable earthwork at Cumming's Point, on the extreme north, must fall, enabling us to plant batteries within a mile of Sumter, and within extreme shelling distance of Charleston itself. Thus, even prior to the reduction of Sumter, it was calculated that our iron-clads might pass that fortress, remove the channel obstructions, run the batteries on James and Sullivan's islands, and go up to the city. To distract the enemy's attention and prevent a concentration of forces from a distance to resist our establishment on Morris island-which Gillmore regarded as the most critical point in his programme-Gen. A. H. Terry was sent up the Stono to make a demonstration on James island; while Col. Higginson, steaming up the Edisto, was to make a fresh attempt to cut the railroad, so as to prevent the recep tion of rëenforcements from Savannah. Save as a distraction of the enemy, this latter movement proved a failure. Col. Higginson, with 300 men and 3 guns, on the gunboat John Adams and two transports, pushed" up the Edisto, making an opening through a row of piles at Wiltown, to within two miles of the railroad bridge; but he was so long detained here as to lose the tide; so that the two transports, going farther up, repeatedly grounded, and found the bridge defended by a 6-gun battery, whereby Higginson was worsted and beaten off; being compelled to burn the tug Gov. Milton, as she could not be floated. He balanced the account by bringing off 200 negroes. Terry's movement was successful, not only in calling off the enemy's attention from the real point of danger, but in drawing away a portion of their forces from Morris island, where they were needed, to James island, where they were not. Folly island-a long, narrow beach or sand-spit, skirting the Atlantic ocean south of the entrance to Charleston inner harbor-is, like most of the adjacent islands, barely elevated above the sea-level, and in part flooded by the highest tides. Though naked for half a mile toward the north end, it is, for the most part, densely wooded; and ridges of sand, covered by a thick screen of forest and underbrush along Lighthouse inlet, effectually shield it from observation from Morris island. Here Saxton found Gen. Vogdes firmly posted, alert and vigilant, and gradually, circumspectly strengthened him without attracting hostile observation 50 July 10. GEN. STRONG ESTABLISHED ON MORRIS ISLAND. till he had 47 guns in battery within speaking distance of the Rebel pickets, with 200 rounds of ammunition and all necessary appliances for each -the Rebel batteries right in his front being intent on destroying a blockade-runner which had been chased aground by our cruisers just south of the entrance to Lighthouse inlet. Meantime, Gen. Terry's division,4,000 strong, and Gen. Strong's brigade of 2,500, were quietly transferred to Folly island, under the cover of darkness, and kept out of sight, while Vogdes made a great parade of strengthening his defenses as though he apprehended an attack. At length, all being ready, Gen. Terry, with 3,800 men, was conveyed" up the Stono, and menaced the Rebel works on the south end of James island; while 2,000 men, under Gen. Strong, were silently embarked" on small boats in Folly river, and rowed stealthily to the junction of Lighthouse inlet; where they were halted, behind a screen of marsh-grass, while Vogdes's batteries on the north end of Folly island broke, at daylight," the slumbers of the unsuspecting foe. Dahlgren's iron-clads, Catskill, Montauk, Nahant, and Weehawken, forthwith opened a cross-fire, which they maintained throughout the day; addressing their civilities for the most part to the tranquilizing of Fort Wagner. After two hours' cannonade, Gen. Strong threw his men ashore, disregarding a hot fire of Rebel artillery and musketry, and, by 9 A. M., we had carried all the enemy's batteries on the south end of Morris island, and held three-fourths of that island firmly, with our skirmishers pushed 61 July 8, P. M. 52 475 up to within musket-shot of Fort Wagner. The intense heat and the exhaustion of our soldiers, who had been under arms all night, here arrested operations for the day. Eleven heavy guns, with much camp equipage, were the main trophies of our success. Next morning, at 5, Gen. Strong led his men to an assault on Fort Wagner, whereof they reached the parapet; but were here met by so withering a fire that they recoiled, with but moderate loss. Thus far, our casualties on this island were 150; those of the Rebels were officially reported by Beauregard at 300. Convinced by this failure that the fortress was very much stronger than it had been supposed, and could only be taken by regular approaches, Gillmore now sat down before it, in full view of the fact that the enemy could concentrate here at any time a force far larger than that which assailed them. But the narrowness of the island, while it constrained the besiegers to work directly and constantly under the fire of the fort, precluded flanking sallies, and rendered an accumulation here of force by the enemy of little practical account. And, beside, every offensive movement on their part must be made under the enfilading fire of our gunboats; which constantly aided to shield our working parties from a fusillade that, destructive at best, would else have been insupportable. Evening of July 9. General Terry, on James island, was attacked at daybreak" by a more numerous Rebel force of Georgians, just arrived from Virginia, who, expecting to surprise him, advanced rapidly, driving in the 54th "July 10. July 16. Mass., then on picket duty; but they bomb-proof substantially unharmed: returning, for appearance's sake, perhaps one shot for every five hundred hurled at them, but reserving their strength and their iron for the sterner ordeal which they felt to be at hand. and thither, perfected their dispositions for the pending assault. As the day declined, the roar of our great guns, no longer incessant, was renewed at longer and longer intervals, and finally ceased; our ironThe preliminary bombardment was clads, save the Montauk, returning to have opened at daylight;" but to their anchorage; while a thundera terrible storm had so delayed our storm burst over land and sea; sharp preparations and dampened our pow-flashes of lightning intermitting and der that it did not actually commence intensifying the fast coming darktill 12 P. M. From that time tillness, as our leaders, galloping hither dark, the rain of fire from our semicircle of batteries, ranged across the island at the distance of a mile, while our iron-clads, moving up to within a few hundred yards, poured in their heaviest missiles, regardless of the fire of the fort and that of Sumter. Wagner, in fact, kept but two great guns at work; her men lying close in their bomb-proofs, till, their flag being shot away, a dozen or so instantly swarmed out to replace it; when they as quickly disappeared. On our side, fully a hundred great guns steadily thundered; the shells of our monitors often throwing up clouds of sand which must have nearly choked the entrance to the garrison's bomb-proof; tearing the fort out of all regularity of outline, all appearance of structure or symmetry. By many on our side, it was fondly counted that her bomb-proof must have been pierced and riddled, her garrison shattered and routed, by that tremendous bombardment. Our men were formed in three brigades: the first, led by Gen. Strong, consisting of the 54th Massachusetts (colored), Col. Robert G. Shaw, the 6th Connecticut, Col. Chatfield, the 48th New York, Col. Barton, the 3d New Hampshire, Col. Jackson, the 76th Pennsylvania, Col. Strawbridge, and the 9th Maine, Col. Emery: the 54th Mass. having been assigned to this brigade at the request of its young Colonel, between whom and Gen. Strong a warm attachment had sprung up during their brief acquaintance, formed and ripened in the field. Shaw's was the first colored regiment organized in a Free State; and it shared his anxiety to prove that it was not in vain that Blacks as well as Whites had been summoned to battle for their country and the Freedom of Man. In order to be here in season, it had been for two days marching through heavy sands and working its way across creeks and inlets, unsheltered through the pelting rains of the intervening July 18. Events proved how sadly mistaken were all such sanguine calculations. The garrison had lain all day in their 65 GEN. STRONG'S ASSAULT ON FORT WAGNER. nights: only reaching at 6 P. M. Gen. Strong's headquarters, about midway of the island, where it was halted five minutes; but there was now no time for rest or food, and it went forward, hungry and weary, to take its place in the front line of the assaulting column. That column, advancing a few hundred yards under a random fire from two or three great guns, halted half an hour, during which the 54th was addressed by Gen. Strong and by its Colonel; and then -as the dusk was deepening rapidly into darkness-the order to advance was given, and, under a storm of shot and shell from Wagner, Sumter, and Cumming's Point, our soldiers moved swiftly on. 477 led by Col. H. S. Putnam, 7th New Hampshire, whose regiment, with the 62d Ohio, Col. Steele, the 67th ditto, Col. Voorhees, and the 100th N. York, Col. Dandy, was now required to attempt what a stronger brigade had proved impossible. There was no shrinking, however, until, after half an hour's bloody combat before and upon the fortCol. Putnam having been killed, and a large portion of his subordinates either killed or wounded-no supports arriving, the remains of the brigade, like the first, fell back into the friendly darkness, and made their way, as they best could, to our lines, as the Rebel yell of triumph from Wagner rose above the thunder of their guns from Sumter and Cumming's Point. In this fearful assault, we lost fully 1,500 men; while the Rebel killed and wounded did not much exceed 100. There were few or no prisoners taken, save our severely wounded: and the Rebels say they buried 600 of our dead. Among these was Col. Shaw-a hereditary Abolitionist— on whom they vainly thought to heap indignity by "burying him in the same pit with his niggers." His relatives and friends gratefully accepted the fitting tribute; and when in due time a shaft shall rise from the free soil of redeemed Carolina above that honored grave, it will perpetuate, alike for leader and for led, the memory of their devotion to the holy cause whereto they offered up their lives a willing sacrifice. The distance traversed at doublequick was perhaps half a mile; but not many had fallen until the pierced but unshaken column had almost reached the ditch and were within short musket-range of the fort, when a sheet of fire from small arms lighted up the enshrouding darkness, while howitzers in the bastions raked the ditch as our men swept across it, and hand-grenades from the parapet tore them as they climbed the seamed and ragged face of the fort and planted their colors for a moment on the top. Here fell Col. Shaw, struck dead; here, or just in front, fell Gen. Strong, mortally wounded, with Col. Chatfield and many noble officers beside; while Cols. Barton, Green, and Jackson, were severely wounded. The remnant of the brigade recoiled under the command of Maj. Plympton, 3d N. H.; while all that was left Fort Wagner being thus proved, of the 54th Mass. was led off by a at a heavy cost, impregnable to asboy, Lt. Higginson. sault-Gillmore at once General The first brigade being thus de- commanding and Engineer-in-Chief molished, the second went forward,resumed the work of its reduction |