The storm, which still continued, and at times raged with great violence, rendered it impossible for the monitors to be of any immediate service, although the whole fleet moved up abreast of Fort Sumter on the evening of the 19th, but were obliged to retire without firing a single shot. When the port-holes were opened the heavy ocean swell washed in, and effectually prevented the accurate elevation of the guns.
The troops still continued in excellent spirits; though from their confidence of ultimate success, and the monotony of the long continued bombardment, some of them showed a slight disposition to carelessness. But this was speedily put an end to, and the hottest fighting since the opening of the bombardment, began in terrible earnest. The firing increased so rapidly that the loud and continuous roar was absolutely deafening; every battery was at work. At six o’clock in the evening, the entire top of the fort was completely gone, and every parapet gun was dismounted, most of them having fallen into the sea. The flags were of course shot away; the garrison no longer making any effort to return the Union fire, which hardly ceased during the whole day. The southwest side presented a mere mass of ruins, when at length the guns were silenced for the night; and on the next day, nine enormous breaches were visible in the strongest portion of the fort. The firing was again resumed; and, upon rebel authority, “kept up heavier than ever during the 21st.” From five o’clock in the morning, till seven in the evening, nine hundred and twenty-three shots were fired, of which no less than seven hundred and four struck the fort. The Ironsides, on this morning, also opened fire, and Sumter occasionally replied. Fort Wagner fired briskly on the Union advanced works, too, but without doing much damage. The National fire upon Wagner was, however, very destructive, and with every hour continued to grow more so. At eleven P. M., a demand for the surrender of Fort Sumter was sent to General Beauregard, with a threat that, if the demand was not complied with, the city of Charleston should be shelled within four hours. The demand was refused, although the fort was a ruin; and the paper containing the demand was returned at seven o’clock on the morning of the 22d to General Gilmore. The flag of truce which had been hoisted during the sending of and return of the demand, was now lowered, and the firing recommenced in all its fury, passing from end to end of the Union line, and continuing with unabated fierceness for the remainder of the day. General Gilmore, (after allowing time for the removal of the women and children,) gave orders to Lieutenant Sellmer, commanding the “Swamp Angel,” to open with his heavy rifled gun upon the city of Charleston; and accordingly, fifteen shells (of Birney’s invention), were thrown across the James Island batteries into the town. The arrival of these projectiles caused the utmost terror and dismay to the inhabitants, who rushed blindly to and fro in indescribable confusion, while the light of burning buildings and the ringing of alarm bells, gave proof to the Unionists of the consternation caused by the unexpected arrival of the messengers from the “Swamp Angel.”
Fort Wagner now gathered up her whole strength to throw against the Union forces, and her firing, directed exclusively against the right, became really terrific. The Ironsides and two other monitors came up, and for four hours poured a torrent of shells into the Confederate fort, which finally silenced her.
Another flag of truce was hoisted during the day to receive a message from General Beauregard, which turned out to be an indignant protest against what he was pleased to call General Gilmore’s “unchristian and uncivilized mode of warfare” in shelling the city of Charleston. The dispatches were instantly replied to, and in a manner not calculated to quiet Beauregard’s indignation. Again there was a suspension of hostilities while the message was being carried, but the firing recommenced as soon as the dispatch had been delivered.
During the night only a few shots were exchanged by the combatants; and on the next morning such a dense fog hung over the bay that operations were temporarily suspended. The “Swamp Angel” was again trained on Charleston; and the shelling of the city continued with great violence for a good part of the night, while the rebel batteries on James island continued playing away on the “Swamp Angel,” but without doing it any great damage.
Fort Sumter itself was by this time so utterly ruined that no further damage could be done to it by continued firing, in rendering it useless as a defence to Charleston; and as it was not deemed necessary to absolutely level it with the earth, firing upon it was discontinued after the 23d August. Fort Wagner was found to be very difficult to overcome. Day after day the bombardment had been continued against the place, which was evidently one of the strongest of the enemy’s forts. It was commanded by Colonel Keith, of South Carolina, and garrisoned by fourteen hundred effective men; but notwithstanding its brave defence and its strength, it could not much longer hold out against the Union forces. On the 26th General Gilmore succeeded in running a parallel very close to Wagner. A ridge of sand which interposed, could, he perceived, be made useful, as it was constantly occupied by a body of the enemy’s pickets, and at night by a large force protected by rifle-pits. To push the rebels from this sand ridge and take possession of it himself was the intention of General Gilmore; and just before dark the position was assaulted, and carried by the Twenty-fourth Massachusetts regiment. The bombardment of the fort itself then continued more actively than ever, while from Fort Johnson and all the other works on James island, the booming of cannon continued to make itself heard loud and furious.
On the 30th of August the bombardment of Fort Sumter was resumed. For seven days the firing had ceased against it, but as that was quite long enough for the enemy to make necessary repairs, and in some degree fit it up again, firing was recommenced in order to prevent the rebels from making any important advance in their work of reconstruction, supposing them to have begun it. No reply came from the fort in answer to the firing directed against it, which only increased its battered and helpless appearance.
On September 1st a general engagement took place between Forts Wagner, Moultrie, and Sumter, and the Union iron-clads, in which two of the forts suffered severely, but the apparently invincible Wagner was but slightly injured. To mine the work was impossible, because of its low position. The men who attempted to lay a train, discovered water at the depth of only two feet. But the sappers succeeded, on the night of the 6th September, in mining the outerscrap, after long and tedious work; and in this way all its guns were unmasked, and an order was issued to carry the place by assault at nine o’clock on the following morning, that being the hour of low tide. It was then discovered that the enemy had commenced evacuating the fort late on the previous night, and with the exception of seventy-five men, had escaped. The National troops invested the fort, and took possession of Cummings’ point. A large supply of excellent ammunition was captured, and nineteen pieces of artillery; and thus the city and harbor of Charleston were completely covered by the Union guns.
An assault upon Fort Sumter was made during the same night, by a flotilla of twenty-five boats, manned by one hundred sailors, under Lieutenant-Commander Williams, and about one hundred marines under Captain McCauley. The entire force was under the command of Commander Stephens, of the Patapsco.
The boats landed, and the men attempted to run up the parapet, but were repulsed. At a signal from Fort Sumter, all the batteries bearing on it opened at once on the boats, and a rebel ram coming up engaged them at close quarter. Three boats were completely demolished and forty or fifty sailors and marines were killed and wounded. Lieutenant Bayard was mortally wounded and captured. The other officers captured were Commander Williams, Lieutenant Renny, Lieutenant Hueston, Lieutenant Rowell, Lieutenant Bunce, Doctor Wheeler, and Ensign Porter. The entire list of casualties numbered about eighty; and the remainder of the command retired in safety.