The gunboat Isaac Smith, carrying a 30-pounder Parrott in her bow, and eight 8-inch columbiads, steamed up the river on the afternoon of the 30th, passed Brown at Battery island and Yates on John's island, and dropped anchor opposite Gary's position, within 500 yards. Waiting a few moments for her to become settled in her anchorage, Gary unmasked his guns and opened fire. The Smith promptly replied with shot, shell and canister, but suffering from Gary's fire, she slipped her anchor and retreated down the river, followed by the shots of Gary's rifled guns and replying vigorously. But as she began her retreat, she was met by the batteries of Yates, which opened immediately. Reaching Legaré's point, she was too badly crippled in her machinery to proceed, and dropped anchor and surrendered. She lost 8 killed, 44 wounded, and surrendered 10 officers and 95 men. Private McQueen, of Alston's command, was mortally wounded, the only casualty on the Confederate side. The Isaac Smith was towed up under the guns of Pemberton, and subsequently did service in the harbor. In this affair the Stono scouts, Captain Walpole, rendered Colonel Yates valuable service.
Brown, at Battery island, was only to fire in case the batteries above him had failed to arrest the boat, and was silent until one of her friends attempted to go to her rescue. When within range, Brown opened with his rifles, and after a sharp conflict drove her down the river. Next morning a larger boat steamed up and engaged Brown's battery, but she would not stand long and expose her sides to rifles, and doing Brown no harm, after being hit several times she dropped down out of range. The guns were all removed on the night of the 31st, having done their work well.
Flag Officer D. N. Ingraham, commanding the Confederate naval forces in Charleston harbor, with the Confederate ironclad gunboats Palmetto State and Chicora, made a brilliant attack on the blockading squadron on the early morning of January 31st. The Palmetto State was commanded by Lieut.-Com. John Rutledge, and the Chicora by Capt. J. R. Tucker. The Palmetto State carried Commodore Ingraham's flag. Waiting for a full tide in order to cross the bar with safety, the two steamers took position near the bar before day and passed over at 4:30 a. m., the Palmetto State leading. The plan of attack was to engage the enemy at close quarters and sink his vessels by ramming.
Rutledge encountered the United States steamer Mercedita immediately after crossing, took her by surprise, rammed and sunk her. The Chicora encountered a schooner-rigged propeller, engaged and set her on fire. A large side-wheel steamer was next met and engaged at close quarters, and ran out of sight, it being yet before day. The Keystone State was then met by Tucker and with her consort, a propeller, quickly engaged. The larger vessel struck, being on fire, but after Captain Tucker ceased his fire, she ran off. Meanwhile, Rutledge was vainly endeavoring to bring others to close quarters. The ironclads were slow, and except when taking the enemy by surprise they were at a disadvantage. Seeing the whole squadron in full retreat to the south and east, the flag officer chased them out of sight, and anchored his vessels outside at 8 o'clock.
Temporarily the blockade of the port was raised, but the fleet soon returned, much strengthened, and the gallant gunboats waited another chance.
The Federal land and naval forces had held possession of Port Royal harbor, and the islands surrounding it, since November, 1861. It was now April, 1863. During that period their only achievement had been the capture of Fort Pulaski, at the mouth of the Savannah river. Repeated attempts had been made to destroy the bridges and break the railroad communication between Savannah and Charleston, all of which had been signally repulsed. Battles had been fought at Pocotaligo, Coosawhatchie, and at numerous points along the line of the railroad, and repeated skirmishes with raiding parties of the enemy had always resulted in "driving him back to his gunboats." The enemy advanced in force against Charleston, by way of James island, in June, 1862, but the Confederate victory at Secessionville, on the 16th of that month, compelled his retreat and return to his base at Port Royal. Charleston or Savannah being his objective, he had been threatening both cities for a period of seventeen months, without accomplishing anything more than the practical ruin of the sea-island planters and their property, the capture of Fort Pulaski, and the possession of the waters surrounding the islands.
The beginning of April, 1863, found the Federals concentrating in the Stono and North Edisto, for another attempt to take Charleston, in which the land attack was to be for the possession of Morris island, by way of Folly island, the objective being Fort Sumter; and the naval attack, by the ironclad fleet, was to be on that fort, Fort Moultrie, and the batteries defending the outer harbor.
On April 7th, General Beauregard commanded a force of 22,648 effectives, of all arms, for the defense of Charleston and the coast of South Carolina. In the forts and batteries, and on the islands surrounding the harbor, the effective force amounted to 12,856. The remainder of the troops were disposed along the main line of defense between Rantowles creek and the Savannah river, guarding the water approaches from Beaufort and the Edistos, while a small force of cavalry and light artillery operated in Christ Church, and beyond the Santees. On the 4th of April, seven monitors had been collected in North Edisto and twenty transports were in the Stono, landing troops on Cole's and Folly islands. On the 6th, the steam frigate Ironsides and eight monitors were off the bar, and on the morning of the 7th, having crossed, were lying off the south end of Morris island. The Federal land forces were commanded by Maj.-Gen. David Hunter, and the fleet by Rear-Admiral S. F. Du Pont.
No attempt by General Hunter's forces was made, or appeared to be in preparation, to attack either Morris island from Folly island, or James island from Cole's island. On James island General Gist commanded a force fully adequate to hold the enemy's advance until he was reinforced; but on Morris island Colonel Graham was not strong enough to resist a division attacking from Folly island under the fire of gunboats, which lay off the north end of the latter island. If the Federal general had known his opportunity, he might have possessed himself of the south end of Morris island, and overwhelmed the gallant little force standing in his path. Graham's command on Morris island was his regiment, the Twenty-first South Carolina, Chichester's and Mathewes' companies of artillery at Battery Wagner, under Lieut.-Col. C. K. Hughes, and a detachment from the First South Carolina artillery at Cummings point, under Lieutenant Lesesne. Morris island was at the mercy of the Federal general, but happily he did not possess the military insight and the aggressive capacity to perceive and use his advantage. He remained inactive and secure in his island isolation, while Du Pont went into battle with the forts and batteries. After the defeat of the admiral, he wrote to that officer from the transport Ben DeFord, that he had been "a mere spectator," and that he "could do nothing but pray for him," which he assured him he had done "most heartily."
Du Pont moved to the attack at 2 p. m., on April 7th, in single file, steaming up Ship channel, the monitor Weehawken leading, and the flagship Ironsides in the center of the column. The plan of attack contemplated the destruction of Fort Sumter, whose high walls and broad sides were a noble target for the admiral's 15 and 11-inch turreted guns.