Brigadier-General Davis, at that time colonel of the One Hundred and Fourth Pennsylvania, and in Gillmore's command, says of Wagner in "Annals of the War," Philadelphia Times, 1879: "This was one of the strongest earthworks ever built, and gave evidence of the highest order of engineering ability."
After the signal defeat of this last attempt, July 18th, to carry Battery Wagner by storm, General Gillmore proceeded to lay siege to the fort, and approached by regular sap.[F] The limits of this history will not permit a detailed account of this most interesting period of the history of Battery Wagner and Fort Sumter. In Major Johnson's book the full record will be found, and in the reports and correspondence published by act of Congress, the history and progress of the siege are related in every particular.
The following incidents embracing a period of fifty days are given from the records: On July 20th the fort was subjected to a combined attack by the batteries on land and water, and on the 23d, the second parallel was opened within 870 yards of the fort. Another attack from the fleet and the batteries followed on the 24th, and for five hours the fort was assaulted by the bombardment. During this period Wagner, Gregg and the batteries from James island fired incessantly on the enemy's working parties. Daily for the remainder of the month of July, the fleet assaulted the fort, and the land batteries fired throughout the night. On August 10th the third parallel was established, 540 yards distant. During this night Wagner, Sumter and the James island batteries drove off the enemy's working parties. The heavy guns of the enemy being advanced, he opened breaching batteries on the gorge wall of Sumter, firing over Wagner, and the fleet engaged Fort Sumter.
Covering the period August 16th to 26th, Major Johnson makes the notes following:
August 16th. Engineers' working force, 350 to 450, having been engaged day and night for six weeks, has converted the two faces of Sumter nearest to Morris island into a compact redan of sand, encased with brick, having a height of 40 feet and general thickness of 25 feet, with portions of the gorge 35 to 40 feet thick. Upward of twenty guns have been removed from the armament since July, leaving but thirty-eight for the present service of the fort.
August 17th. First day of the great bombardment of Fort Sumter; 948 shot from eleven guns on Morris island and from the fleet. Wagner and Gregg under fire from the land batteries and fourteen vessels. Wagner fought the fleet with three guns for more than an hour. Capt. J. M. Wampler, of the engineers, was killed at Wagner.
August 18th. Fourteen guns from Morris island firing on Sumter; three ironclads, five gunboats, and siege batteries on Wagner.
August 19th. The Ironsides fires on Wagner all day and fifteen guns from breaching batteries on Sumter. Working parties stopped by Wagner's picket fire from the ridge in front.
August 20th. Eighteen guns fire on Sumter, one being a 300-pounder Parrott rifle; range from 3,447 to 4,290 yards. Twenty-five thousand pounds of powder removed from the fort. Wagner shelled all day by fleet, Ironsides and four gunboats. Marsh battery (between Morris and James islands), designed to fire upon Charleston at 7,000 yards, completed by the enemy.
August 21st. More powder (9,700 pounds) removed from Sumter. General Gillmore demands the surrender of Fort Sumter with the immediate evacuation of Morris island. Assault made on "the ridge" in front of Wagner and repulsed. General Gillmore on Morris island, in his demand for Sumter and the evacuation of the island, gave General Beauregard four hours to answer, failing in that time to receive his reply he threatened to fire upon the city, and did so, its sleeping inhabitants having no notice whatever. This act of uncivilized warfare was properly rebuked by General Beauregard, and due time was allowed for the removal of women and children, and the hospitals, with their sick and wounded.
August 22d. Sixth day for Sumter. Only four guns left in serviceable condition. Main flagstaff falling, colors were flown from the crest of the gorge. A night attack by five monitors, firing about fifty shells in the direction of the western magazines, was serious. The fort replied with two guns, firing six shots, the last fired from its walls. The monitors drew a heavy fire on themselves from Fort Moultrie. The rear-admiral, desiring to "force the obstructions," prepared three or four times to do so, but never reached them. Casualties, 5 wounded.
August 23d. Seventh day. Sumter soon reduced to one gun (Keokuk's) in good condition, and two guns partly serviceable. Work pressed to secure magazine from danger of another attack by monitors firing in reverse. Flagstaff twice shot away; more powder shipped; casualties, 6 wounded. The fort is breached and demolished by seven days' firing (total, 5,009 rounds) at the close of the first period of the great bombardment.
August 24th. Council of defense held by the chief engineers and colonel commanding. The second period opens with only one-fourth of the daily rate of firing hitherto received. General Gillmore urges upon the rear-admiral the scheme of cutting off communications from Morris island by picket-boats off Cummings point. Second failure to carry "the ridge" in front of Wagner (25th).
August 27th to 29th. Capture of "the ridge" and pickets of Morris island by Union charge (26th). Three days of nearly suspended firing on Sumter.
August 30th. Heavy shelling of Fort Sumter from the breaching batteries; casualties, 5; damages caused by the 10-inch rifle (300-pounder) very severe. Recovery of guns by night from the ruins, and shipment to city by gang under Asst. Eng. J. Fraser Mathewes. This night, transport steamer Sumter with troops, fired upon by mistake and sunk by Fort Moultrie.
August 31st. Fort Sumter received only fifty-six shots. Fort Moultrie engaged with four monitors for four hours, suffering no damage. Maj.-Gen. J. F. Gilmer announced as second in command at Charleston.
September 1st. Mortar firing on Wagner disabled four guns. Fort Sumter suffers again from the heavy Parrotts, 382 shots, and in the night from the ironclad squadron, 245 shots, crumbling the walls and threatening the magazine as before; casualties, 4; the fort had not a gun to reply. This attack of the ironclads ends the second period of the first great bombardment. The work of saving guns from the ruins and removing them to the inner harbor began on the night of August 27th, and proceeded regularly from this date forward.
September 2d. Desultory fire on Fort Sumter. The sap approaches within 80 yards of Wagner.
September 3d and 4th. Wagner under fire and returning it, assisted by Gregg and the James island guns. On the night of the 4th, Major Elliott relieved Colonel Rhett in command of Fort Sumter. Failure, same night, of the plan to assault Cummings point (Battery Gregg).
September 5th. Slow fire from batteries and New Ironsides on Wagner. The assault on Battery Gregg, Cummings point, made and repulsed on the night of 5th.
September 6th. Head of sap opposite the ditch (east) of Wagner.
This was the last day of Wagner's defense, and the fifty-eighth day of the attack by land and sea. The sap had progressed on the sea face so far as to enable a large force to move on that flank and gain the rear of the fort, while the whole front was covered by the last parallel within 50 yards of the fort. The fire of the fleet and mortar fire from the trenches, with incessant fire along the parapet by the land batteries, made it fatal work for most of the fort's sharpshooters, and the gun detachments.
The garrison of the fort at this memorable period was as follows: Col. Lawrence M. Keitt, commanding; Maj. H. Bryan, adjutant-general; Capt. Thomas M. Huguenin, First South Carolina infantry (artillery), chief of artillery; Capt. F. D. Lee and Lieut. R. M. Stiles, engineers; Lieut. Edmund Mazyck, ordnance officer. The artillery: Captain Kanapaux's company, Lafayette South Carolina artillery; Company A, First South Carolina infantry (artillery), Lieut. J. L. Wardlaw; Company A, Second South Carolina artillery, Capt. W. M. Hunter; Company E, Palmetto battalion artillery, Capt. J. D. Johnson. The infantry: Twenty-fifth South Carolina, Lieut.-Col. John G. Pressley; Twenty-seventh Georgia, Maj. James Gardner; Twenty-eighth Georgia, Capt. W. P. Crawford. The total for duty was less than 900 men and officers, infantry and artillery.
During the day of the 6th, about 100 casualties were reported by Colonel Keitt. On this day Colonel Keitt, after consulting his engineers, reported to General Ripley the situation at the fort as desperate and recommended its evacuation, and added: "If our sacrifice be of benefit, I am ready. Let it be said so, and I will storm the enemy's works at once.... Before day dawns we should assault him if we remain here. Answer positively and at once." This dispatch was sent at 3:15 p. m., and at 5 o'clock General Ripley signaled Colonel Keitt to prepare to leave the fort at night. The evacuation was successfully accomplished, the rear guard leaving Cummings point at 1:30 a. m. on the 7th. The infantry having left the fort by midnight, its command was turned over to the rear guard, under Captain Huguenin, 25 men, Company A, First South Carolina infantry (artillery), 10 men, Twenty-fifth South Carolina, under Lieuts. F. B. Brown, R. M. Taft and James A. Ross. Capt. C. C. Pinckney, ordnance officer of the First district, Lieut. Edmund Mazyck, ordnance officer of Wagner, were also present and assisting Captain Huguenin.
At 12:30 the rear guard was withdrawn from the parapet and marched out of the fort for Cummings point. Huguenin, Pinckney, Mazyck, Ross and Ordnance Sergeant Leathe alone remained to lay the slow match which had been carefully prepared. Captain Huguenin reports: "In five minutes the train was fixed." Captain Pinckney reports regarding the spiking of the guns: "The vents of most of the pieces were greatly enlarged. In most cases the spikes dropped in loosely, and we were obliged to use two or three of them. We could have remedied this by driving them in and hammering the edges over the orifice, but absolute quiet was obviously necessary." The 10-inch columbiad was prepared for bursting. Ross took the lanyard and Huguenin gave the order: "The last gun from Battery Wagner, fire!" The primer failed! Another failed! A cartridge from a Whitworth rifle was opened and the vent primed, but from some unknown cause the piece could not be fired. The fire from the parapet having ceased, and the enemy being just under the fort, Captain Huguenin lit the slow match to the magazine. The fuse burned brightly and the officers left the fort. But no explosion followed! The fort was under the fire of mortars, and doubtless a bursting shell cut, or put out the fuse; and the disabled fortress remained for the enemy's inspection.