CHAPTER XVII.
THE SIEGE OF CHARLESTON—CONTINUED BOMBARDMENT OF FORT SUMTER—DEFENSE MAINTAINED BY THE OTHER WORKS—THE TORPEDO BOATS-BOMBARDMENT OF THE CITY—TRANSFER OF TROOPS TO VIRGINIA—PRISONERS UNDER FIRE-CAMPAIGN ON THE STONO.
On August 24, 1863, General Gillmore, in a communication to the general-in-chief of the United States armies, said: "I have the honor to report the practical demolition of Fort Sumter as the result of our seven days' bombardment of that work. Fort Sumter is to-day a shapeless and harmless mass of ruins." It was on this day that the garrison, under Colonel Rhett, was visited by General Ripley and the chief engineers, Colonels Gilmer and Harris, and it was determined to hold to the last extremity the fort which Gillmore had reduced to "a harmless mass of ruins." The men worked night after night transferring the contents of the magazines to safer places, preparing much of the munitions for shipment to the city, and building new works from the débris. The east magazines were not damaged.
Colonel Rhett's journal of the 25th has this entry:
Finished securing west magazine from reverse fire; began traverses on parade at entrance to passage now used for hospital sally port. Magazine and telegraph office repaired and filled up with bags.... Restored traverses on east barbette. Embrasures on northeast and northwest faces in process of being bricked up.
After this the fire from the Federal batteries on Sumter was comparatively light, until the 30th, when 322 shot and shell struck outside and 168 inside, doing a great deal of damage. Next day, Fort Moultrie by mistake opened upon the steamer Sumter, carrying two regiments from Morris island, disabling the steamer, from which 600 officers and men belonging to the Twentieth South Carolina and Twenty-third Georgia were saved by boats from Fort Sumter and the navy. September 1st was another destructive day for Sumter, six monitors and the Ironsides aiding in the fire. On September 4th there was not a single gun en barbette, and but one smooth-bore 32-pounder next the sally port on western face that could be fired. Colonel Rhett reported:
The northeastern and northwestern terre plein have fallen in. The western wall has a crack in it extending entirely through from parapet to berme. The greater portion of the southern wall is down. The upper eastern magazine is penetrated; the lower eastern magazine wall is cracked. The eastern wall is very nearly shot away; a large portion of the wall is down, the ramparts gone, and nearly every casemate breached, and the remaining wall very thin.... I consider it impracticable to either mount or use guns on any part of the parapet, and I deem the fort in its present condition unserviceable for offensive purposes.
The work of repair went on, however, and on September 4th the Charleston battalion arrived at the fort, under command of Major Elliott, and relieved Colonel Rhett, commanding, and Captain Fleming, Company B, detachment of First South Carolina artillery and Twenty-seventh and Twenty-eighth Georgia volunteers, who had endured the first tremendous bombardment. Colonel Rhett was put in command of the interior batteries in and about the city, with Castle Pinckney and Fort Ripley.
As soon as the Federals occupied Battery Wagner, it was opened upon by Batteries Simkins and Fort Moultrie and the works adjacent. Soon afterward a flag of truce was sent to Fort Sumter, with a demand for surrender, which was refused by Elliott, though he was utterly unable to maintain an artillery fire. Following this refusal, the Ironsides and five monitors came up the channel and opened fire upon Sumter and the Sullivan's island batteries. At Battery Beauregard, Lieut. E. A. Erwin, First regulars, was killed.