About midday Tim paused with his men to drink from his canteen and eat some hardtack and a ration of pork.
As the Yankees closed on Wagner there was token resistance, but it was clear that the Rebels would make their stand inside the fort. By late afternoon the attackers had traversed the ridge and the last of the coastal guns was theirs. Tim watched Kautz as Red and his men swung a big seacoast howitzer around and discharged a shell that burst above the heads of the retreating cannoneers.
The advance was halted and Tim settled down for a rest. Captain Kautz sat down close by. From where they rested, part of the fort could be seen—a great sculptured mound of earth and sand.
Kautz pointed to a bastion close to the sea, then motioned to the left. “The other salient is just out of sight behind those little trees. We’re told the fort holds three hundred men. The parapets are bristling with artillery.”
As if to accent what he had said, a shell from the fort arched high across the sky and exploded short of its mark. The fire from the fort was fitful now. The enemy was saving its fury for the Yankee assault.
Kautz spoke again. “We’ll launch our attack at low tide. Just now the tide is high. The strip of sand between the tidal creek and the sea wouldn’t hold a company, much less a regiment.”
Ships of the Federal Navy lay in a flat calm, just out of range of the Confederate shore batteries. The masts of the ships of the coastal blockade could be seen in the distance.
“Looks as if we’ll have Naval support,” Tim said.
“We’ll need support. As we sit here we’re well within range of the guns at Sumter and the batteries across the channel on Sullivan’s Island.” Kautz gestured toward the narrow neck of sand, the pathway to the fort. “That beach will be a hell on earth when all the batteries open fire.”
Sergeant Fitch came by. He smiled dryly and motioned toward the fort. “That place is bulging with angry men.” He put a hand on his hip. “But there’s one Rebel soldier who comes to my mind who might not find the heart to shoot at all.”