Good-by to Fort Pulaski. At St. Helena Island, under General Strong.
Billinghurst and Regua battery. Folly Island. Masked batteries.
Attack on Morris Island. Killed and wounded of the regiment. Captain
Lent. Capture of Confederate batteries. Building batteries. Hot work
and little rest. Completion of batteries. Assault on Wagner. Badly
managed. Terrible losses. General Strong. Negro soldiers. Their
effect upon the Confederates. After the assault. The shelling by the
Confederates. Incident.
June 18, General Gilmore arrived at the fort, and in the evening a
telegraphic despatch was received,--for, some time before this, a
telegraphic cable had been successfully laid between Braddock's Point
and the fort,--ordering us to have eight companies ready to start in
the morning, with cooked rations. Although we were ready at the time
appointed, it was decided to be better to defer embarkation until
evening, that it might not become known to the Confederates that the
garrison was so weakened. Accordingly, when the darkness of night had
settled down on the fort, the eight companies marched to the dock and
embarked in the Ben De Ford, which steamed away from the fort, but
anchored off Tybee Island for the night. Companies G and I were left
behind; but before we started, the officers all gathered together, and
joined in "Auld Lang Syne." Seldom had such a solemn feeling rested
upon us, and the cheers and good-wishes of those who parted there were
to many the last words of fellowship together upon earth.
The following morning, we passed the Atlanta, on our way to St. Helena
Island. It was a formidable-looking craft, being supplied with a heavy
armament, and all the appliances for offence and defence, including
an immense ram and an ingenious contrivance for exploding torpedoes.
Arrived at St. Helena Island, our destination, we found ourselves in
the brigade of General Strong.
June 27, the writer was placed in command of the Billinghurst and
Regua battery, and separated from the regiment. As soon as detailed,
reported to General Strong, and had twenty-five men detailed from the
several regiments of the brigade to handle the pieces. Each of these
consisted of twenty-five rifle barrels on a carriage, so arranged
that the fire from a single cap, opposite the centre barrel, was
through a tube communicated to all, so that they could be discharged
simultaneously. The barrels were heavy, with long range, and, as a
defence against attack of infantry, might be very effective. The idea
was similar to the French mitrailleuse; but whether borrowed from it,
we cannot tell. This was the only battery of the kind ever used in
the department, and, being entirely new, every moment was occupied
in practice, in getting the range, and in securing the necessary
equipments. Worse than all, it was necessary to improvise a drill while
the practice was going on, but General Strong, who was one of the
noblest, kindest, and most considerate of men, assisted in every way,
and by all the means at his command. It was not long before we were
as much captivated by his military bearing and his gentle urbanity of
manner as the other officers and men of his brigade. It is given to but
few men to attach others to them as he did.
[Illustration: SIEGE OF CHARLESTON.]
July 4, we were ordered on board the Harriet M. Weed, and proceeded to
Folly Island, on the northerly portion of which we encamped until the
10th, when we moved up to the other end of the island, in rear of our
batteries. These contained about fifty guns, and had been masked by a
grove of trees until this morning, when a clearing had been made, and
the guns opened fire. Only the day previous, a number of Confederate
officers had been out on the sandbar which at low tide almost
connected Folly with Morris Island, and made a careful inspection of
the vicinity, with their field-glasses, all the time in plain sight
of our men behind the batteries, but without discovering anything.
The bombardment was a disagreeable surprise to them. Arrived behind
the batteries, we were compelled to go their whole length and return,
on account of confusion of orders, while the shot and shell from the
Confederate batteries opposite played around us in the most reckless
manner.
[Illustration: NOISELESS HAULING OF THE GUNS.]
That night we crossed to Morris Island, and encamped on the beach. In
the meantime the 48th, with other troops, had been massed near the end
of Folly Island, and as soon as the cannonading from our guns ceased,
landed on Morris Island, charged the Confederate works, and, proceeding
on, cleared every obstruction, even to the very foot of Wagner. But not
without loss. Quite a number were killed and wounded. Among the killed
was Captain Lent of Company A, a man of genial, happy disposition,
beloved by every one. Although a brave, earnest, and competent officer,
he was so quiet and retiring in his habits that he seemed almost out
of place in such scenes, and it was hard to reconcile so gentle and
amiable a life with such a sudden and cruel death. While encamped on
Folly Island, he called at the battery on his way to the front, and
I well remember his expression as we parted: "How I wish I had your
place! I would rather have it than the command of the regiment." It was
not of danger that he thought, but of the independence of the command.
Before the attack, our regiment was divided for convenience of landing,
and while our guns were thundering against the batteries opposite, the
men were waiting in anxious expectancy; and when the word was given
they shot across the little strip of water, and, in the face of a
murderous fire, rushed up the beach, and with fixed bayonets carried
all before them. There was no faltering, but only an onward movement;
and, although many fell, others supplied their places, and with cheer
upon cheer they cleared the Confederate works, capturing men, guns,
camp-equipage, and everything, until the recall was sounded, and they
came slowly back to count their dead and wounded. It was a gallant
charge, and in it General Strong set the example, when, leaving shoes
in the clinging sand, he rushed forward, the first to land, and the
last to realize the necessity for a recall. It was a glorious charge
and a glorious success, which gave a vantage-ground for our troops on
which to plant their batteries, and a place for successful operations
against the strong defences of Charleston. Had the proper use been made
of this early success, Wagner would have been ours; but, unfortunately,
the attack on this fort was delayed until the following morning,
when, with a garrison re-enforced, our attacking column was easily
repulsed. The days that followed were full of labor and exposure.
The guns of Wagner and Sumter searched every nook and cranny of
the island, and many men lay down at night to sleep, to waken in the
Eternal City. As fast as possible, guns were hurried up into position
to bear upon Wagner, and the heavy armaments of the ironclads kept up
a constant clamor, but with little effect; shot and shell came flying
into camp in all directions. General Strong's headquarters were fairly
uprooted by a bursting shell, and when solicited to move to a less
exposed position he laughed, as if it were only play. Hour by hour he
grew into the affections of his command, and it is certain that no
officer was ever more beloved. After a time, earthworks were thrown up
across the island, near Wagner; and the men, from habit, learned to
protect themselves in some measure from the enemy's fire. July 13, the
48th were at the front for twenty-four hours, during which time the
Confederates made a sortie, but were repulsed with considerable loss.
A sergeant endeavored to capture Lieutenant Tantum, but made a bad
mistake. The powerful grasp of the lieutenant was not to be resisted,
and the sergeant went to the rear, an humble prisoner. Attached to our
battery, and under my command, was a small company of sharpshooters,
with telescopic rifles, who buried themselves in the sand close to the
walls of Wagner in the hour before light in the morning, and proved
most effective in controlling the fire of the fort. Not a head or hand
could appear without being reminded of their presence.
[Illustration: BOMB AND SPLINTER PROOF.]
July 18, the attack on Fort Wagner commenced at about 10 A.M., and a
steady fire from our batteries and the ironclads was kept up until
evening. The following is the account of the assault, written by J.A.
Barrett, who was second lieutenant of Company H:--
"We lay on our arms all day, and just before dark were formed in
column by companies, and advanced under a galling fire up the beach.
It was a trying hour, our ranks thinning at every step. For much of
the way the right of our column was obliged to wade in the water. On
our left another column composed of the 54th Massachusetts colored
regiment, under Colonel Shaw, also advanced on the fort. We waded the
moat and scaled the parapet. Our loss was terrible, sometimes whole
companies being mowed down at once. We jumped over the parapet into
one bastion where there were two guns, but the firing was so hot that
we were unable to turn them to any use. Darkness was upon us, and
we could see nothing. The supporting columns coming up in our rear,
poured in a heavy fire, mistaking us for the rebels. Our killed and
wounded kept piling up. A rebel officer for some purpose came among
our men, and was seized by a private of the 48th, who called to
Colonel Barton that he had a prisoner. To which the colonel replied:
'Take him to the rear.' 'But he won't come,' said the private, who
was nicknamed 'Plucky.' 'If he wont yield, then bayonet him,' was
the order; when a wounded man dragged himself up, and, with all his
remaining strength, plunged his bayonet into the side of the rebel
officer, and, falling back, expired. A retreat was ordered, but was
not altogether understood, and some fifty of our men remained and
continued firing. I was severely wounded in the thigh, but roused
myself, and directed the fire of these few men as best I could,
collecting ammunition from the dead and wounded. When this gave out, I
ordered all who could to go to the rear. This section of the fort was
literally full of dead and wounded, piled up even with the parapet. I
crossed over their bodies, slid down the slope and crossed the moat,
which was full of our dead. A rebel sentry was pacing up and down
the beach, but by keeping near the bank I was able to pass him. My
scabbard was shot away, my pistol bent and useless, and, leaning on
my sword, I hobbled down the beach to camp. The 48th went into this
assault with five hundred men and sixteen officers, and three hundred
men and fourteen officers were killed, wounded, or prisoners."
[Illustration: FORT WAGNER AT POINT OF ASSAULT.]
While this brief account is valuable, as the statement of a cool,
self-possessed, and brave officer, who participated in the assault,
and was an eye-witness to what he states, no words can adequately
describe the horrors of that night. Sufficient time had elapsed, since
the occupation of the island by our troops, to allow of a complete
and careful preparation for the assault, which the enemy had reason
to expect. A large re-enforcement was added to the garrison, and the
men were most carefully drilled in the minutest details, to provide
against every possible emergency. The heavy bombardment which preceded
the assault, while it seemed as if it would tear the fort from its
foundation, had really no serious effect in weakening it; and as soon
as it ceased, the men were withdrawn from the bomb-proofs, where they
had been completely protected, and assigned to their positions, and,
when our troops made the assault, were as ready to receive them as if
not a cannon had been fired. On our part, there seemed to be a want of
accurate information, and of carefully matured plan, which resulted
in confusion of action; while on their part, there was the most
intelligent and thorough preparation possible, and most perfect concert
of action between all those assigned to special duties in the defence.
The result was inevitable, and the carnage terrible. The responsibility
of the assault was generally ascribed to General Seymour, and, as
subsequent events clearly proved, it was a useless sacrifice of life.
General Gilmore continued to plant batteries, by which we not only
reached the forts in the vicinity, but, with the famous Swamp Angel
guns, threw shot and shell a distance of five miles into the city of
Charleston. These batteries, and the mine which he constructed, which
destroyed one whole force of Wagner, compelled its evacuation on the
night of September 6.
[Illustration: FORT WAGNER, SEA FRONT.]
On the night of the assault, July 18, there was no sleep in the
48th. It was past midnight when the last of the men came in from the
fort, and the horrible scenes through which they had passed, and the
anguish of grief over friends and comrades, maimed and wounded, or
lying silent in that pit of darkness and blood, forbade all thought of
rest. Colonel Barton was wounded through the thigh, Lieutenant-Colonel
Green, Captains Farrell and Hurst, and Lieutenant Edwards were dead,
and Captain Paxson was mortally wounded. Captains Lockwood, Elfwing,
and Swartwout, and Lieutenants Miller, Barrett, and Acker, were also
severely wounded. It was a heart-rending sight when, on the following
morning, I visited them in the steamer which was to convey them to
Hilton Head. No one could doubt the quality of the 48th now. The
heroism of the men was only equalled by that of their officers. None
could have been braver. All the wounded officers had made their escape
with the exception of Lieutenants Taylor and Fox, who were left in the
hands of the Confederates. While we mourned for our immediate friends
and associates, we did not forget that our brigade commander, General
Strong, was among the fatally wounded. I had been accustomed to report
to him in person for commands for the battery; and, of all the men I
have ever known, few have left such deep and such pleasant impressions
on my memory as he--of the gentlest and most winning manners, yet
always the thorough soldier, brave even to rashness, kind, courteous,
and considerate, he grew more and more beloved as he became better
known. He never asked men to go where he would not lead the way.
[Illustration: THE SWAMP ANGEL BATTERY.]
On the night of the assault, my battery was stationed at the outer
lines of our defences, on the shore, to resist any counter attack which
the Confederates might make, and I witnessed much of its horrors. As
one after another of the wounded came in, eager and anxious were the
questions asked, until the return of the torn and broken remnants of
the proud columns which a few moments before had rushed to victory told
too plainly the story of savage butchery and defeat. Well do I remember
the appearance of the negro soldiers as they came straggling back
from the front that night, for I was not favorably impressed by their
conduct. I have often thought that their presence in the attacking
column was a mistake, and that the hatred and disgust which they caused
in the minds of the Confederates overcame every other feeling, to such
an extent that the instinct of self-defence was converted into brutal
ferocity, as was manifest in their treatment not only of the colored
soldiers themselves, but the gallant officers who led them. With the
highest respect for the opinions of those who have testified to the
discipline and valor of the negro troops, I am impelled to say, in
spite of the criticisms that my statement may provoke, that my own
observation and experience, as well as the experience of others, have
convinced me that the prevailing opinion, especially in New England, of
the valuable services rendered by colored troops in actual conflict, is
erroneous, and that their most effective work during the war was done
with the pick and spade. If quickness of perception and independence
of thought and action are desirable qualities in a soldier, this
conclusion seems both obvious and necessary. After the repulse of the
18th, the Billinghurst and Regua battery was kept at the front all
the time, and, although protected somewhat by earthworks, there was
no complete guard against the shells which night and day exploded
all about us. One of my men was sitting in the sand just outside the
battery, when a shell from Wagner literally ploughed him out of his
seat. Fortunately, it did not explode, and he only experienced a good
shaking-up. Night after night we were obliged to keep watch of those
magnificent streams of light which, proceeding from the mortars at
Castle Pinkney, seemed charged with intelligence as well as powder, for
as they moved through the air and reached the point over our batteries,
they appeared to poise themselves as if to select the most vulnerable
point, when they descended with a peculiar whizzing sound into our
very midst. Our only recourse was, by determining on which side the
earthworks they would fall, to make the most expeditious movement to
the other side, to await the explosion.
I remember one night when it was determined to plant a
_chevaux-de-frise_ from our battery to low-water mark. A night was
chosen when it was thought that the heavy clouds would obscure the
moon and conceal our operations. The wagons proceeded up the beach
with the materials, until they had nearly reached the point selected,
when the opening clouds disclosed them to the garrison of Wagner. No
time was lost in opening upon them with their Armstrong guns, from
the parapet. The first shot produced a stampede, and in an instant
the teams had turned about, and the horses were scampering back, with
the shot and shell skipping about them in the most unceremonious
fashion. The sight was so ludicrous that I was thrown off my guard,
and exploding with laughter, until the danger of my own position was
recalled by the bursting of shells about my head.