OPERATIONS IN SOUTH CAROLINA--OPENING OF GILLMORE'S CAMPAIGN
AGAINST FORT SUMTER--THE SURPRISE OF MORRIS ISLAND--FIRST ASSAULT
ON BATTERY WAGNER--DEMONSTRATIONS ON JAMES ISLAND AND AGAINST THE
RAILROAD--ACTION NEAR GRIMBALL'S LANDING.
The attempt of Admiral Du Pont and Major-General Hunter to reduce and
capture the outer defenses of Charleston on April 7, 1863, having been
signally repulsed, and the ironclad squadron badly crippled, both of
those officers were relieved, and the energies and resources of the
Federal government concentrated upon the capture of Morris island.
Brig.-Gen. Q. A. Gillmore took command in place of General Hunter, and
Rear-Admiral J. A. Dahlgren supplanted Du Pont. General Gillmore had
confidently expressed his ability to reduce Fort Sumter from Morris
island, and was an officer of recognized energy and skill. After the
defeat of April 7th, it was well known in Washington that Admiral Du
Pont had lost faith in the fighting qualities of his iron fleet, and
General Hunter, in communicating with the government at Washington,
had several times complained of "the inactivity of the admiral."
The failure of the general himself to do more than organize raiding
parties, which pillaged plantations, burned planters' residences, mills
and barns, and were invariably driven back to the ubiquitous gunboat
protection, must have impressed his superiors unfavorably. General
Hunter complained of his removal from command as a reflection upon his
military conduct, but Mr. Lincoln assured him that he was held in high
esteem, that no reflection upon him was meant, and that other and
controlling reasons had determined the appointment of Gillmore.
On quitting the Stono, after the repulse of the ironclads on April 7th,
General Hunter had left a brigade, under Brigadier-General Vogdes, on
Folly island, with light artillery and some cavalry. This brigade had
orders to conceal its encampments among the sand-hills, and in the
dense woods and behind the growth of the island, and so effectually
carried out the directions, that the force on Folly island baffled the
attempts made to locate it or determine its strength. The island was
unassailable by the Confederate forces on James island, and there were
no troops in the department to spare for an attack from Morris island,
across Lighthouse inlet. General Vogdes was known to be on Folly island
with some force, but what he was doing, or what he was there to do, was
a matter of frequent discussion, and was certainly never determined
until Gillmore developed his force on Stono inlet, when Morris island,
Battery Wagner and Fort Sumter were seen to be his objectives.
The department commanded by General Beauregard had been stripped almost
bare to reinforce other points. Against this depletion of his infantry,
General Beauregard, the governor of the State, the mayor of Charleston,
and numerous prominent citizens had remonstrated, but the reply of the
secretary of war was both inevitable and unanswerable: "It cannot be
helped, however much it is deplored."
Gillmore's force of all arms amounted to 10,950, supplied with field
batteries and siege guns of the highest capacity, supported in the
Stono and on its left flank by a flotilla of gunboats, and on the right
by the admiral's armored fleet. For the immediate defense of the city,
General Beauregard had in position, on the islands and in the forts and
batteries, a total of 5,841 men: On Morris island 927, on James island
2,906, on Sullivan's island 1,158, and in the city 850.
Morris island, the selected point of real attack, lies along the main
ship channel, about 3½ miles in length, north and south, its north end,
Cummings point, being three-quarters of a mile south by east from Fort
Sumter. At Cummings point, Battery Gregg, named in honor of Brig.-Gen.
Maxcy Gregg, mounted guns of the heaviest caliber which the department
could command. This battery was an important outpost of Fort Sumter,
and one of the strong defenses of the harbor. Three-quarters of a
mile south of Battery Gregg stood, square across a narrow neck of the
island, Battery Wagner, named in honor of Lieut.-Col. Thomas M. Wagner.
Wagner touched the beach on its sea flank, and Vincent's creek on its
west flank, covering the whole island width of about 280 yards. It is
noteworthy that the Star of the West battery, which fired the first
gun of the war, was located, in January, 1851, just in advance of the
ground on which Wagner stood.
At the time of which we write (July, 1863), Battery Wagner mounted
two heavy guns on the sea face, and some twelve or more, of lighter
caliber, on the south and west faces. It was a strong earthwork,
constructed of compact sand, upon which the heaviest projectiles
produced little effect, with well-built traverses protecting the
guns from the sea fire, high merlons, thoroughly protected magazine
and bomb-proof, with a strong parapet on the north or gorge face,
for the protection of the opening. The salients on the east and west
were flanked by infantry and howitzer fire. The barbette guns of
Sumter, distant a mile and a half from Wagner, commanded its immediate
approaches from the south, while from the parapet of Sumter, with a
good glass, Morris island for its entire length was in plain view for
observation.
Late in May, General Ripley, commanding the defenses of Charleston,
became dissatisfied with the progress of constructing batteries on the
extreme south end of Morris island, designed to prevent an attack by
boats from Folly island. The enemy's strength on the latter island
was unknown, boats and barges were at Vogdes' command, and if two or
three thousand troops were to make a determined attack, Ripley felt
unprepared to meet it. These representations were made by him to
General Beauregard on the 24th of May, and the work on the south end
was pushed slowly forward by an inadequate force. Meanwhile General
Gillmore had come into command, and by the middle of June was preparing
his plans for attack at the south end of Morris island.
When the attack came, on the early morning of July 10th, it was a
surprise and overwhelming. Gillmore had put forty-seven guns and
mortars in battery, facing the nine separate 1-gun batteries of the
Confederates, within three-eighths of a mile of the rifle-pits, and
without their knowledge. Observant officers and men were satisfied
that batteries were being constructed on Folly island, but so well
was the work screened, that not until the brushwood was cut away, the
embrasures opened out, and the fire opened, did the little force on the
south end of Morris island, or the general commanding the district,
or General Beauregard, realize the true character of the attack that
had been so secretly prepared. "With lookout stations on the ruins of
the old lighthouse on Morris island; on the mast-head of a wrecked
blockade-runner, off Lighthouse inlet, and at Secessionville on James
island, there was yet no discovery of these Federal works. So far from
it, that General Ripley (district commander) reports, that 'up to the
8th or 9th of July the enemy, so far as ascertained, had constructed no
works on Folly island, except to shelter his pickets from our shells.'"
(Johnson's "Defense of Charleston.") On this subject Major Gilchrist
says, in his pamphlet on the defense of Morris island, himself a
participant in that defense:
It has always been a vexed question on whom should rest the blame for
the neglect of this strategic point. There were mutual recriminations
and much bad blood between those who were thought to be responsible
for the success of the Federals on July 10th, which involved the
destruction of Fort Sumter and the long and bloody siege of Wagner.
But the truth is, General Beauregard did not believe an attack would
be made by this route, and was firmly persuaded that the enemy would
again essay an advance by way of James island. He therefore withdrew
the negro laborers from Morris island to strengthen the fortifications
elsewhere, leaving the Gist Guard and Mathewes' artillery to finish
half-completed Fort Wagner. And when General Ripley, on his own
responsibility, and by his own engineer, commenced to fortify the
neighborhood of Lighthouse inlet, he commanded the work to stop.
Later, when it was discovered that General Vogdes was doing some
work--its extent unknown--on Folly island, General Ripley again, with
the tardy consent of General Beauregard, sent two companies of the
First South Carolina artillery, Capt. John C. Mitchel commanding, who,
with the assistance of the Twenty-first South Carolina, Col. R. F.
Graham, built among the sand-hills of the south end of Morris island
nine independent 1-gun batteries, which were eventually to meet the
concentrated fire of forty-seven guns in the masked batteries on Folly
island, and 8, 11 and 15-inch guns in the monitors.
The writer of the pamphlet quoted cannot have been aware of the fact,
that as early as March 10th General Beauregard had ordered the south
end of Morris island fortified, that the work was promptly begun, and
that when General Ripley complained, May 24th, of its slow progress,
Capt. Langdon Cheves, of the engineers, was prosecuting it with an
inadequate force, and no wood material furnished, necessary for
magazine and bomb-proof. As a precautionary measure the works were
ordered by General Beauregard, and more appreciated as being necessary
by General Ripley, but neither of these generals expected them to be
attacked except by boat howitzers and rifle guns of light batteries
covering an attack by infantry landing from small boats. In such an
attack the batteries on the south end, supported by 1,000 men, could
have successfully repelled the enemy. If an attack at that point should
come, it was looked for only in that shape.
On July 4th, from his headquarters at Hilton Head, General Gillmore
issued his order for the disposition of two divisions designed to
attack Morris island. The First was commanded by Brigadier-General
Terry, its brigades by Brigadier-General Stevenson and Colonel
Davis; the Second by Brigadier-General Seymour, its brigades by
Brigadier-Generals Vogdes and Strong. The brigade of Vogdes was already
on Folly island, and had been since April 7th; Strong landed on the 6th
of July, and Stevenson subsequently.
On the 9th, General Beauregard telegraphed Mr. Davis of the presence in
Stono and off the bar of thirty-eight vessels and five monitors, and
at noon of the same day to Governor Bonham, and to Richmond, that "an
attack on Sumter along Folly and Morris islands is evidently imminent."
General Mercer, at Savannah, and General Whiting, at Wilmington, were
asked for support, and Generals Hagood and Walker were ordered to hold
all available troops in the Second and Third districts in readiness to
march or take the cars for Charleston at a moment's warning.
The batteries on Folly island were then under cover and still unknown.
The only certain indication of the impending attack was reported by
Capt. C. T. Haskell early on the morning of the 9th. That gallant
and energetic officer had made a reconnoissance to the west of Folly
island, by boat, and had plainly discovered the flotilla of barges and
small boats in Folly Island creek, "moored and ready for crossing."
This reconnoissance by Captain Haskell, and the landing of Strong's
brigade on Folly island, persuaded General Beauregard to look for the
attack on the south end of Morris island. How was he prepared to meet
it? Eleven guns were in position, in unconnected, detached batteries,
three 8-inch navy shell guns, two 8-inch howitzers, one 24 and one 30
pounder rifled Parrott, one 12-pounder Whitworth, and three 10-inch
mortars. Rifle-pits were dug in front, covering Oyster point. The guns
were manned by 200 artillerists from the First regulars, under Capts.
John C. Mitchel and J. R. Macbeth, and Lieut. H. W. Frost. The infantry
supports were 400 men of the Twenty-first, under Maj. G. W. McIver, and
one company of the First South Carolina infantry, commanded by Capt.
Charles T. Haskell. The whole force amounted to 650 men!
Against this defense General Gillmore was to make his attack with
forty-seven guns from his masked batteries, the guns of four of the
monitors, and a brigade of infantry 3,000 strong, composed of four
regiments and two battalions of four companies each. Just at daylight
on the morning of the 10th, the guns on Folly island were unmasked and
opened their fire on the Confederate detached batteries. The surprise
was complete. The gallant men and officers on duty were expecting an
attack, but such a volume and weight of metal was overwhelming. But
Mitchel and Macbeth ordered their guns opened in reply, and McIver and
Haskell manned the rifle-pits.
After the unequal combat of artillery had lasted about two hours,
General Strong advanced from the northwest end of the island against
McIver and Haskell. The few guns left mounted were turned upon the
flotilla of boats, sinking a barge and killing and wounding many in the
boats, but the advance was unchecked, and the brigade landed, stormed
and carried the pits, and drove off the little force remaining unhurt
by the assault. The gallant Haskell fell, cheering his men, sword in
hand; Macbeth, badly wounded, was taken prisoner; Lieut. John S. Bee
had fallen at his gun, and Lieut. T. H. Dalrymple on the infantry line.
Fighting yet the last guns, the contest was ended by the charge of
the Sixth Connecticut on the rear and sea flank, met by the advance of
General Strong from the west side. The Connecticut regiment had passed
by the entire front and landed under cover of the sand-hills, and took
the batteries in reverse. It was an unequal contest, but continued
for hours. Seeing its hopelessness, Colonel Graham ordered retreat
upon Wagner, covered by Nelson's South Carolina battalion, under Maj.
James H. Rion, which arrived just as the retreat was ordered. Four
monitors followed along, pelting the retreating and almost exhausted
Confederates with their 15-inch shell and showers of grape. Colonel
Graham reported a total loss in killed, wounded and missing, of 295;
183 in the Twenty-first, 12 in Captain Haskell's company, and 100 in
the artillery.
The south end of Morris island was lost, and General Gillmore
immediately reinforced Strong, and General Seymour took command of
the division on Morris island, now in a position to assault Battery
Wagner. On the 9th, General Terry, with about 4,000 men, had sailed
up the Stono, supported by gunboats, and made such a demonstration of
landing on James island as to keep all the troops there, under Colonel
Simonton, under arms, and to turn others, arriving from Charleston, in
that direction. Reports from James island, coming to the commanding
general on the morning of the 9th, made it doubtful, for a time, where
the most formidable attack was to be made, but the concentration of
force on Morris island, and the action of the squadron, soon settled
all doubts as to General Gillmore's designs.
Wagner was reinforced as soon as the troops could be sent over, and
during the night of the 10th the garrison was increased to 1,000
infantry and 200 artillerists. A gallant band of Georgians, under Col.
C. H. Olmstead, came to stand on the ramparts by the side of their
Carolina brethren. There were thus assembled, for the defense of the
fort, the following commands:
Infantry: Twenty-first South Carolina, Major McIver; Seventh South
Carolina battalion, Maj. J. H. Rion; Company D, First South Carolina
regular infantry, Lieut. J. M. Horlbeck; four companies First Georgia,
Col. C. H. Olmstead; four companies Twelfth Georgia battalion,
Lieut.-Col. H. D. Capers; three companies Eighteenth Georgia battalion,
Maj. W. L. Basinger. Artillery: Detachments of Companies E, I and H,
First South Carolina regular artillery, Capt. John C. Mitchel; Gist
Guard, Capt. C. E. Chichester, and the Mathewes artillery, Capt. J. R.
Mathewes. Lieut.-Col. Joseph Yates commanded the batteries, and Colonel
Graham the fort. Colonel Graham kept his force in the fort under arms
and on watch, all night, while Major Rion covered the front with 150
skirmishers. The infantry was stationed, in support of the guns,
from right to left, in the following order: Seventh South Carolina
battalion, Twelfth Georgia battalion, Twenty-first South Carolina,
First South Carolina infantry, Eighteenth Georgia battalion, First
Georgia volunteers.
At dawn on the 11th the assault came and the pickets were driven
in. The attacking column was led by four companies of the Seventh
Connecticut, Lieutenant-Colonel Rodman, followed by the Seventy-sixth
Pennsylvania and the Ninth Maine. The Third and Seventh New Hampshire
formed the reserve. The Connecticut detachment charged gallantly
and followed Rion's pickets so closely that they were nearly at the
left salient of the fort before the fire opened, the light being so
imperfect that it was difficult to distinguish an object 100 yards in
advance. The Georgians on the left opened the fire of the infantry,
and then in rolling succession every gun was fired. The ranks of the
Seventh Connecticut were broken and swept away, and the Seventy-sixth
Pennsylvania was so stunned by the fire as to halt and lie down.
Recovering, they arose and made for the center of the fort, while the
Ninth Maine charged gallantly at the right salient. It was all in
vain. The withering fire of canister and musketry broke up the ranks,
and the whole column retreated in wild confusion. General Strong
blamed the Seventy-sixth for his failure to carry the fort, because
they halted and fell on the ground under "the sudden, tremendous and
simultaneous fire" which they met. But that same fire would have had
an identical effect upon them if they had not lain down, as it had
when they rose and rushed to the charge. No regiment can preserve its
line of assault under the fire of canister from a dozen guns and the
continued discharge of 1,000 rifles. If the two New Hampshire regiments
had followed this first assault, and they, in turn, had been followed
by still a third column of attack, they might have carried the fort;
but to attempt its assault with two regiments and a battalion of four
companies was to presume upon the character of its defenders and the
strength of its defense.
General Strong reported his loss at 8 officers and 322 non-commissioned
officers and soldiers. Colonel Graham lost 1 officer and 5 soldiers
killed, and 1 officer and 5 soldiers wounded. Capt. C. Werner, of the
First Georgia, was the officer killed, and all the casualties in the
fort were among the Georgia troops.
Four monitors, lying a mile off, bombarded Wagner on the 10th, and on
the morning of that day, Capt. Langdon Cheves, the engineer of Fort
Wagner, just after receiving the intelligence of the death of his
gallant kinsman, was killed in the fort by a fragment of shell, fired
from one of the monitors, the first shot fired at the fort that day.
Captain Cheves was an accomplished engineer, a devoted patriot and a
gallant soldier. Battery Wagner was built under his direction, and his
name, with those of others hereafter to be mentioned, who gave their
lives in its defense, will be forever commemorated in its history.
Gillmore's third demonstration, on July 10th, the attempt to cut the
railroad at Jacksonboro, was a failure. It was made by Col. T. W.
Higginson, commanding a regiment of recently enlisted negroes. With
three armed steamers he ascended the South Edisto under the cover of a
dense fog, until arrested at Willtown bluff by the obstructions in the
river. Landing at that point a force of 100 or more Confederates, a
section of artillery, without infantry supports, was surprised in camp
and driven off, 2 men being taken prisoners. Removing the obstructions,
Colonel Higginson steamed up the river with the purpose of burning
the railroad bridge at Jacksonboro. At Dr. Glover's plantation, about
3 miles from the bridge, he encountered a section of Capt. George
Walter's battery, under Lieut. S. G. Horsey, and after an action of
an hour's duration the boats were beaten and turned down stream. Col.
H. K. Aiken, commanding the Second military district, sent a section
of the Marion artillery, Lieut. Robert Murdoch, to the plantation of
Mr. Gibbes, below; and being joined at this point by Lieutenant White,
with the section which had been surprised at Willtown bluff, the two
sections caught the boats on their retreat, and badly crippled them.
One of the vessels was set on fire and burned to the water's edge, and
two of them made their escape out of the Edisto.
Colonel Higginson reported that the vessel destroyed grounded on the
obstructions, was abandoned and fired by her commander, while Colonel
Aiken reported her set on fire by shells from the section at Gibbes'.
Two brass rifled guns were taken from the wreck and added to Aiken's
artillery on the river. Higginson carried off over 100 negroes, several
bales of cotton, burned the barns of Colonel Morris, and pillaged the
residences in the neighborhood of Willtown bluff. Colonel Aiken had 2
men wounded and 2 captured. Colonel Higginson reported 3 killed and
several wounded, himself among the latter. This expedition and the
demonstration of General Terry on James island, were made at the same
time as the attack on the south end of Morris island, and were intended
to mask that important movement.
General Terry was still on James island on the 16th, with his forces
at Battery island and Grimball's on the Stono, and at Legaré's on the
Folly river side of the island. They were attacked at Grimball's and
Legaré's on the 16th by General Hagood, and driven down on Battery
island. They embarked at that point and evacuated the island on the
following night. In this affair General Hagood commanded portions of
Clingman's North Carolina and Colquitt's Georgia brigades, and the
Twenty-fifth South Carolina under Lieut.-Col. J. G. Pressley, Colonel
Simonton riding with General Colquitt to give that general the benefit
of his accurate knowledge of the island. Perkins' (Marion) battery
followed and engaged with Colquitt's column at Legaré's, and the North
Carolinians, under Col. J. D. Radcliffe, with artillery under Colonel
Kemper, attacked the gunboats Marblehead and Pawnee in the Stono above
Grimball's. Colquitt's attack at Legaré's, led by the Twenty-fifth
South Carolina, was followed by the quick retreat of the force before
him, and that at Grimball's retired on Battery island before Colonel
Radcliffe had defeated the gunboats above the point. General Hagood
reports that his troops were under the fire of the gunboats mainly;
that the troops of the enemy were mostly negroes and behaved poorly;
that his loss was 3 killed, 12 wounded and 3 missing, and that of the
enemy, as far as ascertained, 30 killed on the field and 14 taken
prisoners.