New York Herald
April 19, 1861
The steamer Baltic arrived off Sandy Hook at twelve M. yesterday, and was boarded off Quarantine by our special reporter. The Bavaria, from Hamburg, preceded the Baltic by a few moments, and this steamer, as well as all the craft in the bay and the houses along the shore, were decked with flags in honor of Major Anderson’s arrival. The day was bright, breezy and pleasant. Awaiting the Baltic off Quarantine were the boats of the Custom House, of the press, of the Medical Staff at Staten Island and the special reporters. As the steamer came slowly up the harbor, her black hull relieved against the bright waters, she was saluted by guns from the forts, from the shore, and by the ringing of bells and waving of flags, which were returned by the Baltic waving her ensign and firing her cannon.
The Harriet Lane, Faunce, for New York, sailed in company, also the Pawnee, with her troops, and Pocohantas for Norfolk. The Powhatan was not, nor had she been, at Charleston. The Pawnee did not arrive at Charleston bar until after the surrender. During the whole time the fleet remained off the bar the wind blew a gale from the southeast, rendering the fleet useless to Fort Sumter.
The following are the names of the passengers by the Baltic. Among the men on board were those wounded by the bursting of a cannon while firing a salute of fifty guns previous to hauling down the colors on evacuating:
Major R. Anderson, First artillery.
Doubleday, Captain.
T. Seymour, Captain.
J.C. Davis, First Lieutenant.
N.J. Hall, Second Lieutenant.
Captain J.G. Foster, Engineer Corps.
First Lieutenant, R.K. Meade, Jr., Engineer Corps.
Dr. S.W. Crawford, Medical Corps.
Miss Annie E. Davis and attendant.
Sergeant Ranchan, Company H (thirty-two men).
Sergeant Scherbner, Company F (thirty men.)
John Livarer, Engineer Corps, wounded in battle.
John Erwin, Artillery, wounded in battle.
James Haves, Artillery, wounded in battle.
George Pinchard, Artillery, wounded in battle.
First Lieutenant E.M.K. Hudson, Fourth Artillery.
First Lieutenant Robert O. Tyler, Third Artillery.
Second Lieutenant C.J. Thomas, First Infantry, and two hundred recruits for general service.
The Baltic was decked out with tattered flags, and her prow was shattered, as if she had collided, or had been struck by a ball. Her decks were crowded with blue coats, who returned heartily the cheers which greeted them from the shore, from the vessels in the harbor, from the forts upon Bedloe’s and Governor’s islands, from the ferry boats, and from the skiffs alongside. As soon as it was ascertained beyond a doubt that
MAJOR ANDERSON WAS ON BOARD, the excitement became intense. The Major, dressed in uniform, wrapped in his military overcoat, and looking careworn and fatigued, stood upon the wheelhouse, and returned the salutations of the people. The men who fought at Sumter were distinguished by being in the full uniform of the United States, and were drawn up on the quarter deck. About two hundred men were on board, the most of whom were the recruits put on when the steamer started from New York. The decks were packed with bales of hay, and the cargo put on board here remained undisturbed.
THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER.
From the foremast floated the tattered flag of Fort Moultrie, hoisted at Sumter, but blown away at the commencement of the battle. From the mizenmast waved the flag of Fort Sumter, almost in rags, with a piece of its flagstaff attached.
THE EXPEDITION which started from New York did not all arrive at Charleston together. The Atlantic has not been seen, and probably went to Pensacola. The Baltic arrived off Charleston on the morning of Friday, after the firing upon Fort Sumter had commenced. The next day came the Pawnee and the Pocahontas, but the Powhatan has never been seen. The steamtugs were blown out to sea, and have not been seen by the Baltic. During all the while the fleet was off Charleston a terrific gale was blowing, and the vessels had enough to do to prevent being blown out to sea. The Baltic ran aground on the Rattlesnake shoals, while attempting to enter the harbor, and was got off with difficulty. The Harriet Lane chased the guard steamer Isabel into the harbor, but did not succeed in overhauling her. On the day Major Anderson evacuated preparations had been made to attempt to reinforce him that night. They had no tugs, and as the other vessels did not appear they had hardly any preparation. By the order of Captain Fox, who commanded the expedition, a SCHOONER WAS SEIZED as she was going into the harbor, loaded with ice. For $500 each, the captain and pilot of the schooner agree to try to put men in the fort. Before the attempt was made the fort was evacuated. The orders from the government to Captain Fox were explicit. He was to attempt to provision the fort, and if his vessels, without troops, were fired upon, he was then to rush in as best he could. In consequence of the terrible gale, and non-arrival of his tugs and transports, he was unable to execute his orders. The firing could be distinctly heard by the fleet, seven miles distant, and the result was awaited with the greatest anxiety. The captain of the Pawnee was anxious to rush in at all risks, but was restrained. Major Anderson was received on board the Baltic from the Isabel on Sunday night, and on Monday at five o’clock P.M. the Baltic started for New York. The Harriet Lane is but a short distance behind. The Pawnee also started, but goes to Washington. This is a condensation of the information furnished by Captain Fox, Captain Doubleday, Lieutenants Hall, Henderson and others.
MAJOR ANDERSON is a short, slim, bronze-faced, and apparently feeble gentleman, whose very appearance gives the lie to any doubt of his courage or patriotism. He was too exhausted and too much overcome by his emotions to speak, but referred us for information to his officers, saying that he would endorse all they said. Every man on board is well and in good spirits. Capt. Doubleday pronounced the recent charges against Major Anderson to be INFAMOUS LIES.
He says that there can be no doubt that Major Anderson did all that man could do. The fight was as good as they could make it. The Captain says that it is a terrible thing to have his private letters published, and warped from their original meaning, in order to form a basis for a charge against an officer who has done his duty bravely and well.
NEVER SURRENDERED!
He brought his flags with him! “Look at them,” exclaimed the Captain, pointing to the mastheads. The other officers agreed in this eulogy of Anderson, cursed Webb and his paper, and said that he would be forced to eat his own words.
MAJOR ANDERSON’S TERMS.
Of evacuation which he conveyed to General Beauregard were just as the HERALD has before published them. They were simply an evacuation upon his own conditions. After considering this for some time, Gen. Beauregard said that he would open fire in an hour, and fired the first shot at precisely half-past four o’clock on Friday morning. Major Anderson told his men that it was necessary for them to save their strength, and so did not fire until after breakfast—about seven o’clock. The firing continued all day and night, as has been related in previous accounts. None of the men in Sumter were killed, but five were wounded. How many, if any, South Carolinians were killed they do not know, but it is the impression of the officers that several were killed. They heard reports to that effect before they left Charleston harbor.
WHY SUMTER WAS EVACUATED.
Fort Sumter was neither garrisoned, provisioned nor supplied with ammunition, for a long siege. Captain Doubleday says that when they consented to evacuate, they had but three cartridges left—the cartridge boxes having blown up, and five men being unable to make fast enough—and those were in the guns. The firing from the batteries was very effective. They had long enough practice, the Captain says. He was opposed to allowing them to complete their batteries, and was for resenting the attack on the Star of the West, but was overruled by Major Anderson and by his orders. That, and that only, was the point upon which he thought the Major wrong. All the provisions had been gone for thirty-six hours except salt pork. The fort was evacuated because, even if provisioned and reinforced, it was no longer tenable; and because Senator Wigfall, Beauregard’s aid-de-camp, came to the porthole and said that General desired no more bloodshed, and Major Anderson might evacuate upon his own terms. To this the Major agreed, and hoisted the white flag which Wigfall had brought with him. When the firing ceased, Major Anderson saluted his flag. It was hoisted by the South Carolinians upon the Isabel, when he embarked. He
NEVER WENT ASHORE
either as a guest of Beauregard at Charleston, or as a prisoner of war at Morris Island, and has not yet been from under the Star Spangled Banner of the United States, and he surrendered his sword to no one. His evacuation was conducted precisely as he had offered to conduct it before the firing commenced. In no points did the South Carolinians gain by their attack. They might have had the same thing without a shot, and Major Anderson granted nothing and yielded nothing on account of the bombardment. The American flag was not disgraced by him, and if the rebels had not come to his terms he would not have surrendered until his last shot was fired.
Captain Doubleday and all the officers agree that the above is the only true version of the matter, and that, after the bombardment, Beauregard accepted the very conditions formerly offered him. If no one was killed, “why was it necessary to prevent further bloodshed,” and to send Wigfall to the fort?
THE BRAVE SOLDIERS In Sumter behaved like heroes. Captain Doubleday and Lieutenants Hall and Hudson say that it would be invidious to make distinctions between men, all of whom displayed the most daring courage and the most invincible pluck. Nine times the flagstaff was shot down or injured, and five times the
FORT WAS ON FIRE.
The hot air and smoke were so stifling during the close of the engagement that the men were forced to lie flat on their faces in order to breathe, and even to cover their faces, with wet blankets. The South Carolinians fired hot shot and set fire to the barracks. “Major Anderson’s men,” as Lieut. Hall says, “were to fight like gentlemen, and not like pirates, and did not fire hot shot, or think of doing so.” As soon as the Charlestonians saw the fire (the last and the worst), they blazed away faster than before, in order to destroy the men as they attempted to extinguish the flames. No rafts were used, nor did any men go outside the fort. There was plenty of water inside, if there had only been men enough to use it. But the men were worked almost to death, and every man taken to put out the fire made one less at the guns. The fire surrounded the magazine, and amid the fire of the enemy the men were forced to remove the powder from the magazine, the inner door of which soon became so warped by the flames that it cannot now be closed. Happily all the powder was removed before the doorway of the magazine was impassable. The flames seemed to have followed the powder, for it soon became so hot that Major Anderson feared an explosion, and after several removals the powder had to be thrown into the sea, The constant work of the men accounts for the unfrequent discharges of the guns, and besides this the men had to make cartridges as they fired them. They only had a few shells and these were ignited by a red hot shot and blown up, at the beginning of the engagement. In spite of all the tumults, confusion, fire, smoke, danger of explosion and the bursting of the shells, the men worked on like giants.