April 11, 1863, The Charleston Mercury
At two o’clock p.m., just as the officers had seated themselves for dinner, the first advance of the iron-clad fleet was announced to the commandant of the post. Their anchorage had been within the bar of Ship Channel, off the southern end of Morris Island, some four miles from Sumter. Upon inspection, it was judged that good time would be allowed for the conclusion of the meal, and, after communicating the movement by telegraph to Headquarters in Charleston, dinner was comfortably dispatched. At half past two o’clock, after examination of the approaching armament from the terreplein, the order for the […..] roll’ was issued. The whole garrison knew that the hour of trial was at hand, and the greatest enthusiasm and alacrity prevailed. The men rushed to their guns with shouting and yells of exultation. The regimental band was ordered to the rampart. The garrison flag (the Confederate States) was already flying defiantly from the staff at the northern apex of the pentagonal fortress. The blue and white banned of the Palmetto State was given to the wind on the southwest corner of the work, and the elegant black and white color, of the First Regiment South Carolina Artillery (Regulars) was run up at the southeast angle, in the face of the coming foe. A salute of thirteen unshotted guns was fired, and the band broke forth with the stirring strains of ‘Dixie.’
It was determined to permit the fleet to come well within range before opening fire. Lieutenant Colonel JOSEPH A. YATES, who that morning reported for duty, was assigned to the special command of the barbette batteries. Major ORMSBY BLANDING was assigned the special command of the casemate batteries. They were both at their posts, with officers, men and guns ready, and awaiting the order to begin the engagement. Colonel ALFRED RHETT, the commandant of the post, stood on the parapet watching the progress of the doughty iron-clad dogs of war. Every heart beat high. Every face was flushed with calm excitement, properly incident to such a moment. On they came, steaming slowly northeastward – seven Monitors, their hulls sunk down to the water level, showing only a black line on the surface and a projecting turret and smoke stack each – the Ironsides, looming up from the sea a formidable looking monster, and the Keokuk, her hull more distinctly visible than the Monitors, and with two turrets, the most dreaded of all the nine.
In front, a Monitor, supposed to be the Passaic, commanded by DRAYTON, pushed forward a long raft, forked and fitting her bow, intended to catch, by suspended grappling irons, any entanglements, or to explode any torpedoes, which might lie in the path of their hostile advance. Next followed, in approximate echelon, another Monitor, bearing a pennon, and conjectured to be the flag ship of the commanding officer of the fleet. This was succeeded, in the same order, by two others of similar kind, only distinguishable by slight differences in the adornments of red or white paint upon their generally black turrets and smoke stacks. These constituted the first line or division. After an interval of space came the Ironsides, of much larger proportions, her sleek and glistening black sides rising high and frowning above the water. She occupied a central position, and was followed, at some distance, by the three remaining Monitors and the Keokuk in the rear. These four formed the other line or division of battle.
At three o’clock, when the leading gunboat had got east-southeast of Sumter, at a distance of about fourteen hundred yards, Fort Moultrie fired the first gun. The band was hushed at Sumter, the musicians were dispatched to their pieces, and the order was issued to open fire, carefully and by battery.
At 3.03 min. the guns belched forth their fierce thunders upon the foremost monster. Within two minutes there was a response. His shots were directed against Sumter, and the strife was inaugurated. The east and northeast batters, en barbette and in casemate, were those only engaged, together with a mortar battery on one of the ramparts, which fired for a short time. It may be improper to publish, at this juncture, the garrison of the fort, but we may mention that the east barbette battery was officered, as we understand, by Captain D. FLEMMING, Lieut. F.D. BLAKE, Lieut. JONES, and Lieut. JULIUS RHETT (a volunteer, absent from PRESTON’S Battery Light Artillery on sick leave). The northeast barbette battery was officered by Capt. HARLESTON, Lieut. McM. KING and Lieut. W.S. SIMKINS. The mortar battery was for a time manned and was officered by Capt. MACBETH and Lieut. JULIUS ALSTON, who were subsequently transferred to one of the casemate batteries engaged. The other, the largest casemate battery engaged, was commanded by Capt. W.H. PERONNEAU and Lieut. FICKLING, while a third small battery was in charge of Lieut. GRIMBALL.
For thirty minutes the guns of Fort Sumter were concentrated on the leading vessel, irrespective of the answering cannon of the others. The garrison fought with eagerness and impetuosity. They had to be restrained, and after trial, firing by battery, it was found that, from the small size of the object at a distance of 1100 to 1400 yards, and its constant and alternate moving and stopping, it was difficult to keep the guns trained to shoot simultaneously with accuracy. The method was changed, with apparent advantage, during the course of the engagement. The gunboats fired deliberately, at intervals. The smoke stack of the pioneer boat was riddled with balls. The turret was repeatedly struck and impressions distinctly visible. At 3.25 a flat headed bolt of chilled iron, projected from a Brooke gun (rifled and banded 7 inch), struck with manifest damage. A volume of steam was seen to issue from the creature, and it turned off on a curve toward the east and southeast, steaming out of range and out of the fight. Meantime, the three other Monitors of the first line had bestowed their attentions upon the fort with impunity. They now, after the retirement of the supposed Passaic, received each, for a brief season, sundry acknowledgments. That bearing the pennon, at 3.37 had its emblem of command cut down by a well directed shot. Its turret and hull were indented. Several shot were visible, driven and sticking in the iron. The smoke stack was repeatedly pierced through. And at 3.45 this invulnerable man-of-war also drew off, followed by the two that had accompanied it.
The Ironsides seemed shy of the contest. She fired a few shots at a distance of not less than 1400 yards, and perhaps as much as 1800. Three balls were seen to strike her in return. She soon headed off out of range, and was counted out.
The Monitors of the second line were under concentrated fire, each a few minutes. All were hit, but apparently with no special injury. The longer the fight continued, the more accurate the firing proved with the gunners of that gallant and admirably trained corps.
The Keokuk now boldly advanced, bow on, to 850 yards of the east side of Fort Sumter. This was the shortest distance attained by any of the fleet, no other venturing so near. Colonel RHETT now requested Lieutenant-Colonel YATES to take charge of a Brooke gun for a few shots, and to sight it carefully himself. The first shot entered the open port hole of the foremost turret, apparently silencing the boat.
The next ball was a centre shot upon the turret. The third penetrated the bow, some ten feet from the stem, making a large opening at the water line; and a fourth also struck the hull. During this time a concentric fire was poured into the monster from all the guns that could be brought to bear. The fire of the fort had been reduced by order to one gun from each battery every five minutes, and was exceedingly precise and effective. For many minutes the boat drifted lifelessly with the tide, under a terrific hail, being torn in different places, and having shot plainly imbedded in the iron armor. It was strongly hoped that it would be so disabled as to surrender, falling into our hands by capture. But, after being under punishment forty minutes, it managed to crawl feebly off and escape, giving a parting salute as it was getting out of range to show that the will was there to fight. The following morning it settled down some five hundred yards to sea from the beach towards the south part of Morris Island.
This was the end of the fight. After a short engagement of two hours and twenty-five minutes, an unprotected brick fort, by the use of its cannon, assisted by Fort Moultrie and the guns, repulsed a fleet of nine of the boasted iron-clad gunboats. The Keokuk was sunk. The Passaic has disappeared from view, probably sent or towed to Port Royal for repairs. And the flag-boat has been undergoing the mending process in plain sight. The prestige of their invulnerability is gone. The question is reduced to the relative powers of destruction of the fort and the assailing fleet. It is a question of pluck and survivorship in a square stand-up-fight for victory. Iron-clad fleets can be destroyed as well as forts. Fort Sumter, although somewhat pitted, today is, we believe, as strong as it was when this fight begun. We deem that, if the attack is renewed as before (and there is good reason to believe it will be), the six Monitors left and the Ironsides will come out the defeated party, with worse results than those obtained in their first attempt. Nous verrons.
The enemy fired about […..] shots – mostly 15 inch and steel pointed shells – at Fort Sumter. This estimate was made from Sullivan’s Island. Forty only struck the work. One 10-inch gun was temporarily disabled by a shot. One Columbiad, of old pattern burst. One 7-inch rifled gun dismounted by recoil, and one gun was disabled for a few moments by fracture of the elevating screw through recoil.
Not a person was killed in Fort Sumter from any cause. Sergeant FAULKNER, and Privates CHAPLIN, MINNIX and PENN, Company B, were injured by a shower of bricks thrown from a traverse on the rampart by a large shot of the enemy. A drummer boy, AHRENS, was struck on the head by the explosion of a shell over the parade. A negro laborer was also wounded. All, we learn are doing well, and there is no danger of losing a life or a limb. The wounded were dressed by Surgeon MOORE, of the post, and sent out of the way to a hospital in the city, where they now remain.
The regimental ensign was pierced near the centre by a ball. The Confederate flag was also perforated.
THE BATTERIES OF SULLIVAN’S ISLAND.
FORT MOULTRIE opened the engagement. At three o’clock, the head of the grim procession of Monitors having come within reasonable range, the word was given, and the first shot of the battle went whizzing at the iron fleet. In a very few minutes the batteries of Sumter, with the earth works of Morris and Sullivan’s Islands, were mingling their deep voices in the chorus of the fray. During the entire fight the batteries of Fort Moultrie maintained a well directed fire against the Monitor that happened to be nearest, and the frequency with which the Yankee turned from their main effort against Fort Sumter to give a spiteful shot to Fort Moultrie showed how effectively and accurately the men at the latter post were hurling their metal on the foe.
There was but one casualty at Fort Moultrie. A shot from one of the Monitors cut away the flag staff, a few feet above the parapet, and the staff fell upon Private LUSBY, Company F, 1st S.C. (regular) Infantry, inflicting injuries, from the effects of which he soon died.
The garrison of Fort Moultrie it would not be proper to enumerate. It consists of the First South Carolina (regular) Infantry. The commandant of the post is Colonel WM. BUTLER, of the same regiment, and the companies during the action were severally commanded by Captain T.A. HUGUENIN, Captain B.S. BURNET, Capt. CONSTANTINE RIVERS, First Lieut. E.A. ERWIN and Captain R. PRESTON SMITH – the last named officer having special charge of the mortar battery. The closest range into which the enemy ventured was estimated by the officers of the fort at about 1200 yards. The flagstaff has been replaced, and as no other portion of the fort sustained any damage whatever during the engagement, the post is in excellent condition to join in another trial of strength with the turreted armada.
BATTERY BEE, on Sullivan’s Island, just opposite Fort Sumter, was commanded by Lieutenant Col. SIMKINS, of the 1st S.C. (regular) Infantry, and manned by companies of that Regiment. The Captains commanding the companies at this post engaged, were Captains ROBERT DETREVILLE, WARREN ADAMS, and W.T. TATUM. The battery was the recipient of occasional shots from the enemy, but was not in any way injured, nor were there any casualties amongst the men. During the fight Gen. RIPLEY was present at Battery Bee. Whenever the enemy may choose to renew the attack, if his object should be to dash into the harbor, Battery Bee will have a far more important part to play.
The BEAUREGARD BATTERY, with three of its guns, also took part in the general melee of heavy artillery, and twice received a broadside from the enemy. This battery, commanded by Captain J.A. SITGREAVES, 1st Regiment S.C. (regular) Artillery, is situated on the Sullivan’s Island beach, northeast of Fort Moultrie, a little beyond the Moultrie House, and is manned from the 1st regiment S.C. (regular) Artillery, 1st Lieutenant ERWIN commanding, and Co. B., 1st Regiment S.C. (regular) Infantry, Captain WARLEY commanding. The battery was in no respect damaged although many of the Yankee round-shot fell upon the sand in the immediate neighborhood.
The forces on Sullivans’s Island (which is a portion of the subdivision commanded by Brigadier General TRAPIER) were under the immediate command of Colonel L.M. KEITT, of the 20th Regiment S.C.V. Both General TRAPIER and Colonel KEITT were on the island at the time of the action, and during the firing were moving from battery to battery.