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DAMffiR IN JHE PATH THE BURIED CONFEDERATE TOR j PEDOES ON THE PENINSULA. Fltz John Porter Tolls of Thrilling: Ex periences at Vorktoou—Who -Hade Planted the Torpedoes—Noble Conduct of Generals Johnston and Longstreet. [Copyright, 1897. by American Press Asso ciation. Book rights reserved.] T THIS late date T~Z\ the question is If raised as to whe should have the Jf\\ honor of invent // 1 ing and placing 1 those infernal / machines used by r the Confederates in southeastern- Virgiuia to de stroy their ene mies. In his book, “The Rise and Fall of the Confederacy, ’ ’ Jefferson Davis gives all credit to one General Gabriel J. Rains. Recently Captain Hunter Davidson has published for the first time his claim— made before Davis’ death—to a share in tho work greater than that performed by Rains. Rains had the full confidence of his government and was given his way in spite of protests in high places against his methods as being a relic tl barbarism. The infernal devices were first en countered on land by our soldiers at Yorktown, in May, 1862, and I asked General Fitz John Porter, who com manded the trenches there, to give his experience with the “Rains torpedo,” of which we heard so much at that time, and, in fact, until the last ditch was crossed at Petersburg, three years later. “My official action as director of the siege of Yorktown in the Virginia pen insula in April and May, 1862, may have and doubtless did give Rains his prominence in the Confederate service and draw the attention of the Rich mond authorities, including Jefferson Davis, to his peculiar talents,” said General Porter. “Rains exploited his startling inventions before Yorktown at the time of tho evacuation, May 4, 1862, and followed it up next day at Williamsburg. He it was who caused to be planted there those torpedoes and snb terra shells referred to in my official report to General McClellan of the ad vance of my soldiers into the abandoned works and town. In describing the first steps of the advance I said: “About 3:30 on the morning of the 4th, upon explosions and fires in the enemy’s works be ing reported to me, I directed the generals 01 the trenches, General Jameson and Colonel McQuade of tho Fourteenth New York, tc push forward a force into the works. Before the order was carried into effect General Jameson informed me that deserters reported the place abandoned. The commands design nated to enter the town pushed forward rapid ly. The one on the left was fired upon from the Red Fort. Those on the right experienced some losses from shell planted in the ground, which exploded when trod upon. Many oi these shells were concealed in tho streets and houses of the town and arranged to explode by treading on tho caps or pulling a wire at tached to the doors. “Some injuries were inflicted and several lives were lost before our men learned to detect the hidden danger and avoid it. One of my military teleg raphers, a young Ohioan named La throp, entered the town with the skir mishers and hurried to the telegraph of fice to test the circuit. The wires had been cut and left dangling from a pole. Lathrop sprang to the foot of the pole intending to climb and make a splice, but landed upon a buried torpedo and was so badly injured by the explosion which followed that he died in a few hours. The incidents connected with our advance were duly communicated to General McClellan, and in a dispatch to Secretary Stanton, sent the evening after our occupation of tho stronghold, the general referred to the sub terra shells, denouncing the practice severely. His dispatch quickly reached the head quarters of the Confederate army through the medium of the New York press and an animated correspondence resulted, Rains playing a principal part. “Rains was first called to account by his corps commander, General Long street, who directed him to cease the practice of putting out torpedoes and shells on the retreat. Rains defended his conduct in the Yorktown affair and appealed to the war department over the head of Longstreet. The command er of the army, General Joseph E. John ston, then took the matter up, using McClellan’s dispatch and the facts re ported by us at the time of our advance. The case was taken to the Confederate secretary of war, and Rains came out ahead. All the correspondence was found among the Confederate documents turned over to the war department at Washington, and is now on file.” General McClellan’s dispatch was printed in the New York papers of May 6, 1862, two days after the evacuation of Yorktown, and the correspondence between the Confederate generals, insti gated by the dispatch, took place while their forces were still retreating toward Richmond. First in chronological order is the admonition of General Longstreet to General Rains, who still command ed the rear guard, to check pursuit by McClellan’s army. Under date of May 11 Longstreet wrote: It is the desire of the major general com manding that you put out no shells or torpe does behind you, as he does not recognize it as a proper or effective, method of war. Rains promptly sent the order back with a lengthy indorsement of his own, from which the following are extracts, and another penned by his immediate superior officer, General D. H. Hill: INDORSEMENT BY GENERAL RAINS. A shell which can be prepared and unpre pared and a sentinel to keep our e>v. are all that is wanted for our These shells give us decided advantage over our foe invading our soil, especially in frus trating night surprises, requiring but little powder for great results in checking advancing columns at all times. For, their being proper for war, they are as much no oh ambuscades, masked batteries and mines. For their effectiveness I refer to tho enemy. Believing as I do the vast advantages to our country to be gained from this.iu volition I am unwilling to forego it, and hi-g leave to appeal direct to the war department. Respectfully forwarded. In my opinion all means of destroying our brutal enemies are lawful and proper. D. H. HILL. General Joseph E. Johnston, com mander of tho army in the field, on the day following General Longstreet’s ac tion instituted an inquiry through the headquarters of General D. H. Hill. His letter, dated May 12, was as fol lows: General Johnston desires that you lnquiro Into the inclosed report, taken from the New York Herald, May 6, 1802, to ascertain If there is any truth in the statement, to find out if there were any torpedoes placed, and if so, when, where and by whom. The works where tho enemy say the torpe does were placed were those at Yorktown. [lnclosure.] TORPEDOES. [Extract from General McClellan’s report.] The rebels have been guilty of the most murderous and barbarous conduct in placing torpedoes within tho abandoned works near wells and springs and near flagstaffs, maga zines and telegraph offices, in carpetbags, barrels of flour, etc. We have not lost many men in this manner some four or five killed and perhaps a dozon wounded. I shall mako tho prisoners remove them at their own peril. These papers were sent to Major Gen eral Hill, were referred by bim to Brig adier General Rains and were answered under date of May 14. In explanation of the torpedoes Rains wrote: That invention is strictly mine, as well as the essential parts of Colt’s weapons, for tiie use of which I have never been called to ac count. If it be required to know what use I have made of the invention, I answer I commanded at Yorktown for the last soven months, and when General McClellan approached with his army of. 100,000 men and opened his cannon upon us I had but 2,600 In garrison, and our whole army of the peninsula, under Major General Magruder, amounted to but 9,300 ef fective men. Then, at a salient angle, an ac cessible point of our works, as part of the de fenses thereof, I had the land mined with the weapons alluded to, to destroy assailants and prevent escalaide. Subsequently, with a similar view, they were placed at spots I never saw. And, again, when at Williamsburg, we were ordered to turn upon our assailants and com bat with them * * * some four shells, found abandoned by our artillery, were hastily pre pared by my efforts and put in a road near a tree felled across, mainly to have a moral ef fect in checking the advance of the enemy—for they were too small to do more—to save our sick, wounded and enfeebled who straggled in our rear. * * * All the papers in the case were sent to G. W. Randolph, the Confederate secretary of war, who indorsed thereon the rules adopted at Richmond. Whether shells planted in roads or parapets are contrary to the usages of war depends upon the purpose with which they are used. It is not admissible in civilized warfare to take life with no other object than the destruc tion of life; hence it is inadmissible to shoot sentinels and pickets, because nothing is at tained but the destruction of life. It would be admissible, however, to shoot a general, be cause you not only take life, but deprive an army of its head. It is admissible to plant shells in a parapet to repel an ussault or in a road to check pur- GENERAL FITZ JOHN PORTER, suit, because the object is to save the work in one case and tho army in the other. It is not admissible to plant shells merely to destroy life and without other design than that of depriving your enemy of a few men without materially injuring him. It is admissible to plant torpedoes in a river or harbor, because they drive off blockading or attacking fleets. As Generals Rains and Longstreet differ in this matter, tho inferior in rank should give way, or, if he prefers it, he may he assigned to the river defenses, where such things are clearly admissible. “The truth is that the torpedoes at Yorktown were planted by the Confed erates a night or two before they left the works,” continued General Porter, after reviewing tho statement of Rains, in the official records, “and they were put there with the evident intention of checking a rush by my soldiers. This is shown by the fact that some of my sol diers had advanced a day or two before the evacuation nearer to Yorktown than the ground where the torpedoes were encountered on the 4th, and they found none. They were placed on roads and near roads and other most accessible places for onr men to advance where they would do harm in case of a rush upon tho retreating Confederates. There was a stick attached to each torpedo which protruded above the ground to show the Confederates where they were, so they could avoid them in their move ments about the lines.” Within a month after the official in quiry into Rains’ conduct at Yorktown he was assigned to the charge of the submarine defenses of the James and Appomattox rivers and remained in sim ilar service to tho end of the war. George L. Kilmer. Kipling's Assignment. The Springfield Republican says: “The report that Rudyard Kipling, oui Brattleboro neighbor, who has been in England of late, has been sent to Crete as Svar correspondent of the London iTimes at a salary of $5,000 a month, is (confirmed by letters received by bis friends in Vermont. Both parties to this contract are to be congratulated—The Times on obtaining a ‘feature’ of such great interest as Kipling’s letters will be, and the novelist and Boswell of the British private soldier on securing a 'profitable outing that ought to be much to his liking. There will be not only plenty of present fun and excitement in this assignment, but a wealth of ‘ma terial’ for future literary use.” THE TIMES: BRUNSWICK, GA., SUNDAY MORNING, MAY 2, 1896. HEROES OF SUMTER. SOLDIERS WHO FIRED THE SHOTS HEARD ROUND THE WORLL. Noted Officers Who Were In the Fort With Major Anderson Heroism In th€ Ranks —General Beauregard's Aids Un der Fire Truth About the First Shot. [Copyright, 1597, by American Press Asso ciation. Book rights reserved.] /OHIK AJOR ANDER SON and five 111 Vf Ilf captains and lieu- St 11 111 tenants with him l!|l I j |!|| at Sumter be- Aa Ok tp|!j came major gen- li| 9 era 1 s in the 1 AV w Union army. I ISBui! Doubleday fired J | the first gun ill J BBBpIfY 1 t re Ply to Beaure “l \ \ gard’s batteries. -■ ainSjKßsjji; 1 He served with = —, ■ distinction in the I, -Mtap Army of the Po- PSIU - tomac. Captain ~~ ||Ps _ J- G. Foster served under 'ZJn Burnside in North Carolina, '-J' and later in the west. Lieutenant Jeff C. Davis com manded a section of Doubleday’s com pany at Sumter and was afterward a distinguished corps commander in the west. Dr. S. W. Crawford also acted as a subordinate to Doubleday. He con tinued to handle the sword and was a gallant division general at the close of the war. Lieutenant Truman Seymour arose to the command of a division. Lieutenant Norman J. Hall was the leader of a brigade which aided in the repulse of Pickett’s charge at Gettys burg. Soon after that he retired from the army on account of ill health. He was then a colonel of volunteers. One of the lieutenants, R. K. Meade, joined the Confederacy after the fall of Sum ter and died in that service. Another of -the lieutenants, Snyder of the en gineers, died soon after the commence ment of hostilities. Sumter’s flag fell at 1 o’clock on the 12th, but not because it had been hauled down. The staff had been struck and the halyards'cut in two. When the flag came down, Lieutenant Hall secured it and fixed it on a temporary staff. With the aid of Lieutenant Snyder and Pri vate Hart, it was hoisted under fire upon the parapet at the middle, facing the enemy’s guns. The Soldier Hart distinguished himself many times that day. Through his activity the flames were kept from spreading in dangerous quarters aud to him was giveu the cred it of saving the powder magazines. Major Anderson gave orders that only the casement guns of Sumter should be used in reply to the enemy. These were the guns fired through em brasures in the wall answering to the ports of a battleship. The barbette guns on the parapet were the only shell guns in the fort. So the answering fire was of solid shot against shell. Seeing the disadvantage, one of the gunners, named Carmody, stole away to the ramparts and coolly fired every barbette gun in position on the Moultrie side. Carmody was unable to run the guns back single handed for loading aud could not a'loue fight the whole Confed eracy with suitable weapons. In another part of tho fort there was a ten inch columbiad in barbette, which also came under Anderson’s prohibition. It was loaded and trained, and two sergeants, watching their chances, stole into the gorge aud fired it. The shot barely missed smashing tho famous Confederate iron battery. The , sergeants determined fo try again, and after some tugging got tho gun back and reloaded it. They could not spring it into position again, but trained it where it stood. One sergeant went below to see that the coast was clear, and the other lay, lanyard in hand, ready to pull. The Confederates had noticed the new combatant and turned their best shots upon the gorge. Shells crashed around the prostrate gunner, and at last he pulled the lan yard, unable to wait longer. Tua big gun recoiled over the stop blocks and somersaulted across the stairway. In spite of the accident tho secret was well kept, and Major Anderson never knew how the columbiad came to be dis mounted. The plucky sergeant’s shot was a splendid one and struck just be neath the middle embrasure of the iron battery, where Charleston’s Palmetto guards stood to the guns. It showered the battery with sand, aud had it been aimed a trifle higher would have enter ed the embrasure. After the fire had gained headway in the fort and was nearing the magazine the excitement was intense. But the men turned cheerfully from fighting the enemy outside to the new enemy inside. Soldiers brought blankets soaked with water and spread them over the loaded shells and hand grenades. As the flames spread and drew near the main mag azine the men rolled out barrels of pow der in the midst of falling cinders to have it ready for service at the guns. There were several missions .sent ont by Boauregard to Major Anderson be fore and after the lowering of the flag. In all of them one man was conspicu ous. That was Captain James Chesnut, afterward a Confederate general. Cap tain Chesnut was one of three aids who went to the fort under a white flag on April 11 to demand surrender. The de mand was refused. About 1 o’clock on the morning of the 12th Captain Chesnut again ap peared at .Sumter, and remained there until past 8 o’clock, awaiting Major Anderson’s reply. He had orders in his pocket to the commander of the bat teries on James island to open fire in case Anderson remained firm in his pur pose to hold the fort. On leaving ho placed in Anderson’s hand a written notice that the hostile guns would open in one hour. These trips were made in an open rowboat, which was pulled to Fort Johnson, and reached there at 4 o’clock. From Fort Johnson Captain Chesnut started by boat to report to Beauregard in Charleston. He was rowed out into the harbor between Forts Johnson and Sumter, and there lay to until the sig nal shot was seen to burst over the tar get. After delir'ering bis report to Beaure gard the captain was again sent in his open boat down tho harbor, now alive with shells from Sumter and all its ad versaries, including Fort Moultrie. Tho boat reached Morris island in safety, passing under the guns which were fir ing vigorously. Captain Chesnut’s in structions were to learn the condition of the southern batteries exposed to Sumter’s shots, and also that of Sum ter. His boat ran out in the harbor to ward Sumter, and be saw that the buildings in the fort were on fire. About that time the firing from Sumter ceased. But tho flag was still waving. Captain Chesnut determined to make one more demand for the evacuation and was preparing to go out in the boat when the United States flag suddenly disappeared from the historic walls. Word was brought from Anderson that he would evacuate, and the captain has tened to the city with the news. The next mission of Captain Ches nut was one of mercy. The quarters in Fort Sumter had been set on fire by hot shot from Moultrie, aud the condition of its magazine was not known to those outside. It was supposed that there must be some wounded needing care. A fire engine and its company were loaded on board a steamer, and with a surgeon and his staff of assistants the relief party hurried to tho burning fort. On nearing tho wharf tho steamer was warned away by an officer in the fort, who stated that it was in danger of blowing up at any moment from the mines placed beneath the wall at that point as a means of defense. Captain Chesnut entered the fort through an embrasure and offered the services of his firemen and surgeons to Major Anderson. Only one man had been wounded, and the fire had burned itself out. The lower magazine was under the burning ruins, but was deem ed safe. The upper one had been emp tied by casting the powder barrels into the sea. In most histories the first Confeder ate shot at Fort Sumter is wrongly at tributed to Edmund Ruffin of Virginia, a venerable man, who is called one of the fathers of secession. This tradition spoils a good story, aud I give the facts from official history as a setting for an incident worth preserving. General Beauregard, commander of tho provisional army of South Carolina, says in his official report, “The signal shell was fired from Fort Johnson at 4:80 a. m. ” Fort Johnson was on James island. It was a three gun bat tery, with a four gun mortar battery near by. The post was known as Fort Johnson. The official journal of Cap tain J. G. Foster, the Federal engineer in Sumter, says, “At 4:30 a. m. a sig nal shell was thrown from the mortar battery on James island.” One of Beauregard’s aids, who deliv ered the ultimatum to Major Anderson and carried his reply back to shore, Cap tain Stephen D. Lee, tells the story as follows in The Century war papers: “The boat containing the two aids and also Roger A. Pryor of Virginia went immediately from Sumter to Fort Johnson, on James island, and the or der to fire the signal gun was given to Captain George S. James, commanding the battery at that point. Captain James at once arranged to carry out the order. He was a great admirer of Roger A. Pryor, and said to him, ‘You are the only man to whom I would give the honor of firing the first gun of the war, ’ and offered to allow him to fire it. “Pryor was very much agitated. With a husky voice he said, ‘I could not GEN. DOUBLEDAY, U. S. A. ROBERT ANDERSON. S. W. CRAWFORD. fire the first gun of the war. ’ Captain James would allow no one else but him self to fire the first gun. It was fired at 4:60 a. m., and burst immediately over the fort. ” General Beauregard mentions Edward Ruffin in his report, and locates him at the Iron battery on Morris island. Colonel De Saussure, commander of tho Morris island batteries, says in his re port that his guns opened at 4:48 after the signal agreed upon had been given. Colonel Do Saussurc’s subordinate, Major Stevens, says that the batteries on Morris island opened after the signal shell had been fired from Fort Johnson. Ruffin served in tho Palmetto guard, which manned two batteries on Morris island, the Point (Cummings) and the Iron batteries. Captain Cuthbert of tho Palmettos is very explicit in his report. He says: “The mortar battery of Cum mings point opened fire on Fort Sumter in its turn after the signal shell from Fort Johnson, having been preceded by the mortar batteries on Sullivan’s is land and the Marion artillery (Morris island). At tlio dawn of day tlio Iron battery commenced its work. The first Shell, fired by tlio venerable Edmund Ruffin, burst directly upon the parapet of the fort. ’ ’ The “dawn of day,” which was tho time Ruffin fired his columbiad, is placed by’ several witnesses more than an hour after the signal gun. Mean while the bombardment liatf been going on steadily from the several batteries bearing upon tho doomed fort. George L. Kilmer. BY SUMTER’S WALLS. 1 BATTLES OF THE WARSHIPS IN 'CHAfIL£STO^-[me6R-^._ Hu id by the Confederate Ironclad Hams. Gallantry of Captain Worden, Hero of the Monitor—Destroying Cruisers—At tack of, the Ships on Fort Sumter. [Copyright, 1897, by American Press Asso ciation. Book rights reserved.] O M B A R D - MENT, blockad ed <. itig and blockade running were the ✓/jyjjy. chief features of ■f—re ff \the war in 4“wLd / J har- NJ. s' Vbor. The mimic jEBJ Aq- blockading cam- Admiral |.| w\ Bunco’s fleet in S was one free g|sgg£f-a&y pecially the dan ger thatconfrout ed the real block ading 32 to 86 years ago. The first formidable attempt to raise the blockade was made at the very close of the second year of the war. Tho attempt originated with General Beauregard, the commander of the de partment, who arrived at about that time from the seat of war in tho val ley of the Mississippi. It was in the na ture of a raid by ironclad rams, some thing like that made by tho famous Merrimao in Hampton Roads in March the previous year. Tho raiding vessels at Charleston were the Palmetto State and Chicora, which crossed the bar be fore daylight and steamed silently down toward the enemies. The United States steamship Mercedita lay directly in the path of the Palmetto State, which stood for her, intending to strike with her prow. The Mercedita was taken by sur prise. Her outlook hailed the stranger with: “What steamer is that? Drop your anchor! You will be into usl” Tho saucy answer came back, “This is the Palmetto steamer of the Confed erate States. ” Commander Stillwagon of the Mercedita quickly ordered the guns to be opened. At the same instant the ram crashed into his vessel, and one of her guns put a seven inch shell through the Mercedita’s condenser and steam drum, tearing a hole in her port side five feet square. She instantly filled with steam, and voices called out from below: “Shot through the boilers! Fire put out! Water over fireroom floor! Ves sel sinking fast!” “Surrenderor I sink you!” shonted the commander of the Palmetto State. Stillwagon responded: “I can mako no resistance. I surrender. ” All this happened before the rest of the vessels of the Federal fleet were aware of the attack. Meanwhile the Chicora had passed on to sea, moving in a circle in the midst of the fleet and firing at everything in sight. The Unit ed States steamer Keystone Stylo, Com mander Leßoy, stood off her urse, and having taken the alarm froiflthe firing of the Mercedita and Palpitto State peppered the ram with sEcus, which rolled idly down her iron sides. Leßoy then drove his vessel hard at the Chi cora, aiming to strike her stern. But the latter turned, and with her forward pivot gun sent an incendiary shell into tho Keystone, disabling her port wheel and setting her on fire fore and aft. Le- Roy ordered on steam, and took his ves sel out of the fight just long enough to extinguish the flames, then again steered for the ram. Before he could strike, however, the guns of tho Chicora pierced his hull several times with shells, and finally sent one through both her steam drums. The other Fed eral vessels within reach gave the rams plenty of sea room until the latter re turned leisurely to their moorings in the harbor. General Beauregard was besido him self with exultation over this fight of the ironclads. He published to tho world that the blockade, or the boast ed blockade, of Charleston harbor was raised. However, tho incident only Lad the effect of setting up the Federal authorities to strengthen the blockading fleet. A number of the new ironclad monitors were immediate ly sent to Charleston harbor. The orig inal Monitor, victor over the Merrimac, sank on tfcs way down from Fortress Monroe. Her old commander, Captain Worden, had been transferred to the deck of the Montauk, one of the vessels of the now blockading fleet. Another of the newcomers was tho Passaic, com manded by a son of South Carolina, CAPTAIN DBAYTON. Captain Percival Drayton. Drayton had commanded his ship in the bombard ment of Port Royal, where his Confed erate brother, Thomas Drayton, led the enemy’s forces. Ironclads were an experiment for the kind of work to be done in subduing tlio stronghold of Charleston, with her forts and strongly fortified batteries. But an attack must be made. The temper of the northern people demanded it, and in order to try the new iron armor the monitors were sent before Fort McAllis ter, just across tho lino of South Caro lina at Savannah. On tho 27th of Feb ruary, 1808, Captain Worden went down with the Montank and steamed up within 100 yards of the guns of the fort. The Moutauk lay for four hours under fire and was repeatedly hit, but escaped ecrio-nr-injuiyr Captain Drayton went down there w?ta~thi'ag* monitors. He opened on the fort with the Passaic, and after an eight hours' fight declared that, lie could repair all damages to his vessels in one night’s work. After that experiment the iron clads were put in trim for a great at tack upon the most formidable of the Confederate strongholds, Fort Sumtel aud Battery Wagner. There was an incident connected with Captain Worden’s bombardment of Mc- Allister that should be recorded to the credit of that hero. The blocakde run ner Nashville, which had been cut off in an attempt to pass out of the harbor, and hemmed in by the Federal fleet, then transformed into an armored priva teer, lay in tho river above Fort Mc- Allister. Sho was surrounded with tor pedoes. Captain Worden learned from scouts that she was awaiting her chance to slip out past the blockade, and he promptly steamed up to verify the re port. Sighting the Nashville a short distance above Fort McAllister, he went ahead in bold defiance of the tor pedoes and of the guns of the fort, which were bearing upon the channel. Going within 1,200 yards of the Nash ville, he opened upon her with sheila aud continued firing until she burst into flames and blow up. Turning hack, he ran with tho Moutauk the gantlet ol fire, both shot and shell, from the fort aud batteries opposite. Near the mouth of the li.ver she struck upon a subma rine torpedo, which tore a chunk out oi her hull, aud she grounded finally within reach of companion vessels, which had stood at a distance to wit ness Worden’s gallant exploit. Throughout the winter months ol 1863 General Beauregard pushed for ward the work to prepare for the de fense of Charleston to the bitter end against attack by the new fleet of Fed eral monitors. Forts Sumter and Moul trie aud Battery Wagner were doubled in Rtrougth by adding guns, and above Morris and Sullivan islands, on the side toward tho channel, the shores were studded with heavy batteries. The guns of the batteries bore upon the main ship channel in a manner to create a circle of fire above the entrance to the harbor. In the center of the passage stood Sum ter. Should an attacking fleet succeed in passing Sumter and all of the bat teries along the channel in front of that tho case would still grow worso instead of better because the shores of the inner bay were lined with forts. Early in April the fleet of monitors Ml.. CAPTAIN EIIIND. tack was made upon the fort on the 7th. At the head of the line steamed the Weehawken under Captain John IP ;ig ers. Drayton in the Passaic and V/or den in tlio Montatik followed. The or ders for battlo were to pass inside the line of fire and linger on one face of Fort Sumter until the combined power of the fleet should silence its guns. An eyewitness describing it said: “Tho battle was a sight never to be forgotten. It seemed as though the fires of hell were turned upon the Federal fleet. The shot could be seen plainly in tho air, as flying balls during a game.” All of tho monitors were - baffled aud turned back by fire of tho guns from tho forts, and even then tho heaviest guns had not been used. Fort Sumter, tho main target, was hit only 15 times by monitor shells. Sumter’s guns fired 810 shots. The other forts and batteries were scarcely touched, but they fired over 1,300 mis siles at tho monitors. The monitor Keokuk, commanded by Captain Rhiud, reached nearest to Sum ter. She closed in within 900 yards. Although originally the last of attack ing monitors, she had forged her way to tho front, and she came in for tho heaviest punishment. She was struck 90 times. Below the water line 19 shots pierced her armor, and both her turrets wore perforated. She was just able to float and sank after reaching tho lower channel. Captain lihind described her as “the worso mauled ship that ever came out of a fight.” The life of each monitor under firo that day was about 45 minutes. Another incident of the war in Charleston harbor in 1863 was the cap ture of the notorious cruiser called the Atlanta. The Atlanta had made a repu tation as a blockade runner, but under another name. Originally sho flaunted tho English flag and was then called the Fingal. Having arrived at Savan lah, sho was transformed into an ar mored ram something like the old Merri mac. Sho carried six heavy brook rifles, and also a spar torpedo. On the 17th of Juno tho monitors Weehawkeu amL Montank went out to destroy ’V' i j.. 1! ran up rln-" and jtt ...*'9l •■ ■ ■ 3