Daniel Ammen, Confederate Military History, a library of Confederate States Military History: Volume 7.2, The Atlantic Coast
Clement Anselm Evans, Ed.

[62] the firing commenced, and too late to participate that day. As many of the artillerists were quite untrained, until ranges were obtained the practice was inaccurate. On the following day, although there was a high wind, the firing from both the rifled guns and columbiads was excellent, ‘the former boring like augurs into the brick face of the wall, the latter striking like trip-hammers and breaking off great masses of masonry that had been cut loose by the rifles.’

The four nearest batteries were more than sixteen hundred yards from the fort; four rifled guns in battery Sigel, one of those nearest the fort, had been assigned to the men from the Wabash. The batteries were occupied at daylight, and ‘kept up a steady and well-directed fire until the flag of the fort was hauled down at 2 P. M.’ Commander Rodgers commended the conduct of Lieutenant Irwin, Master Robertson, and Midshipmen M. L. Johnson and F. H. Pearson, and also of petty officers Lewis Boun and George H. Wood.

‘Before the fort surrendered the barbette guns had been silenced and many of them dismounted. The breach was practicable for storming in two places, and the projectiles were passing through and knocking down the opposite wall, which protected the magazine, so that the garrison was convinced that in an hour or so the magazine must be blown up.’¹

The heavy Xiii-inch mortars inflicted little injury; the shells falling upon the casemates did not seem to shake them at all, and those that fell within the fort rolled into the deep furrows that had been made to receive them, where they burst without doing injury. Less than one year had passed since the seizure by the Confederates of all of the forts within their power, and again the National ensign