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| Beauregard's Headquarters in Charleston.1 |
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the British ship Petrel there, hastened to attest the truth of the proclamation.
Judah P. Benjamin, the Confederate “Secretary of State,” issued a circular to “the foreign consuls in the Confederacy,” reiterating the misrepresentation,, saying to each, this is “for the information of such vessels of your nation as may choose to carry on commerce with the now open port of Charleston.”
The mendacity of Benjamin and his fellow-conspirators was then so well known, that no vessel was decoyed into an open attempt to enter Charleston harbor, which was continually watched by a competent blockading squadron.
As usual, the venturesome blockade-runners crept in under cover of fog and night.
This movement determined the Government to proceed at once to the task of capturing Charleston.
A strong naval force had been prepared under the direction of Admiral Dupont; and General Halleck ordered Foster to leave North Carolina at once with a greater portion of his corps (the Eighteenth) and go to the assistance of the naval commander.
Foster promptly obeyed, and sailed from Beaufort, North Carolina, on the 2d of February, with twelve thousand men, mostly veterans.
On his arrival at Hilton Head, he found that General Hunter, the commander of the Department, had received no notice from Halleck of his order to Foster, and regarded the movement as intrusive.
Difficulty ensued.
Foster, not finding Dupont at Port Royal, went to Fortress Monroe for siege-guns, when Hunter took command of the newly-arrived troops, broke up their corps organization, and incorporated them with his own. Foster, at his own request, was allowed to retire to his Department, leaving his troops as re-enforcements for Hunter, who now had an apparently competent force to make a speedy conquest of Charleston.
February and March were spent in the final preparations by Dupont.
The appointed place of rendezvous for his vessels was at the mouth of the North Edisto River, well up toward Charleston; and as fast as they were prepared at Hilton Head,2 each was sent quietly to that point, where they were all assembled, to the number of fourteen,3 at the beginning of April.
On the
1 this is a view of the fine brick building, no. 40 Broad Street, occupied by Beauregard as his Headquarters at that time.
2 For the purpose of saving to the service the time spent by vessels of the blockading squadron in going. North for repairs, Admiral Dupont established a floating machine-shop in Station Creek, near Hilton Head, where such work was done. He took two of the whale-ships which were sent down with the “Stone fleet.” (see page 128, volume I.), placed them side by side, and on one of them had a sort of house built, in which a steam-engine was put, with all the requisite machinery to be driven by it. The building was properly divided for different operations, as in ordinary machine-shops, such as pattern-room, boiler-makers' room, with heavy forges, brass-founders' room, &c. On the other vessel were furnaces, a store-house, and quarters for “contrabands.” This establishment, represented in the annexed engraving, was set up by W. B. Coggswell, the master mechanic.
3 The vessels consisted of nine “monitors” and five armored gun-boats.
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| Floating machine-shop. |
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