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and thus an interior defence was completed which, though it separated more widely the salient and principal works of the defence, by substituting
Johnson for
Sumter, yet rendered access to the upper harbor far more difficult, because a more powerful fire was concentrated from additional batteries upon vessels attempting to enter.
And thus it was that, even after
Morris Island was evacuated and
Sumter dismantled, the fleet must still pass the fire of
Moultrie and
Bee to find itself in presence of a formidable earthwork, supported by continuous batteries, and commanding obstructions more difficult than any between
Sumter and
Moultrie.
The real nature of these obstructions was not suspected until the winter freshets had broken away and floated into our hands a fair specrmen of them, which were certainly far more formidable than had been anticipated.
So well do the rebels keep their counsel that the best informed refugees, who had been constantly engaged about the harbor, appeared to know as little about them as we did.
During the progress of the engineers towards
Wagner the iron-clads played an important part, using their guns whenever an opportunity offered, as shown in the instances quoted.
It may be readily conceived that, all things being equal, it was just as easy for the rebels to have worked towards our position as it was for our troops to work towards theirs.
But there was a serious difference in the fact that the cannon of the iron-clads, and also of the gunboats, completely enfiladed the entire width of the narrow island, and absolutely interdicted any operation of the kind on the part of the rebels.
In addition, whenever their fire was bearing severely on our own workmen, a request from the
General always drew the fire of the vessels; and I do not know that it failed to be effective in any instance.
As a consequence the rebels were restricted to
Wagner, and were powerless to hinder the progress of the trenches that were at last carried into the very ditch of the work, and decided its evacuation without assault.
The day before the contemplated assault, I led in the iron-clads in force, as agreed on, and battered the fort all day, tearing it into a sand heap.
The next morning it was to have been stormed, but the enemy had fled they foresaw the inevitable result.
The vessels thus shared fully with the army in the operation that led to the abandonment of the works on
Morris Island, and besides what is already mentioned, prevented the access of reenforcements, or their accumulation between
Wagner and
Gregg.
The boats of the squadron were also engaged on picket duty by night along the sea shore of
Morris Island, and the.little stream on its inner border.
A detachment of seamen and marines, under
Captain Parker, participated in the practice of the batteries at
Fort Sumter, by working four navy rifle cannons, landed for the purpose.
The duties of the iron-clads were not performed under idle batteries.
The guns of
Wagner never failed to open on them, and fired until their crews were driven, by those of our iron-clads, to take shelter in the bomb-proofs.
One of these cannon, a ten-inch, left deep dents on every turret, that will not easily be effaced.
The operations of the iron-clads against
Morris Island were appropriately closed by a severe contest with
Fort Moultrie, Batteries Bee, Beauregard, &c., to relieve the
Weehawken, which had grounded under their fire, and was finally got off with some severe injuries, owing to the falling tide having exposed the hull under the overhang.
There were other occasions when severe conflicts occurred with the rebel works on
Sullivan's Island.
And besides the principal attacks in force, there were few days from the first attack on
Morris Island (July ten) to its evacuation (September seven) that some iron-clads or gunboats were not engaged in firing at the enemy's works, so as to facilitate the labor of our troops ashore, as will be perceived by the following sample from the record:
date. | object. | vessels engaged. |
1863. | | |
July 18 | Assault on Wagner | Montauk, (flag,) Ironsides, Catskill, Nantucket, Weehawken, Patapsco; gunboats Paul Jones, Ottawa, Seneca, Chippewa, Wissahickon. |
July 22 | Wagner | Nantucket, Ottawa, (gunboat.) |
July 23 | Wagner, to cover advance | Weehawken, (flag,) Ironsides, Catskill, Montauk, Patapsco, Nantucket; gunboats Paul Jones, Seneca, Ottawa, Dai-Ching. |
July 25 | Wagner | Gunboats Ottawa, Dai-Ching, Paul Jones. |
July 28 | Wagner | Weehawken, Catskill, Ottawa, (gunboat.) |
July 29 | Wagner | Ironsides, Patapsco. |
July 30 | Wagner | Ironsides, Catskill, Patapsco, Ottawa, (gunboat.) |
July 31 | Rebel batteries on Morris Island | Ottawa, (gunboat.) |
Aug. 1 | Wagner | Montauk, Patapsco, Catskill, Weekawken, Passaic, Nahant, Marblehead, (gunboat.) |
Aug. 2 | Wagner | Ottawa, Marblehead, (gunboats.) |
Aug. 4 | Wagner | Montauk, Marblehead, (gunboats.) |
Aug. 6 | Wagner | Marblehead, (gunboat.) |
Aug. 8 | Wagner | Ottawa, Marblehead, Mahaska, (gunboats.) |
Aug. 11 | Wagner and vicinity | Patapsco, Catskill. |
Aug. 13 | Rebel batteries on Morris Island | Gunboats Dai-Ching, Ottawa, Mahaska, Wissahickon, Racer. |
Aug. 14 | Rebel batteries on Morris Island | Gunboats Wissahickon, Mahaska, Ottawa, Dai-Ching, Racer, Dan. Smith. |
Aug. 15 | Wagner | Mortar-boats Racer, Dan. Smith. |
Aug. 17 | Rebel batteries on Morris Island, to direct fire from our batteries which opened on Sumter | Weehawken, Ironsides, Montauk, Nahant, Catskill, Passaic, Patapsco; gunboats Canandaigua, Mahaska, Ottawa, Cimarron, Wissahickon, Dai-Ching, Lodona. |
Aug. 18 | Wagner, to prevent assault | Ironsides, Passaic, Weehawken; gunboats Wissahickon, Mahaska, Dai-Ching, Ottawa, Lodona. |
Aug. 19 | Wagner | Ironsides. |
Aug. 20 | Rebel batteries on Morris Island | Ironsides; gunboats Mahaska, Ottawa, Dai-Ching, Lodona. |
Aug. 21 | Sumter and Wagner | Ironsides, Patapsco; gunboats Mahaska, Dai-Ching. |
Aug. 22 | Wagner | Weehawken, Ironsides; gunboat Montauk. |
Aug. 23 | Sumter | Weehawken, Montauk, Passaic, Patapsco, Nahant. |
Sept. 1 | Sumter and obstructions | Weehawken, Montauk, Passaic, Patapsco, Nahant, Lehigh. |
Sept. 5 | Between Sumter and Gregg | Lehigh, Nahant. |
Sept. 6 | Wagner and Gregg | Ironsides, Weehawken, Montauk, Passaic, Patapsco, Nahant, Lehigh. |
Sept. 7 | Batteries on Sullivan's Island | Ironsides, Patapsco, Lehigh, Nahant, Montauk Weehawken, (ashore.) |
Sept. 8 | Batteries on Sullivan's Island | Ironsides, Patapsco, Lehigh, Nahant, Montauk, Weehawken, (ashore.) |