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cannon were menacing
Anderson and his little garrison.
These were under the command of
Major Peter Gustavus Toutant Beauregard, a Louisiana Creole, who had deserted his flag, resigned his commission,
and received from the
Montgomery conspirators the appointment of brigadier general.
He arrived at
Charleston on the 4th of March.
Fort Sumter was built for defense against external and not against internal foes.
Its stronger sides were toward the sea; its weakest side was toward
Morris Island, three-fourths of a mile distant, and the nearest land.
On that side were its sally-port and docks.
The builders never suspected that a hostile gun would be pointed toward that face; now
Morris Island was selected as the position for one of the most formidable of the batteries of the insurgents, which was, built of heavy
yellow pine logs, with a slanting roof toward the fort of the same material, over which was laid a shield of
railway iron,
strongly clasped, and forming a perfect foil to bomb-shells.
The embrasures were closed with iron-clad doors; and within were three 64-pounder columbiads.
This was known as the Stevens Battery, so named in honor of its inventor and constructor,
Major P. F. Stevens, who was conspicuous in the attack on the
Star of the West. There were two other batteries on
Cummings's Point of
Morris Island, the principal one being known as the
Cummings's Point Battery, which was armed with two 42-pounder columbiads, three 10-inch mortars, and a 12-pounder Blakely gun from
England.
All of the troops on
Morris Island were under the command of
Brigadier-General James Simons, who had been
Speaker of the
South Carolina House of Representatives, and the artillery battalion was in charge of
Lieutenant-Colonel De Saussure.
The iron-clad battery was served under the immediate direction of
Captain George B. Cuthbert.
The batteries at
Cummings's Point were manned by the Palmetto Guards.
The spiked guns of
Fort Moultrie, on
Sullivan's Island, had been restored to good order, and others added to them.
Traverses had been constructed, the ramparts strengthened by sand-bags, and eleven heavy, siege-guns and
several mortars had been placed in position.
Beside
Fort Moultrie and some small channel batteries, there were six formidable ones on
Sullivan's Island bearing on
Fort Sumter, some of which will be mentioned hereafter.
All the forces on that island were commanded by
Brigadier-General Dunnovant, and the artillery battalion was in charge of
Lieutenant-Colonel R. S. Ripley, late of the
National Army.
On
Mount Pleasant was a battery of two 10-inch mortars; and on
James Island, nearer
Charleston, was
Fort Johnston, which
